Text of MA S 870 (2020)

1 of 2 SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2164 FILED ON: 1/18/2019 SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 870 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts _________________ PRESENTED BY: Joanne M. Comerford _________________ To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General Court assembled: The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: An Act relative to protecting LGBTQ victims. _______________ PETITION OF: NAME: DISTRICT/ADDRESS: Joanne M. Comerford Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester Julian Cyr Cape and Islands Rebecca L. Rausch Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex 1/23/2019 Jack Patrick Lewis 7th Middlesex 1/30/2019 Mindy Domb 3rd Hampshire 1/31/2019 2 of 2 SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2164 FILED ON: 1/18/2019 SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 870 By Ms. Comerford, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 870) of Joanne M. Comerford, Julian Cyr, Rebecca L. Rausch, Jack Patrick Lewis and others for legislation relative to protecting LGBTQ victims. The Judiciary. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts _______________ In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court (2019-2020) _______________ An Act relative to protecting LGBTQ victims. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: 1 SECTION 1. Section 13 of chapter 265 of the General Laws is hereby amended by 2 adding the following paragraph:- 3 For the purposes of determining the presence of mitigating circumstances in the context 4 of a homicide, the discovery of, knowledge about, or potential disclosure of an individual’s 5 actual or perceived gender, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation, including 6 under circumstances in which the victim made an unwanted non-forcible romantic or sexual 7 advance towards the defendant, or the defendant and victim dated or had a romantic or sexual 8 relationship, shall not be considered reasonable provocation.