passed a similar law in December. LGBTQ advocates, including the National LGBT Bar Association, have long advocated for ending the “panic” defense, claiming it provides justification for bias-motivated crimes or acts of violence.“Preventing the LGBTQ+ ‘panic defense’ to be used as a ‘legitimate’ mechanism in our court system shows that LGBTQ+ lives and bodies are equal to all in the eyes of the law and that our justice system doesn’t condone violence against our community,” Roem said in a statement.