Oregon governor signs bill barring LGBTQ panic defense for violent crimes Oregon becomes the 14th state to prohibit people accused of murder from using the victim's identity to seek out reduced charges. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown — Photo: Facebook Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) signed a bill into law earlier this week making Oregon the fourteenth state to bar defendants accused of violent crimes from using their victims’ sexual orientation or gender identity to argue for a more lenient sentence. Under the bill’s provisions, defendants accused of second-degree murder cannot argue they were “under the influence of extreme emotional disturbance” upon learning of a victim’s LGBTQ identity.