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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>350858</law_id><section_number>18.2-37.1</section_number><catch_line>Certain matters not to constitute defenses</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2026/" slug="2026" current="TRUE" last_updated="2026-08-02">2026</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="52" identifier="18.2">Crimes and Offenses Generally</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="4" identifier="4">Crimes Against the Person</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="1">Homicide</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Another person&#x2019;s actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation is not in and of itself, or together with an oral solicitation, a defense to any charge of capital <span class="dictionary">murder</span>, <span class="dictionary">murder</span> in the first degree, <span class="dictionary">murder</span> in the second degree, or voluntary <span class="dictionary">manslaughter</span> and is not in and of itself, or together with an oral solicitation, provocation negating or excluding <span class="dictionary">malice</span> as an element of <span class="dictionary">murder</span>. <a id="paragraph-1306997" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-37.1/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a <span class="dictionary">defendant</span> from exercising his constitutionally protected rights, including his right to call for <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> in his favor that is relevant and otherwise <span class="dictionary">admissible</span> in a criminal <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span>. <a id="paragraph-1306998" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-37.1/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 460.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
