A measure prohibiting homicide defendants from claiming a defense based on panic over a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity has been passed by lawmakers in Washington state. Nine states — California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey New York and Rhode Island — have legislatively banned the use of gay or transgender panic as a legal defense. The Washington measure, passed by the Senate on a bipartisan 46-3 vote Wednesday, is named after Nikki Kuhnhausen, a transgender teen who was killed last year, The Columbian reported.