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Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Victims’ Reporting Behaviors to Informal and Formal Sources

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Abstract

Purpose

This study provides estimates of reporting victimization to formal (such as the police) and informal sources among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people. This study also compares the estimates to non-LGB victims. Finally, we examine what factors predict reporting to these different sources and whether LGB status is related to reporting.

Methods

This study analyzed data from the 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS), which was administered from January 22, 2010, through December 31, 2010 (Black et al., 2011, The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 summary report, p. 9). Study analyses were restricted to cases in which the respondent answered the NISVS sexual violence section and reported at least one incident of sexual victimization in their lifetime (N = 6030, weight = 81,582,021). A series of multivariate logistic regression models were computed.

Results

Being lesbian, gay, or bisexual increased the odds of reporting to formal sources. When examining different informal reporting sources separately, however, LGB individuals were only at a significantly higher odds of reporting to mental health providers. Several factors related to the victimization event were also related to reporting to formal sources. Among informal reporting practices, being LGB decreased odds of reporting to a family member and increased the odds of reporting the incident to an intimate partner.

Conclusion

Even though LGB people have a higher risk of sexual victimization compared to non-LGB individuals, they do not tend to report to formal criminal justice agencies more than non-LGB persons. In fact, the current study found no differences between LGB and non-LGB reporting to police when controlling for other relevant variables. Since formal reporting is needed to ensure a criminal justice response, police departments and other formal support sources should seek to encourage reporting by LGB victims.

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Notes

  1. The majority of the findings reported throughout this literature are centered on lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people. Cniro et al. (2005) specifically studied lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) youth—thus, the acronym LGBQ is intentionally used here versus other areas of the paper.

  2. Multiple imputations were used to account for missing data. Sexual orientation cases were missing among 4% of the raw data. Ten computed datasets were pooled during analyses.

  3. Similar measurement strategies to capture sexual minority status have been used by others where a combination of self-identification and same-sex relationships is used to identify sexual minorities (see Russell & Joyner, 2001; Teasdale & Bradley-Engen, 2010). Nonetheless, sensitivity tests were conducted using only a self-identified sexuality measure to validate the reporting patterns of sexual minorities (same-sex attraction/behavior or sexual orientation) compared to non-LGB individuals. There were no substantively significant differences.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Georgia State University, 55 Park Place, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA

    Shanna N. Felix & Leah E. Daigle

  2. Applied Research Services, Inc, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Shila René Hawk

  3. Department of Social, Cultural, and Justice Studies, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, TN, USA

    Christina Policastro

Authors
  1. Shanna N. Felix
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  2. Leah E. Daigle
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  3. Shila René Hawk
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  4. Christina Policastro
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Correspondence to Shanna N. Felix.

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Appendix. Behavior types

Appendix. Behavior types

Sexual exposure: unwanted sexual behavior included

  • exposed their sexual body parts to you, flashed you, or masturbated in front of you

  • made you show your sexual body parts to them

  • made you look at or participate in sexual photos or movies

  • harassed you while you were in a public place in a way that made you feel unsafe

Sexually touched: unwanted sexual contact included

  • kissed you in an unwanted sexual way

  • fondled or grabbed your sexual body parts

Attempted rape: incomplete penetration

  • physically harm you to make you try to make you have vaginal sex with them, but sex did not happen

  • physical force or threats to physically harm you to make you try to have vaginal, oral, or anal sex with you, but sex did not happen

Sexual coercion: unwanted sexual contact after a person was pressured in a nonphysical way

  • had vaginal, oral, or anal sex with after they pressured you by doing things like telling you lies, making promises about the future they knew were untrue, threatening to end your relationship, or threatening to spread rumors about you

  • pressured you by wearing you down by repeatedly asking for sex, or showing they were unhappy

  • by using their influence or authority over you, for example, your boss or your teacher

Rape

  • when you were drunk, high, drugged, or passed out and unable to consent

    • had vaginal sex with you

    • receive anal sex

    • perform oral sex

    • perform anal sex

    • receive oral sex

  • physical force or threats to physically harm you to make you

    • have vaginal sex

    • receive anal sex

    • perform oral sex

    • put their fingers or an object in your vagina or anus

  • physical force or threats to physically harm you to make you perform anal sex

  • physical force or threats to physically harm you to make you make you receive oral sex

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Felix, S.N., Daigle, L.E., Hawk, S.R. et al. Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Victims’ Reporting Behaviors to Informal and Formal Sources. Sex Res Soc Policy 18, 281–289 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-020-00456-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-020-00456-8

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