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Victim Experiences in Hate Crimes Based on Sexual Orientation
Author(s) -
Herek Gregory M.,
Cogan Jeanine C.,
Gillis J. Roy
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/1540-4560.00263
Subject(s) - sexual orientation , lesbian , psychology , hate crime , homosexuality , criminology , social psychology , sexual assault , orientation (vector space) , social dominance orientation , human factors and ergonomics , poison control , political science , law , medical emergency , medicine , geometry , mathematics , authoritarianism , politics , psychoanalysis , democracy
Using interview data from a convenience sample of 450 lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults, the varieties of victim experiences in hate crimes based on sexual orientation are described. Most crimes were perpetrated in public settings by one or more strangers, but victimization also occurred in other locales, and perpetrators included neighbors, coworkers, and relatives. In deciding whether a crime was based on their sexual orientation, victims tended to rely primarily on contextual cues and perpetrators’ explicit statements. Victims’ concerns about police bias and public disclosure of their sexual orientation were important factors in deciding whether to report antigay crimes, as were beliefs about the crime’s severity and the likelihood that perpetrators would be punished.