Homophobia, Hate and Violence Against Lesbians and Gays in NSW: An Overview of Some Studies (From International Victimology, P 101-104, 1996, Chris Sumner, Mark Israel, et al., eds. - See NCJ-169474)

• NCJ Number: 169485
• Author(s): P van Reyk
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 4 pages
• Sale Source: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Australia

Annotation

This paper reviews three studies of violence against gays and lesbians in New South Wales in the period 1990-1994.

Abstract

Violence against gays and lesbians is based in heterosexism, an ideological system that denies, denigrates, or stigmatizes any non-heterosexual form of behavior, identity, relationship, or community. Three reports on violence against gays and lesbians in New South Wales during the period 1990-1994 indicate that between 8 and 30 percent of lesbians and gays report being survivors of physical violence at some time in their life, where that violence is seen to be based on their sexuality. The majority of those attacked were alone at the time. In about half of the attacks, witnesses were present but in only half of those did the witnesses give any assistance. More than 80 percent of the assailants were unknown to the survivor. Physical violence against lesbians and gays is often accompanied by verbal harassment. Based on the data collected for this paper, there does not appear to be any correlation between socioeconomic factors and the likelihood of violence. References