Councilmember Charles Allen helped push the new hate crime bill through, which bans gay and trans panic defences in Washington DC. (Bill O Leary/The Washington Post via Getty)
Washington DC has voted to ban gay and trans panic defences from being used by attorneys in criminal trials in a landmark win for LGBT+ rights.
Gay and trans panic defences have been heard in courtrooms around the world when a person accused of a violent crime, such as a murder or attempted murder, claims that the shock of finding out a person is LGBT+ pushed them to commit the act.
Attorneys have successfully argued that a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity was to blame for them being attacked, effectively absolving the perpetrator of blame in the process.