Is it a hate crime to go after people who fetishize underaged characters?

I'm very serious about this. If i was a feminist or a part of a protected class who is very vulnerable to sexual abuse, I would definitely see it that way. When i pushed this point on a very progressive chamber, I was downvoted because "you can't punish people for what's in their head". This very progressive chamber i was a part of has been known to go after people who have gone after underaged victim surrogates before. Why can't they get a taste of their own medicine?