Criminology's Role in Addressing the Anti-Queer Moral Panic

• In Event: Navigating Queer Realities: Insights from Diverse Experiences

Abstract

In 2023, U.S. state legislators across the country introduced a record number of bills targeting the LGBTQIA+ community; according to the ACLU, 508 such bills were proposed, 84 of which were passed into law. 2024 is already on track to outpace these numbers, with over 400 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills introduced in the first three months. The past few years have seen a sharp increase in formal efforts to restrict queer and transgender people's rights, legal protections, access to healthcare, and participation in public life, as well as coverage of gender and sexuality issues in educational contexts. Some of this proposed legislation would apply criminal penalties for violations, hearkening back to earlier eras during which queer and trans identity and behavior were explicitly criminalized, and opening up additional points of contact between these populations and the carceral system. This paper addresses two questions. First, should this influx of anti-queer sentiment and legislation be viewed as a moral panic in the sociological sense? Second, what should the role of criminologists be in examining and responding to it? 

Author

• Max Osborn, Villanova University