Bill > H0393

This bill, titled the "Gay and Transgender Panic Legal Defenses Prohibition Act," prohibits individuals from using a nonviolent sexual advance, or perceptions or beliefs about another individual's sexual orientation, gender expression, or gender identity, as a defense to a criminal offense, to justify the conduct of the offender, or to mitigate the severity of a criminal offense during sentencing. The bill defines key terms, such as "gay and transgender panic legal defense," "gender expression or gender identity," and "sexual orientation." The purpose of the bill is to address the use of defenses that characterize a victim's sexual orientation or gender identity as a reasonable excuse for a perpetrator's loss of self-control, which the legislature finds to be an illegitimate attempt to mitigate the responsibility of the perpetrator.