Illinois to outlaw ‘gay panic’ defense

CHICAGO (AP) — Starting in January, Illinois is outlawing a rare criminal defense argument allowing the use of a victim’s sexual orientation as justification for violent crime. It’s a ban that gay rights advocates hope to replicate in about half a dozen states next year.
Illinois follows California in outlawing the so-called “gay panic defense.” It isn’t common, but one study shows it’s surfaced in roughly half of U.S. state