By Julia O'Donoghue
"On its second try, the Louisiana Senate voted 25-13 to extend state domestic violence protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people and others in same-sex relationships Tuesday (May 30). The Louisiana House has already approved the legislation, so the bill is now headed to Gov. John Bel Edwards for consideration.
The same legislation had failed on a 14-17 vote in the Senate a week ago. State Rep. Patrick Connick, R-Marrero, and Sen. Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge, lobbied their colleagues to support the bill in the meantime, arguing that lawmakers might nullify domestic violence laws for everyone by opposing it.
...House Bill 27 removes language out of Louisiana's current domestic violence laws that limits those protections only to partners "of the opposite sex." The law, as currently written, prevents prosecutors from bringing domestic violence charges -- which carry longer sentences and more serious penalties -- when the suspected abuser is in a same-sex relationship with his or her victim."
Read the full article here. Find information on this topic in our special collection on Preventing and Responding to Domestic Violence in LGBTQ Communities.
