Same-sex partners treated same as heterosexuals under Louisiana domestic violence bill

Same-sex partners treated same as heterosexuals under Louisiana domestic violence bill

by katiegagliano
Patrick Connick
Same-sex partners would be subject to identical domestic violence penalties as couples in heterosexual relationships under a bill filed by state Rep. Patrick Connick, R-Marrero, for the Louisiana Legislature to consider in its session starting April 10. (Helen Williams/The Times-Picayune)

Nola.com | March 16, 2017

An in-depth article I wrote on House Bill 27, an effort by Rep. Patrick Connick, R-Marrero, to remove the phrase “of opposite sex” from the state’s definition of a household member to bring equality to the state’s domestic violence statutes. Under the bill, same-sex victims of domestic violence could receive increased protections and offenders could receive sentence enhancements.