The “gay panic” defense remains legally allowed in 39 states according to the movement Advancement Project, a think tank.
It usually reinforces either insanity or self-defense claims, and its use goes back decades.
The brutal ‘candlestick murder’ of Jack Dobbins in Charleston in 1958 resulted in the complete acquittal of the man who confessed to the crime, based on the fact that the victim is alleged to have made unwanted progress.
Although attitudes towards homosexuality have changed since then, the law in some places has not.
Full article at FarEast Wind: Link
Original article at paywalled Economist: Link