YourVoice.Now Summary
Criminal Justice & Due ProcessTransparency & AccountabilityFederal defendants could not claim a victim's sexual orientation or gender identity excused their crime or made it less serious
Criminal Justice & Due Process
A defendant could not say that a person's gender, sexual orientation, or a nonviolent sexual advance excused the crime. It could not be used to make the crime less serious either. This holds even if the defendant was wrong about the person. Proof of the defendant's own past trauma could still be used.
Transparency & Accountability
Each year, the Attorney General would send Congress a report. It would list federal cases of crimes against LGBTQ people. These are crimes where the victim was picked because of their gender or sexual orientation.
More about this bill
In a federal criminal case, a defendant could not blame a crime on the victim being gay or transgender. These claims are often called "panic defenses." The ban covers claims based on a person's gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. It also covers a sexual advance that was not violent. Such claims could not be used to excuse the crime or to make it count as less serious. The ban holds even if the defendant was wrong about the person. Judges could still hear proof of the defendant's own past trauma. The Attorney General would also send Congress a yearly report. It would cover federal cases of hate crimes against LGBTQ people. Most people would see no change in daily life unless they are part of a federal criminal case.
Congressional Summary
LGBTQ+ Panic Defense Prohibition Act of 2025 This bill generally prohibits a federal criminal defendant from asserting, as a defense, that the nonviolent sexual advance of an individual or a perception or belief of the gender, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation of an individual excuses or justifies conduct or mitigates the severity of an offense.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-06-26
- Date Added
- 2026-10-15
- Source
- Congress.gov →
Like reading a bill in plain English?
We're building an app that does this for every bill in Congress and lets you tell your reps how you want them to vote. We're a small team getting ready to launch, and we're trying to show investors that real people want this. Be one of them. Help us get it built. Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment the app is ready.