People who murder or harm gay and transgender people have prevailed at trial on the strength of the "gay panic defence," which boils down to the idea that a victim's sexuality or gender may be so shocking that it diminishes legal responsibility for violent crimes committed against them. Michigan explicitly outlawed it in a law signed Thursday by governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, signed House Bill 4718 into law Tuesday. The legislation states that an individual's "actual or perceived sex, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation" is not admissible in a criminal trial to "demonstrate reasonable provocation," "show that an act was committed in a heat of passion" or "support a defense of reduced mental capacity."
In a statement shared on Tuesday, the governor's office said the bill "significantly expands" protections for the LGBTQ community "by protecting them from violent acts of discrimination, prejudice, and hate crimes."
Michigan is the 20th state to ban the gay panic defence. In Pennsylvania, a similar ban is out of committee but not yet voted on.
Whitmer, among several others, is reportedly under consideration by likely Democratic Party nominee Kamala Harris, as her running mate in this year's presidential election.
