Poster #88 - Let’s Talk About Sex: How does Sexuality Framing Influence Socials Constructions of Sex TraffickingTrials?

• In Event: Poster Session II (posters 80 – 155)

Abstract

We present findings from an analysis of how frames regarding sexuality were used to construct the behavior and motivations of people involved in the 2025 criminal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs. Using R code to scrape data scraped from Reddit, our scrape returned 2655 posts and comments including the keywords: “Sean Combs trial,” “Sean Combs court case,” “Diddy trial,” “Diddy court case,” “Cassie trial,” “Cassie court case,” “Sean Combs sex traffic*,” “Diddy sex traffic*.” After exclusion criteria were applied, we selected 484 cases. Cases were analyzed using discourse analysis to understand how the trial and individuals involved are socially constructed in relation to prevailing narratives, stereotypes, and images of sexuality. Sexualized racism and sexism shape discourse on “pimps,” “hos,” “addicts,” “gold-diggers,” “prostitutes,” etc., influencing ideas about who deserves credibility, sympathy, protection, and punishment from the state (Carlson 2014; Collins 2000, 2004; Davis 1983; hooks 1992, 2004; Jones-Brown 2007; Madriz 1997; Muhammad 2011; Quinn 2000). This study extends this literature to deepen critical criminological understanding of how people use sexuality frames to interpret and construct the crime of sex trafficking.

Authors

• Bradley Petrie, Regis University

• Evie Lenox, Regis University

• Mariah Bradley, Regis University

• Nalleli Flores Robles, Regis University

• Kelly Moon, Regis University

• Katie Kaufman Rogers, Regis University

• Julie Sriken, Regis University