Taking off the Khaki-Colored Glasses: Deviance and Well-being of Minority Gender & Sexual Orientation Veterans

• In Event: Beyond the Margins: Examining Deviance, Identity, and Institutional Violence in Cultural and Institutional Systems

Abstract

Despite the United States (U.S.) military and veterans’ unique roles in national security and the criminal legal system, U.S. veterans continue to be an understudied population. While military service has been regarded as a turning point in one’s life, the occupational hazards/stressors and unique culture fostered in the military may differentially impact troops, especially for servicemembers with minority identities. Using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the current study will begin to address this gap by examining substance use and contact with the criminal legal system among veterans who identify with gender and/or sexual orientation minorities. Findings offer important implications concerning the universality of military service as a turning point over time and how results can be contextualized within the military’s cultural norms, socialization, and role expectations.

Authors

• Allison G. Kondrat, Sam Houston State University

• Wanda E. Leal, Sam Houston State University