WABC-TV New York is reporting Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo June 30 signed legislation banning the so-called gay and trans panic legal defense in New York. The ban will prohibit people accused of violent crimes from using homophobia and transphobia as a viable defense strategy in court, said Cuomo. "This defense strategy isn't just offensive — it also sends a dangerous message that violence toward LGBTQ people is somehow okay. It's not, and today we're sending this noxious legal tool to the dustbin of history where it belongs," he said. The gay and trans panic defense is one of two anti-LGBT laws Cuomo called on state lawmakers to repeal. Read the full story at ABC7NY [dot] com.