Ban of "gay panic" defense among bills approved by Senate

noneA bill prohibiting the use of a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity as a defense for a violent crime committed against them passed the Nevada State Senate Tuesday.

Only two Republican senators, Pete Goicoechea and Ira Hansen, opposed the bill, which passed with overwhelming support on a vote of 19-2, but it’ll need to be approved by the Assembly and signed by the governor before becoming law.

It is one of several bills to make it out of committee last week that are being approved by the Senate this week.

The bill, SB 97, was sponsored by the Senate Committee on Judiciary on behalf of the Nevada Youth Legislature and would ban the so called “gay panic” or “trans panic” defense, which attempts to reduce sentences for alleged criminals by arguing that their violent actions were provoked or justified because their knowledge of the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity created reasonable fear for their safety or well-being.

Read more: https://www.nevadacurrent.com/blog/ban-of-gay-panic-defense-among-bills-approved-by-senate/