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# Australia to outlaw ‘gay panic’ defence
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/australia-to-outlaw-gay-panic-defence/
- Published: 2020-10-18T11:12:18.000Z
- Updated: 2020-10-18T07:28:53.000Z
- Description: South Australia, the only province where ‘gay panic’ defence is still legitimate, is moving to outlaw the excuse used to defend violence against the LGBTQ+ community after a bill was proposed to the area’s local parliament on Thursday 15 October.
- Author: Rachel Badham
- Tags: News, Politics, Australia, gay rights, LGBTQ

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/sydney-opera-house-lit-up-rainbow-1.jpg)

**South Australia,** the only province where ‘gay panic’ defence is still legitimate, is moving to outlaw the excuse used to defend violence against the LGBTQ+ community after a bill was proposed to the area’s local parliament on **Thursday 15 October**. Once passed, it will be entirely outlawed in Australia. [Gay panic](https://gcn.ie/gay-panic-defence-explained/?ref=scenemag.co.uk) is an umbrella term for when a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity is used to legitimise violence against them; it has often been used to excuse assaults and murders. According to **[Reuters](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/australian-state-moves-to-scrap-gay-panic-defence/ar-BB1a3l6a?ref=scenemag.co.uk)**, the district’s attorney-general, **Vickie Chapman**, said the notion of gay panic *“is outdated, gender-biased, difficult to understand and, in certain cases, downright offensive.”*

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/saraa1-1.jpg)

The move to outlaw the form of legal defence came after more than 25,000 signed an online petition calling for South Australia’s parliament to do so. **Matthew Morris**, the head of the **South Australian Rainbow Advocacy Alliance** which co-created the petition, said: *“It’s a fantastic step that it’s finally introduced. I’m hoping it will pass quickly, it’s long overdue”,* adding *“For a lot of community members it’s the defence’s existence in general that is a concern.”*

However, Morris believes that banning gay panic defence is not enough to protect Australia’s LGBTQ+ community and argued authorities need to be more aware of the role prejudice plays in acts of violence.