diff --git a/src/codegen.cpp b/src/codegen.cpp
index f85ccf910ba96..0a7c38c995623 100644
--- a/src/codegen.cpp
+++ b/src/codegen.cpp
@@ -3247,7 +3247,7 @@ static jl_cgval_t emit_expr(jl_value_t *expr, jl_codectx_t *ctx, bool isboxed, b
         if (!valuepos) return jl_cgval_t(); // value not used, no point in doing codegen for it
         ssize_t idx = ((jl_gensym_t*)expr)->id;
         assert(idx >= 0);
-        assert(ctx->gensym_assigned.at(idx));
+        //assert(ctx->gensym_assigned.at(idx));
         jl_cgval_t val = ctx->gensym_SAvalues.at(idx); // at this point, gensym_SAvalues[idx] actually contains the SAvalue
         return val;
     }
diff --git a/test/core.jl b/test/core.jl
index 21be744c66136..363789ef9f0b3 100644
--- a/test/core.jl
+++ b/test/core.jl
@@ -3347,3 +3347,13 @@ foo12967(x, ::TupleType12967) = 2
 
 # issue #13083
 @test Void() === nothing
+
+# issue discovered in #11973
+for j = 1:1
+    x = try
+        error()
+        2
+    catch
+        continue
+    end
+end