The light sentencg of a Texas man who killed his neighbor triggered natnal fury and put the rare “gay panic fense” the spotlight.
Contents:
- VIRGIA BE THE FIRST STATE THE SOUTH TO BAN GAY AND TRANS PANIC AS A FENSE
- BEG AAID OF A GAY OR TRANS PERSON IS STILL A VALID MURR DEFENSE MOST OF THE US
- WASHGTON PASS BAN ON GAY AND TRANS PANIC FENS FOR HOMICI
- TEXAS MAN WHO KILLED NEIGHBOR US 'GAY PANIC' DEFENSE AND AVOIDS MURR CHARGE
- ALLEGED 'GAY PANIC FENSE' TEXAS MURR TRIAL STUNS ADVOT
- GAY AND TRANS PANIC FENS NTUE TO BE ED URT S MANY US STAT
VIRGIA BE THE FIRST STATE THE SOUTH TO BAN GAY AND TRANS PANIC AS A FENSE
Gay and trans panic fens n allow people charged wh the murrs of LGBTQ people to receive a lser sentence by “placg the blame for homici on a victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientatn or genr inty.” * gay panic homicide *
On January 21, New Jersey beme the nth state the natn to ban the gay panic fense, a strategy that the ernor said is “rooted homophobia. At the nference, my ey opened to the obstacl that the LGBTQ+ muny fac a state like Texas, where there is history of homophobia that ntu to the prent day. A few days after his ath, I learned for the first time that he was gay, and realized that he had lived an almost pletely closeted life.
BEG AAID OF A GAY OR TRANS PERSON IS STILL A VALID MURR DEFENSE MOST OF THE US
Virgia jt beme the first state the South to ban the e of the “gay and trans panic” fense urt. * gay panic homicide *
Based on my early analysis, fense attorneys who enter gay panic fens n rce a fendants’ murr charg 32% of the time, even though the majory of the homicis volve credible vlence.
The offenrs the s seemed to take advantage of this “secret” after they were arrted to ultimately nstct a nefar portra of the victims their gay panic fense urt. Fally, the legal scholar Cynthia Lee has wrten about how offenrs n go around prohibns issued by judg to troduce gay panic fense strategi.
In the Matthew Shepard murr trial, the fense attorney troduced two wns to ttify that the victim was sexually assertive, even though the judge had prohibed them om g a gay panic fense. Approvg a bill troduced by s only transgenr lawmaker, Virgia beme the first state the South to ban “gay and trans panic” as a fense for murr or manslghter. And for many years, people who mted vlent crim agast LGBTQ people have claimed gay and trans panic as a fense, often argug that the victim’s genr inty or sexualy provoked them to kill a crime of passn.
WASHGTON PASS BAN ON GAY AND TRANS PANIC FENS FOR HOMICI
Though the fense is equently ed, ’s a homophobic and transphobic relic that “sends a msage that vlence agast LGBTQ people is acceptable and that their liv are worth ls due to their genr inty or sexual orientatn, ” said D’Arcy Kemnz, executive director of the Natnal LGBT Bar Associatn. The men charged wh the killg of 21-year-old gay llege stunt Matthew Shepard, beaten and left to die Laramie, Wyomg, also planned to e the “gay panic” fense their trial.
TEXAS MAN WHO KILLED NEIGHBOR US 'GAY PANIC' DEFENSE AND AVOIDS MURR CHARGE
Over the urse of lbian, gay, or bisexual people's lifetim, one five will experience hate crim, and one four transgenr people will as well.Those dividuals at the tersectn of homophobia, transphobia, and racism, face worse statistics. As of July 1, 2019, eight stat have passed legislative bans on the e of gay/trans panic as a legal fense: California, Illois, Rho Island, Nevada, Connecticut, Mae, Hawaii, and New York.
Dpe bunkg "gay panic disorr," and s removal om the DSM by the Amerin Psychologil Associatn 1973, legal fense teams ntue to e .In the 1954 murr of William T.
Simpson North Miami, FL, the fendants claimed that they shot Simpson, a gay man, while "ristg his advanc," th utilizg the provotn fense.
ALLEGED 'GAY PANIC FENSE' TEXAS MURR TRIAL STUNS ADVOT
Even though the fendants were crimals who equented that area of highway to rob drivers, and tentnally targeted homosexual victims, the fendants were nvicted of manslghter rather than first-gree murr. The fense aga utilized the provotn fense, cg that the nature of the note and Amre's homosexualy was enough to send Schmz to a panic and kill Amre.
The gay/trans panic fense was emed admissible, not due to the illegimacy of the gay/trans panic fense, but stead due to Wyomg's statutory sany fense nstct.Currently, there are several other state legislative efforts to ban and nounce the legimacy of the gay/trans panic fense. Help to end this discrimatn by supportg legislative bans on the gay/trans panic fense.The steps you n, and should, take are as follows:Contact legislators and ernors stat currently tryg to ban the gay/trans panic fense.
Be sure to reach out to feral legislators as well.Be an advote stat where there is currently no proposed gay/trans panic ban legislatn.Let your own policians know that equaly unr the law should apply to the victims of hate crim as well.Support anizatns that work to protect and uplift the LGBTQ+ muny, like the LGBT Bar, or the Amerin Bar Associatn's Commissn on Sexual Orientatn and Genr Inty. — A measure prohibg homici fendants om claimg a fense based on panic over a victim’s sexual orientatn or genr inty has been passed by lawmakers Washgton stat — California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illois, Mae, Nevada, New Jersey New York and Rho Island — have legislatively banned the e of gay or transgenr panic as a legal Kuhnhsen. A Texas man avoid murr and manslghter nvictns after his attorney ced a fense often lled “gay panic” as the reason he killed a neighbor.
GAY AND TRANS PANIC FENS NTUE TO BE ED URT S MANY US STAT
Stat allow the “gay panic” or “trans panic” fense, which a fendant n ce a victim’s sexualy or genr inty as the jtifitn for vlent crime, ually to obta lser charg or a rced fense tactic sparked bate the LGBTQ muny 2016 when Jam Dixon was sentenced to 12 years prison after pleadg guilty to manslghter the 2013 beatg ath of Islan Nettl.