Several States Ban Use of Panic Defense

By Tat Bellamy-Walker

Posted on June 4, 2021

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Four states and the nation’s capital have taken action to ban the so-called LGBTQ “panic defense,” which is a legal strategy used by defendants to cite a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity as an excuse to commit a violent crime.

In recent months, Maryland, Oregon, Washington D.C., Vermont, and Virginia all moved to ban the use of the panic defense. Defendants have used the panic defense in court by claiming that a victim’s gender identity or sexual orientation caused them to act out in a violent way.