LGB Police Interactions: Gender and (In)Visibility

• In Event: LGBTQIA2S+ Justice-Involved Folx

Abstract

Though emerging research exists, little is known about LGB people’s interactions with the police. In the current study, we investigate how LGBQ visibility, masculinity/femininity, and gender relate to LGBQ people’s interactions with the police using data from a national sample of LGBTQ+ people in the United States collected from NORC’s AmeriSpeak panel, which is representative of 97% of U.S. households. In particular, we explore how LGBQ people’s visibility as LGBQ people complicates their relationships with the police in both expected interactions as well as past police interactions. Findings suggest that LGBQ people’s interactions with the police are complex and deserve further investigation. Implications are provided.  

Authors

• Meredith Worthen, University of Oklahoma

• Stefan Vogler, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign