Study highlights fault in trans/gay panic defense Apr 21, 2021 | A new study by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law on instances where gay and/or trans panic defenses have been used indicates that, in many cases, defendants in those cases where neither surprised nor panicked to learn their victims were transgender. In fact, the study shows, such cases often involve robbery or a pre-existing relationship between victim and defendant. Gay and trans panic defensed first began appearing in court cases in the 1960s, according to a press release on the study, and continue to be used today, and in some cases, those defendants either receive unacceptably light sentences or are exonerated completely.