Safe spaces as Danger zones: Spaces of Safety and Risk in the LGBTQIA+ Community

• In Event: Roundtable: Queer Criminology

Abstract

This paper contrasts the notions of ‘safe spaces’ with experiences of threat and risk in the lived experiences of members of the LGBTQIA+ community who have been targeted for victimization. Based on data gathered in semi-structured interviews with 70 LGBTQIA+ individuals across the U.S., this paper argues that despite the sense of safety and community “safe” spaces engender, they nonetheless also serve as spaces of increased visibility for LGBTQIA+ individuals, and consequently increase risk. Insights from the interviews point to the ‘double-edged’ nature of safe spaces, as they provide community but also concentrate targets of hate-based crime in an identifiable space. Among those interviewed, those who reported having been targeted for attack as a result of their sexual or gender identity were either in a space that would normally be considered a ‘safe space’ (gay bar or community space) or had outed themselves in some visible way when the attack occurred. These insights are consistent with other scholarship on routine activity theory that has demonstrated that areas considered high-risk for victimization may vary based on victim characteristics or even motivation (Outlaw, 2018). Implications for managing risk and safety among LGBTQIA+ individuals are considered.

Author

• Maureen C. Outlaw, Providence College