Whitmer signs law banning gay panic defense

Next Post. Carsten Andresen, an assistant professor of criminal justice at St. Andresen told The Washington Post this week that he has found more than instances of the defense being used in murder cases sinceincluding 18 in Michigan. Previous Post. The American Bar Association urged local and federal governments in to take legislative action to curtail gay and trans panic defenses.

Melania Trump will tell her story in an upcoming memoir this fall. By Clarissa-Jan Lim. Michigan became the 20th state on Tuesday to bar defendants from using a so-called gay or trans "panic" defense in court. Supporters of the bill have said that these defenses play into anti-gay and anti-trans biases and reinforce the belief that LGBTQ lives have less value.

Michigan bans gay and : Michigan became the 20th state to ban gay and trans panic defense in criminal cases after Gov

Follow msnbc. Share this —. Michigan has outlawed the so-called gay and trans panic defense, which allows criminal defense attorneys to use a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity as a defense argument. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill this week that bans the use of what is sometimes called the “gay panic” defense in cases of crimes, particularly violent offenses, against LGBTQ people.

Gay and transgender “panic” defenses are no longer viable in Michigan courtrooms under legislation signed Tuesday by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Michigan Gov.

IE 11 is not supported. Skip to Content. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation, House Billthat bans the use of a victim's actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity in defense arguments. The bill passed the state House along party linesbut four Republicans in the state Senate voted with Democrats to green-light the bill.

California became the first state to ban the practice in and dozens of states followed suitbut efforts to outlaw such defenses at the federal level have faced challenges, as The Appeal reported in She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.

State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, who sponsored the bill, said in a statement through Whitmer's office on Tuesday that the legislation is "a huge step toward securing a safe and inclusive state for all Michiganders. Latest Post. Dobbs was 'just the beginning:' Inside Project 's attack on abortion.