United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 14 D · 1 I cosponsors

S 2201 — LGBTQ+ Panic Defense Prohibition Act of 2025

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced June 27, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 15 sponsors

    1 primary, 14 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (14 D · 1 I) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

LGBTQ+ Panic Defense Prohibition Act of 2025This 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.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

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AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

The bill prohibits the use of panic defenses based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in federal criminal cases.

  • 18 U.S.C. Chapter 1

    Sec. 28. Prohibition on panic defenses based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression (a) Prohibition.--No nonviolent sexual advance or perception or belief, even if inaccurate, of the gender, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation of an individual may be used to excuse or justify the conduct of an individual or mitigate the severity of an offense. (b) Past Trauma.--Notwithstanding the prohibition in subsection (a), a court may admit evidence, in accordance with the Federal Rules of Evidence, of prior trauma to the defendant for the purpose of excusing or justifying the conduct of the defendant or mitigating the severity of an offense.

    This establishes a new provision that explicitly prohibits panic defenses based on LGBTQ-related characteristics.

  • 18 U.S.C. Chapter 1

    28. Prohibition on panic defenses based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

    This adds a new section to the table of sections for Chapter 1, identifying the new prohibition.

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 14 co-sponsors · 532 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (14)

Not signed on (532)

532 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

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Subjects

public-safety civil-rights
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Frequently asked questions

What does S 2201 do?
LGBTQ+ Panic Defense Prohibition Act of 2025This 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.
Who sponsors S 2201?
S 2201 is sponsored by Merkley, Jeff (Democratic), Kaine, Tim (Democratic), Blumenthal, Richard (Democratic), Padilla, Alex (Democratic), Booker, Cory A. (Democratic), Heinrich, Martin (Democratic), Warren, Elizabeth (Democratic), Hirono, Mazie K. (Democratic), Sanders, Bernard (Independent), Baldwin, Tammy (Democratic), Wyden, Ron (Democratic), Smith, Tina (Democratic), Klobuchar, Amy (Democratic), Kim, Andy (Democratic), and Markey, Edward J. (Democratic).
What is the current status of S 2201?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced June 27, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 2201?
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Last checked for changes 4 months ago · updated continuously

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