In 1995, two men filmed an episode of daytime talk show, The Jenny Jones Show. A few days later, one of the men was dead. The shooter later claimed he’d committed the murder “in a panic that he was being falsely accused or identified as a gay person.” We speak with Cynthia Lee, Carsten Andresen, and Paul Howard about so-called “gay panic” and “trans panic” defenses, and we discuss the murders of Scott Amedure, Islan Nettles, Larry King, Ahmed Dabarran, and Matthew Shepard. Thanks to Thomas Curry, who helped co-produce this episode. Criminal is a show about people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. Hosted by Phoebe Judge. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Join Criminal Plus on Patreon for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, listener chat rooms, behind-the-scenes content, and more membership perks. https://www.patreon.com/Criminal Follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. https://pod.link/809264944 Say hello on Twitter (https://twitter.com/criminalshow) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/criminal_podcast) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/thisiscriminal) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@criminal_podcast) Sign up for our occasional newsletter, which includes a note from Phoebe, behind-the-scenes photos, and things our team has been enjoying lately. https://thisiscriminal.com/newsletter We also make the podcasts This is Love (https://pod.link/1337100398) and Phoebe Reads a Mystery (https://pod.link/1503921457). Artwork by Julienne Alexander: http://www.yssrs.com/. Check out our online shop: https://shop.thisiscriminal.com/ Episode 129 originally published December 6, 2019. https://thisiscriminal.com/episode-129-panic-defense-12-6-2019 Music in this episode: “Secret Pocketbook” by Blue Dot Sessions “Louver” by Blue Dot Sessions “Throughput” by Blue Dot Sessions “Rambling” by Blue Dot Sessions “At Our Best Alone” by Blue Dot Sessions “The Bus at Dawn” by Blue Dot Sessions “Four and Fourteen” by Blue Dot Sessions “To Overflow (Original Music for Criminal)” by Blue Dot Sessions