Bill > S0336

This bill prohibits the use of "gay and transgender panic" legal defenses in criminal proceedings, which are strategies that have historically allowed defendants to partially excuse or justify violent actions against LGBTQ+ individuals by claiming they were so disturbed by a victim's sexual orientation or gender identity that they lost self-control. The bill defines key terms like "gender expression" (a person's gender-related identity, appearance, or behavior, regardless of their assigned sex at birth) and "sexual orientation" (an individual's actual or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality). Specifically, the legislation makes it illegal for a defendant to use a nonviolent sexual advance, or their perception or belief about another person's sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, or gender identity, as a defense to a criminal offense, as a justification for criminal conduct, or as a means to reduce the severity of sentencing. The Legislature's findings emphasize that such defenses improperly attempt to diminish a perpetrator's responsibility for harming LGBTQ+ individuals. The bill will take effect on July 1, 2026, and is officially titled the "Gay and Transgender Panic Legal Defenses Prohibition Act."

https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/336