NCJ Number
122918
Date Published
1988
Length
17 pages
Annotation
The results of 806 surveys answered by homosexual, lesbian, and bisexual people in Philadelphia and other regions of Pennsylvania indicate that anti-lesbian and anti-gay violence and discrimination are serious problems that remain largely unrecognized by the public, the criminal justice system, and elected officials.
Abstract
Because the survey respondents were predominantly white and highly educated, the actual rates of victimization for the general homosexual and lesbian population are probably higher. Nearly one-fifth of the city respondents and one-quarter of the State respondents experienced employment, housing, or public accommodations discriminations between July 1986 and June 1987; nearly 40 percent of respondents reported some discrimination at least once during their lives. The majority of homosexuals and lesbians are also victimized by their fears of discrimination, which had not been significantly lessened by civil rights legislation in Philadelphia. Fear of discrimination leads in over 80 percent of the cases to concealment of sexual orientation. The 1986-1987 annual criminal violence victimization rates are 12 times higher for Philadelphia homosexuals and nine times higher for Philadelphia lesbians than the respective rates for men and women in the U.S. adult population; the ratios are somewhat lower in the State at large. The criminal violence rate has increased dramatically since 1984, partly because of greater accuracy in the study and partly because of greater public awareness of AIDS. More than two-thirds of homosexuals and one-third of lesbians had experienced violence at least once and between 80 and 90 percent had experienced some verbal abuse. The rates of reporting violence and harassment to the police has increased recently and are on par with rates in the general adult population. Ten percent of homosexuals and five percent of lesbians had experienced police abuse in the reporting year; many had been abused in high school, and a significant portion had been harassed or experienced violence from family members. The Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force recommends enactment of civil rights legislation; implementation of AIDS-related legislation and training; legislation to combat bias crimes; collection of bias crime statistics; revision of curriculum and training program in the educational system; and establishment of training programs for law enforcement, State government, and social service agencies. 7 notes, 9 figures, 8 references.