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D.C. Council approves bill banning LGBTQ panic defense By : Lou Chibbaro Jr. OF THE WASHINGTON BLADE, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBT MEDIA ASSOCIATION December 21, 2020 Share this story: ABOVE: D.C. Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), photo via Allen’s Facebook page. The D.C. Council voted unanimously Dec. 15 to give final approval of a bill that bans the use of the so-called gay and transgender panic defense in criminal trials. A coalition of local LGBTQ advocacy groups that lobbied for the legislation said it is needed to prevent defense attorneys from inappropriately asking juries t...

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 th...