DC considers banning ‘gay panic’ defence

WASHINGTON – The Washington, D.C., Council is considering legislation that would bar people charged with violent offences from claiming they acted in self-defence after learning the victim was gay or transgender.

WTOP-FM reports Council Chairman Phil Mendelson introduced the “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Panic Defence Prohibition Act of 2019” this week, saying it’s unacceptable for “bigots to claim panic as a defence.”

The bill would prohibit defendants from claiming they acted in the “heat of passion” or suffered reduced mental capacity upon learning about a person’s actual or perceived sexuality or gender identity.

Mendelson was involved in helping the District legalize same-sex marriage.

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Information from: WTOP-FM, http://www.wtop.com