NCJ Number
125472
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1990) Pages: complete special issue
Editor(s)
G M Herek,
K T Berrill
Date Published
1990
Length
158 pages
Annotation
Stemming from a workshop sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) held in 1989, these articles explore issues of research, practice, and policy related to anti-lesbian and anti-homosexual discrimination.
Abstract
An overview of anti-gay discrimination and victimization in the United States is accompanied by two articles documenting violence against lesbian and homosexual youth and describing methodological issues concerning documentation. Several items explore the context of anti-homosexual violence, including cultural and psychological heterosexism, characteristics of hate-motivated crimes, and the ecology of anti-gay violence. A third section of this special issue focuses on the aftermath of anti-gay violence. Mental health consequences of victimization are examined, treatment and service interventions for victims are outlined, and official responses and public policies discussed. A recommended research agenda on anti-gay violence consists of scope and prevalence studies, studies of mental health consequences and coping, prevention research, and studies of criminal justice and service agencies. Four methodological considerations important for empirical research on anti-gay discrimination include sources of data, sampling, measurement issues, and the need for longitudinal and prospective studies. Such research will expand public understanding of this problem, improve interventions, and increase the effectiveness of criminal justice and service agencies.