Trans and Gay Panic Legal Defenses Banned In California

The good human rights news just keeps on coming. 

The California Assembly passed on a 50-10 vote in August the AB 2501 bill authored by Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla that bans the use of trans and gay panic defenses in California criminal courts.  

Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed the bill into law, and it makes California the first state to ban the odious trans and gay panic defenses.

There is absolutely no justification for the use of ‘panic defenses,’" Assemblywoman Bonilla said in a statement. "Clearly this tactic has been utilized by defendants, unjustly targeting members of the LGBT community, based on damaging stereotypes. With AB 2501, we are moving forward to ensure equality in our courts and making it very clear that discrimination against the LGBT community is intolerable and unacceptable.”

Here's hoping that other states follow California's lead and pass similar legislation.