S 2279 United States Senate · 118th Congress

LGBTQ+ Panic Defense Prohibition Act of 2023

This bill prohibits defendants from using a victim's LGBTQ+ sexual orientation or gender identity as a legal defense to excuse or reduce punishment for violent crimes. It directly affects criminal trials in federal courts where defendants claim such characteristics provoked their violent actions against LGBTQ+ individuals. The law amends Title 18 of the U.S. Code to ban this specific "panic defense" while allowing courts to consider evidence of the defendant's past trauma under standard evidence rules. It also requires the Attorney General to annually report on federal prosecutions involving bias-motivated violence against LGBTQ+ people.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jul 2023
Committee Review
Floor Vote
President
Introduced Jul 12, 2023 Last action Jul 12, 2023