This research examined hate crime victimization and crime reporting among Miami’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Latine immigrant population.
Informed by the intersectionality perspective and the Cuban dominance thesis, the author predicted that respondents would experience higher levels of victimization than what law enforcement data capture, yet the vast majority of these crimes would go unreported (Hypothesis 1); Respondents or third parties would be more likely to report victimization to police as crime severity increased (Hypothesis 2); and Cuban LGBTQ victims would be more likely to report crime than non-Cuban Latines (Hypothesis 3). Method: Four hundred LGBTQ immigrant Latine individuals (age: M = 37.7 years, Cuban = 51.5%, transgender = 5.8%) in Miami completed face-to-face interviews through a three-stage venue-based sampling procedure. Results: Although 48% of screened respondents reported experiencing at least one incident of victimization within 5 years, they reported only 15% of these incidents to police (supporting Hypothesis 1). Increased violent and property crime were associated with markedly increased reporting (odds ratio [OR] = 5.44, p < .001), as was the use of a weapon (OR = 2.80, p < .01; supporting Hypothesis 2). Friends’ encouragement to report a crime was by far the strongest predictor of crime reporting (OR = 12.47, p < .001). Cuban Americans were less likely to report anti-LGBTQ hate crimes to the police, although this effect was not statistically significant after models accounted for documented and new immigrant measures of (supporting Hypothesis 3). Conclusions: Hate crime victimization and underreporting were prevalent in this sample. Given the different crime-reporting outcomes for Cuban victims, it is important to examine victimization and crime reporting among the Latine population by country of origin. Queer networks and friends within the LGBTQ community may facilitate reporting crime and seeking help. (Publisher abstract provided)