#trans panic defense

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Tim Walz Took Historic Action To Protect Trans People, Now He's The Dem VP Choice

On Tuesday, news broke that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was the Kamala Harris' pick for Vice President on the Democratic ticket. He has been

Erin Reed at Erin In The Morning:

On Tuesday, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris announced that her pick for Vice President is Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota. In recent years, as trans and queer people have come under attack from over a thousand proposed bills, Walz is expected to serve as a source of optimism for LGBTQ+ people. The governor’s long track record on LGBTQ+ rights positions him as a strong oppositional force against what has become a national attack on LGBTQ+ people, particularly transgender individuals.

“I am proud to announce that I've asked Tim Walz to be my running mate. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he's delivered for working families like his. It's great to have him on the team. Now let’s get to work. Join us,” read Harris’ statement on Twitter. Walz has taken decisive action against attacks on transgender people in surrounding states, making Minnesota a refuge for those seeking care. In 2023, he signed an executive order protecting transgender people from out-of-state prosecution if they seek care within Minnesota’s borders. The executive order also issued a bulletin to health insurance companies, mandating coverage and initiating investigations into health insurance denials in the state.

In 2024, Walz signed a bill banning the gay and transgender panic defense. This defense is often used to help individuals avoid murder charges or receive lighter sentences by asserting that they were "deceived" by a romantic partner who was gay or transgender. According to one study, the transgender panic defense has been used at least 351 times. Walz's pro-LGBTQ+ record goes back much further than his time as governor. In 1999, he sponsored the first gay-straight alliance at his high school while working as a teacher. In Congress, he co-sponsored the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and voted to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D)’s track record on LGBTQ+ issues has been stellar, dating back to his pre-Congress days.

This makes me glad that he is the nominee.

[gwydionmisha]

Michigan bans 'gay and trans panic' defense as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs historic bill (exclusive)

HB 4718 prohibits using the "sexual orientation or gender identity of a victim as a defense to a crime."

This is why you vote the whole ticket.

[thingstrumperssay]

I don’t want to show any links (mostly because most of them misgenders the victims and saying shit like “he (the MTF trans woman) lied about his gender”) and I don’t really want to go into any details I don’t think is necessary. Basically the “trans panic defense” is being used again for people who murders trans people.

The “trans panic defense” is a bullshit excuse for murdering trans people. It’s basically like saying that it’s “self-defense against the trans people if the trans person didn’t say that they’re trans because the cis person wouldn’t have consented if they knew.” (Even if the trans person in question had bottom surgery.)

And with all of the anti-trans bills passing (”child genital inspection” in Ohio, “don’t say gay” in Florida, etc) they may actually be able to get away with murder using that excuse.

This is truly disgusting. We are going into “genocide” for LGBT+ people, especially trans people. Be extra careful if you’re LGBT+.

[themarvelwitch]

You know what we need? To ban the use of the gay/trans panic defense from being used in courts. The defense strategy allows for people to get away with murdering lgbtq people by claiming the revelation of the victim's identity caused them to go temporarily insane. This should never happen. And yet, it has. The United States government needs to step up and ban this horrid legal strategy NOW

[mogaiballs]

US States that have banned the Gay/Trans Panic Defense

From left to right, top to bottom: California (banned in 2014), Illinois (2017), Rhode Island (2018), Connecticut (2019), Hawaii (2019), Maine (2019), Nevada (2019), New York (2019), New Jersey (2020), Washington DC (2020), Washington (2020), Colorado (2020), and Virginia (2021)

For a map version, see this image.

[makiruz]

Advice for women who want to avoid dating trans women

Forget about baby pictures, or DNA samples or nudes or anything; just make clear from the very beginning that you’re transphobic; no trans woman, not even if she’s desperate for companionship, will willingly put herself in danger; remember trans-panic defense is still a thing, you could potentially kill a trans woman and get away with it, if you claim you “discovered” she’s trans and panicked. So trans women are likely avoid you like the plague if they know you’re an open transphobe.

Also you would drive away non-tranphobic lesbians, so you can be sure of only dating other bigots

[stagefullofsilly]

Gay panic defense and Trans panic defense are bullshit and fuck the people who used it

And I really hope that this bs is not legal anymore

[thedeadflag]

I just heard about the so-called "trans panic defense" and how it's only been banned from being used as a legitimate justification for fucking murder in California, and only as recently as 2014, so basically people in 49 states could kill a trans woman and tell the jury that their fragile masculinity was so affronted at coming into near proximity of a penis that they flew into an uncontrollable rage. AND IT FUCKING WORKS. I don't have a question, I'm just legitimately freaking out.

The one slightly less horrific thing about it is it doesn’t generally get people off of their charges. But yeah, there’s generally a pretty common thread of cases over the years where some form of the trans panic defense was used to get the criminal’s charges lessened. It’s particularly effective against trans women of colour, since it’s so much easier to stack a white cis jury, which almost guarantees some significant degree of dehumanization. From there, it’s generally easy-peasy for a defense lawyer to put up enough of a fight to minimize the damage. 

It’s not generally going to get a person free of all charges, at least not in North America. But a drop from murder 2 to manslaughter and a bunch of smaller charges? Yeah, that’s kind of doable. Especially if the criminal’s a cop, or some other authority figure. Which sends a message about which lives are objectively less valued, which are deemed less sacred and worthwhile.

California doesn’t allow the more explicit trans panic defenses, at least. Hopefully other states will follow suit. D.C. was supposed to, but I’m pretty sure it that bill fell by the wayside with the Trump admin in charge and politicians being hot messes down there.