NCJ Number
219864
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 47 Issue: 4 Dated: July 2007 Pages: 573-595
Date Published
July 2007
Length
23 pages
Annotation
Using empirical data from the relevant files of the Crown Prosecution Service (Great Britain) for 1976 through 2001, this study examined the features of 77 homicides of gay men in the context of casual sexual encounters with other men.
Abstract
Study findings suggest that there is sufficient consistency in these gay sexual homicides over the years that they should be distinguished for analysis from the analysis of heterosexual sexual murder. Gay sexual homicides are distinguishable from heterosexual homicides by the demographics of offenders and victims as well as the dynamics of their interactions. The current sociological and psychological models developed to explain heterosexual sexual homicides do not have the same explanatory power for sexual homicides that involve male offenders and victims. This paper argues that more research is needed in order to distinguish models and that some of the existing literature provides potential avenues for this research. The current analysis suggests that restricting the study to the construction of masculinity, at least as narrowly defined, is insufficient to explain the full dynamics and characteristics of gay sexual homicides. Issues of class and personal history, for example, are also important. Further, the violent behavior apparently stems from the individual characteristics of offenders and victims rather than social relations. This suggests that psychological variables will be featured in explanatory models for gay sexual homicides. The variables examined in the current study pertained to participants and locations, homicide methods, the involvement of drugs and alcohol, age, socioeconomic class, sexual orientation, and power issues. 4 tables and 29 references