Gay Panic Defense

INTRODUCTION

Americans today have mixed feelings about homosexuality. A 2007 Gallup/USA poll found that while 48% of those polled felt homosexuality was an acceptable alternative lifestyle, 46% felt the opposite way. Another 2007 poll found that 51% of those polled thought homosexual behavior is morally wrong, and only 35% felt homosexual behavior is acceptable. Americans are also deeply divided over whether gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry.

While there is more acceptance of lesbians and gays today compared to just a few years ago, gays and lesbians still experience a significant amount of prejudice and discrimination. Approximately three quarters of gays and lesbians have been the target of verbal abuse and approximately one-third have been the target of physical violence based on their sexual orientation. Violence against gays and lesbians is a problem even in cities with sizable gay and lesbian populations. In a survey of young adults in the San Francisco Bay Area, “almost 1 in