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HARRISBURG, April 8\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Seeking to permanently close a loophole they deem not only unnecessary but an active invitation to human rights violations, state Reps. Ben Sanchez, D-Montgomery, and Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, will soon introduce legislation to\u00a0prohibit the so-called \u201cLGBTQ+ Panic Defense.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n The\u00a0LGBTQ+ Panic Defense<\/a>\u00a0theory \u2013 also known as Gay Panic or Trans Panic \u2013 allows for perpetrators of criminal actions against Pennsylvania\u2019s LGBTQ+ community to receive a lesser sentence or, in some cases, even altogether avoid conviction or punishment, by placing the blame for their actions on a victim\u2019s actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a group of people who already see discrimination and violence directed toward them on a sadly regular basis, the LGBTQ+ community should not worry that our justice system hosts a version of that discrimination,\u201d Sanchez said. \u201cA victim of violence should not feel that their justice system will not protect them because of a loophole that targets their very existence.\u201d<\/p>\n While similar bills have been introduced in previous legislative sessions, the\u00a0Sanchez\/Schlossberg legislation<\/a>\u00a0would extend beyond the \u201cgay\u201d and \u201ctrans\u201d terminology to include all members of this marginalized community by prohibiting the court system from allowing a defense of this nature in consideration of serious provocation or insanity.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s be honest: There are people who look for an excuse to hate and hurt others,\u201d Schlossberg said. \u201cIt\u2019s awful that we need to provide protections like this, but it\u2019s our reality. There is no place in our society for fear-based attacks on another person.\u201d<\/p>\n Citing the recent trend of\u00a0trying to legislate bans of transgender student-athletes<\/a>, Sanchez and Schlossberg highlighted the\u00a0ongoing discrimination faced by the LGBTQ+ community<\/a>. According to FBI Hate Crime statistics, incidents targeting the LGBTQ+ community have been\u00a0increasing steadily since 2016<\/a>, with 2020 deemed a \u201cseason of violence<\/a>\u201d by the Human Rights Campaign because of the exorbitant number of transgender assaults and murders within the year.<\/p>\n Thirteen other states already protect LGBTQ+ citizens by allowing the same possibility of justice as everybody else who are victims of violent crime. This year, both\u00a0Virginia<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Vermont<\/a>\u00a0have passed similar laws.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s time for Pennsylvania to join this growing list of states offering these basic, commonsense protections that every human deserves,\u201d Sanchez said.<\/p>\n The House bill will serve as a companion bill to\u00a0legislation introduced in the Pennsylvania Senate<\/a>\u00a0by Sen. Maria Collett, D-Bucks\/Montgomery.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Information provided to TVL by: <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" HARRISBURG, April 8\u00a0\u2013 Seeking to permanently close a loophole they deem not only unnecessary but an active invitation to human rights violations, state Reps. Ben Sanchez, D-Montgomery, and Mike … Continue reading Sanchez, Schlossberg aim to close LGBTQ+ Panic Defense loophole<\/span>
\nGeoff Morrow
\nHouse Democratic Communications Office<\/p>\n
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