OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law today a bill that will prevent defendants from citing a victim’s gender identity or sexual orientation — the so-called “panic defense” — to justify a violent assault.
House Bill 1687 was introduced in 2019 by then-Rep. Derek Stanford (D-Bothell). Now a state senator, Stanford moved it through the Senate this year to full passage by the Legislature.
HB 1687 makes clear that the discovery of a person’s actual or perceived gender, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation provides no justification ...
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