This article presents an examination of LGBTQ+ people’s perceptions of law enforcement and addresses their previous lack of representation in assessments of police and policing activities.
This article examines police relationships with marginalized and minority groups, and specifically, with LGBTQ+ people. Noting the roots of the gay liberation movement from the 1970s and Stonewall Riots, the article discusses research that reveals the experiences of LGBTQ+ people with regards to criminal victimization rates; it highlights connections and reasons for solidarity between Black and LGTBT+ people, as well as some results of that solidarity in activism. The article provides an examination of how LGBTQ+ people perceive the police today, and how answers vary among diverse types of people within those communities. The authors describe their survey of a national sample of LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ adults in the United States which used NORC’s AmeriSpeak panel. The article presents data results from the survey, and discusses the authors’ research findings which demonstrated that the importance of bringing LGBTQ+ people into national assessments of the police and policing should not be underestimated.