Let’s Talk About Sex(uality): A Content Analysis of the Inclusion and Measurement of Sexual Identity and Sexual Orientation in Published Criminological Research

Courtney A. Crittenden; Skylar Crick; Sherah L.  Basham; Heather Storey

doi:10.29333/ajqr/13240

Courtney A. Crittenden ¹ ^* , Skylar Crick ¹, Sherah L. Basham ¹, Heather Storey ¹

More Detail

AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 7, Issue 3, pp. 65-90

https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13240

OPEN ACCESS 1539 Views 442 Downloads

Download Full Text (PDF)

Abstract

Time and again, criminology has been criticized for its lack of inclusion in research regarding diverse populations. Scholars continuously call for criminological research to diversify its focus and measurements, particularly regarding individual characteristics such as race, sex, gender, and, more recently, sexuality. This study utilizes summative content analysis to examine the inclusion, measurement, and context of sexuality and sexual orientation in all articles published between 2011-2020 from four criminological and criminal justice (CCJ) journals. Specifically, we explored to what extent sexuality is incorporated in the selected publications among the sections of each article and if it varies among journals, if sexuality is being measured in the empirical articles examined and, if so, as what type of variable, if the calls for inclusion in 2014 changed the amount of sexuality included in articles, and if the gender makeup of the author team impacts inclusion of sexuality. Results indicate that sexuality and sexual orientation are rarely mentioned in the literature and are measured even less. While sexuality is included more as time passes, much of this is limited. Additionally, articles published by female authors and within the more gender-specialized journal incorporate sexuality more frequently while still limited.

Keywords: sexuality, sexual orientation, criminal justice research, criminology research.

References

Asquith, N., Dwyer, A., & Simpson, P. (2017). A queer criminal career. Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 29(1), 167–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/10345329.2017.12036094
Ball, M. (2014). Queer criminology, critique, and the “art of not being governed”. Critical Criminology, 22(1), 21–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-013-9223-2
Ball, M. (2019). Unsettling queer criminology: Notes towards decolonization. Critical Criminology, 27(1), 145–161. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-019-09440-0
Ball, M., Buist, C. L., & Woods, J. B. (Eds.). (2014). Introduction to the special issue on queer/ing criminology: New directions and frameworks [Special issue]. Critical Criminology, 22(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-013-9231-2
Barranco, R. E., Jennings, W. G., May, D. C., & Wells, M. J. (2016). What journals are the most cited journals in criminology and criminal justice’s “Big Three” journals? Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 27(1), 19–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511253.2015.1065337
Belknap, J. (2015). Activist criminology: Criminologists' responsibility to advocate for social and legal justice. Criminology, 53(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9125.12063
Bernstein, M., & Kostelac, C. (2002). Lavender and Blue: Attitudes about homosexuality and behavior towards lesbian and gay men among police officers. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 18(3), 302–328. https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862020180030
Black, M. C., Basile, K. C., Breiding, M. J., Smith, S. G., Walters, M. L., Merrick, M. T., Chen, J., & Stevens, M. R. (2011). National intimate partner and sexual violence survey (NISVS): 2010 summary report. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs_report2010-a.pdf
Bridges, T., & Moore, M. R. (2018). Young women of color and shifting sexual identities. Contexts, 17(1), 86–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/1536504218767125
Buist, C. L., & Lenning, E. (2015). Queer criminology. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315740690
Cameron, P. (2003). Domestic violence among homosexual partners. Psychological Reports, 93(2), 410–416. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.2003.93.2.410
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/OMH/resource-center/hcps-and-researchers/data-tools/sgm-clearinghouse/ncvs
Clarivate Analytics. (2022). Journal Citation Reports. Social Science Edition.
Cochran, B. N., & Cauce, A. M. (2006). Characteristics of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals entering substance abuse treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 30(2), 135–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2005.11.009
Colvin, R. (2009). Shared perceptions among lesbian and gay police officers: Barriers and opportunities in the law enforcement work environment. Police Quarterly, 12(1), 86–101. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098611108327308
Copes, H., Beaton, B., Ayeni, D., Dabney, D., & Tewksbury, R. (2020). A content analysis of qualitative research published in top criminology and criminal justice journals from 2010-2019. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 45, 1060–1079. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-020-09540-6
Cornwell, B., & Laumann, E. O. (2011). Network position and sexual dysfunction: Implication of partner betweenness for men. American Journal of Sociology, 117(1), 172–208. https://doi.org/10.1086/661079
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1(8), 139–167.
criminology: Call for inclusive measurement of sexuality. Criminal Justice Review, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/07340168221138572
Crittenden, C.A., Gateley, H.C., Policastro, C.N., & McGuffee, K., (2022). Exploring how gender and sex are measured in criminology and victimology: Are we measuring what we say we are measuring? Women & Criminal Justice, 31(1-2), 205-218.
Crow, M. S., & Smykla, J. O. (2015). An examination of author characteristics in national and regional criminology and criminal justice journals, 2008-2010: Are female scholars changing the nature of publishing in criminology and criminal justice? American Journal of Criminal Justice, 40, 441–455. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-014-9250-x
de River, J. P. (1949). The sexual criminal: A psychoanalytical study. Charles C. Thomas.
del Carmen, A. & Bing, R.L. (2000). Academic productivity of African Americans in criminology and criminal justice. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 11(2), 237–249. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511250000084891
Denise, E. J. (2019). Americans’ gender attitudes at the intersection of sexual orientation and gender. Journal of Homosexuality, 66(2), 141–172. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2017.1398022
Dwyer, A. (2011). ‘It’s not like we’re going to jump them’: How transgressing heteronormativity shapes police interactions with LGBT young people. Youth Justice, 11(3), 203–220. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473225411420526
Eigenberg, H. M., & Whalley, E. (2015). Gender and publication patterns: Female authorship is increasing, but is there gender parity? Women & Criminal Justice, 25(1–2), 130–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/08974454.2015.1023882
Feminist Criminology. (2021). Call for editor. https://ascdwc.com/2021/12/feminist-criminology-call-for-editor/
Flores, A. R., Langton, L., Meyer, I. H., & Romero, A. P. (2020). Victimization rates and traits of sexual and gender minorities in the United States: Results from the National Crime Victimization Survey, 2017. Science Advances, 6(40). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aba6910
Fradella, H. F., Owen, S. S., & Burke, T. W. (2009). Integrating gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues into the undergraduate criminal justice curriculum. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 20(2), 127–156. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511250902862384
Gateley, H., Crittenden, C.A., Policastro, C.N., & McGuffee, K. (2022). Heteronormativity in
criminology: Call for inclusive measurement of sexuality. Criminal Justice Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/07340168221138572
Gurrentz, B., & Valerio, T. (2019). More than 190,000 children living with two same-sex parents in 2019. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/11/first-time-same-sex-couples-in-current-population-survey-tables.html
Hampton, J. (2019). Homosexuality: An aggravating factor. Law and Sexuality, 28, 25–43.
Harris, A., & Bartlow, S. (2015). Intersectionality: Race, gender, sexuality, and class. In J. DeLamater & R. Plante (Eds), Handbook of the sociology of sexualities (pp. 261–271). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17341-2_15
Hodge, J. P., & Sexton, L. (2020). Examining the blue line in the rainbow: The interactions and perceptions of law enforcement among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities. Police Practice and Research, 21(3), 246–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2018.1526686
Hsieh, H.-F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15(9), 1277–1288. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687
Hsieh, N., & Ruther, M. (2016). Sexual minority health and health risk factors: Intersection effects of gender, race, and sexual identity. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 50(6), 746–755. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2015.11.016
Humphreys, L. (1970). Tearoom trade: Impersonal sex in public places. Aldine Publishing Company.
Hunt, M. O., Jackson, P. B., Kye, S. H., Powell, B., & Steelman, L. C. (2013). Still color-blind? The treatment of race, ethnicity, intersectionality, and sexuality in sociological social psychology. In S. R. Thyne & E. J. Lawler (Eds.), Advances in group processes: 30^th anniversary edition (pp. 21–46). https://doi.org/10.1108/s0882-6145(2013)0000030005
Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research. (2022). National Survey of Student Engagement. http://nsse.indiana.edu/
Jackson, M. A., Valentine, S. E., Woodward, E. N., & Pantalone, D. W. (2017). Secondary victimization of sexual minority men following disclosure of sexual assault: “Victimizing me all over again…”. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 14(3), 275–288. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-016-0249-6
Jennings, W. G., Piquero, A. R., & Reingle, J. M. (2012). On the overlap between victimization and offending: A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 17(1), 16–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2011.09.003
Kahle, L., Rosenbaum, J. L., & King, S. (2018). Examining the intersections of gender and sexual orientation within the discipline: A case for feminist and queer criminology. In R. Martinez, M. E. Hollis, & J. I. Stowell (Eds.), The handbook of race, ethnicity, crime, and justice (pp. 303–325). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119113799.ch13
Kay, M., & Jeffries, S. (2010). Homophobia, heteronormativism and hegemonic masculinity: Male same-sex intimate violence from the perspective of Brisbane service providers. Psychiatry, Psychology, and Law, 17(3), 412–423. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218710903566953
Kelly, B. C., & Parsons, J. T. (2010). Prevalence and predictors of non-medical prescription drug use among men who have sex with men. Addictive Behavior, 35(4), 312–317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2009.11.002
Kerr, D. L., Ding, K., & Chaya, J. (2014). Substance use of lesbian, gay, bisexual and heterosexual college students. American Journal of Health Behavior, 38, 951–962. https://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.38.6.17
Kinsey, A., Pomeroy, W. B., & Martin, C. E. (1948). Sexual behavior in the human male. Saunders.
Kunzel, R. G. (2008). Criminal intimacy: Prison and the uneven history of modern American sexuality. University of Chicago Press.
Langenderfer-Magruder, L., Walls, N. E., Whitfield, D. L., Kattari, S. K., & Ramos, D. (2020). Stalking victimization in LGBTQ adults: A brief report. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 35(5-6), 1442–1453. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260517696871
Lawrence v. Texas 539 U.S. 558 (2003). https://www.casebriefs.com/blog/law/constitutional-law/constitutional-law-keyed-to-chemerinsky/fundamental-fights-under-due-process-and-equal-protection/lawrence-v-texas/
Levon, E. (2015). Integrating intersectionality in language, gender, and sexuality research. Language and Linguistics Compass, 9(7), 295–308. https://doi.org/10.1111/lnc3.12147
Lombroso-Ferrero, G. (1972). Criminal man: According to the classification of Cesare Lombroso. Patterson Smith Publishing Corporation.
Lopez, J. D., Duncan, A., Shacham, E., & McKay, V. (2021). Disparities in health behaviors and outcomes at the intersection of race and sexual identity among women: Results from the 2011-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Preventative Medicine, 142(1), 106379–106379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106379
McCabe, S. E., West, B. T., Hughes, T. L., & Boyd, C. J. (2013). Sexual orientation and substance abuse treatment utilization in the United States: Results from a national survey. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 44(1), 4–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2012.01.007
Mennicke, A., Gromer, J., Oehme, K., & MacConnie, L. (2018). Workplace experiences of gay and lesbian criminal justice officers in the United States: A qualitative investigation of officer attending a LGBT law enforcement conference. Policing and Society, 28(6), 712–729. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2016.1238918
Messinger, A. M. (2011). Invisible victims: Same-sex IPV in the National Violence Against Women Survey. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 26(11), 2228–2243. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260510383023
Messinger, A. M. (2014). Marking 35 years of research on same-sex intimate partner violence: Lessons and new directions. In D. Peterson, & V. R. Panfil (Eds.), Handbook of LGBT communities, crime, and justice (pp. 65–85). Springer.
Morales, E. S. (1989). Ethnic minority families and minority gays and lesbians. Marriage and Family Review, 14(3-4), 217–239. https://doi.org/10.1300/J002v14n03_11
Noel, J. K., & Lutz, T. M. (2020). Measuring sex, gender, and sexual orientation in national disease surveillance systems: A pilot study. The Journal of Sex Research, 57(8), 987–996. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2020.1745740
Noga-Styron, K., & Olivero, J. (2014). A content analysis of homosexual related issues and introductory undergraduate law enforcement texts: Becoming common curriculum. Journal of Behavioural and Social Sciences, 1, 217–225.
Panfil, V. R. (2018). LGBTQ populations of color, crime, and justice: An emerging but urgent topic. In R. Martinez, M. E. Hollis, & J. I. Stowell (Eds.), The handbook of race, ethnicity, crime, and justice (pp. 303–325). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119113799.ch18
Panter, H. (2018). Transgender cops: The intersection of gender and sexuality expectations in police cultures. Routledge.
Pascoe, C. J. (2011). Dude, you’re a fag! Masculinity and sexuality in high school. University of California Press.
Pearson, J., & Wilkinson, L. (2018). School experiences and educational opportunities for LGBTQ students. In B. Schneider (Ed.), Handbook of the sociology of education in the 21st century (pp. 193–218). Springer.
Peterson, D., & Panfil, V.R. (Eds.) (2014). Handbook of LGBT communities, crime, and justice. Springer.
Pfeffer, C. A. (2014). “I don’t like passing as a straight woman”: Queer negotiations of identity and social group membership. American Journal of Sociology, 120(1), 1–44. https://doi.org/10.1086/677197
Pickles, J. (2021). Designing hate crime reporting devices: An exploration of young LGBT+ people’s report needs. Journal of LGBT Youth, 18(4), 394–420. https://doi.org/10.1080/19361653.2019.1685057
Potter, W. J., & Levine-Donnerstein, D. (1999). Rethinking validity and reliability in content analysis. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 27(3), 258–284. https://doi.org/10.1080/00909889909365539
Priebe, G., & Svedin, C. G. (2013). Operationalization of three dimensions of sexual orientation in a national survey of late adolescents. The Journal of Sex Research, 50(8), 727–738. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2012.713147
Rodriguez-Seijas, C., Eaton, N. R., & Pachankis, J. E. (2019). Prevalence of psychiatric disorders at the intersection of race and sexual orientation: Results from the National Epidemiological Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions-III. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 87(4), 321–331. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000377
SAGE. (2021). Race and Justice. https://journals.sagepub.com/home/raj
SAGE. (2022). Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. https://journals.sagepub.com/home/jrc
Scheuerman, H. L., Parris, C. L., Faupel, A. H., & Werum, R. (2020). State‐level determinants of hate crime reporting: Examining the impact of structural and social movement influences. Law & Policy, 42(1), 31–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/lapo.12139
Schnabel, L. (2018). Sexual orientation and social attitudes. Socious: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 4, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023118769550
Shortnacy, M. B. (2001). Guilty and gay, a recipe for execution in American courtrooms: Sexual orientation as a tool for prosecutorial misconduct in death penalty cases. American University Law Review, 51(2), 309–365.
Smith, A. (2002). Homophobia in the halls of justice: Sexual orientation bias and its implications within the legal system: The complex uses of sexual orientation in criminal court. American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law. 11, 101–115.
Smith, A. M. A., Rissel, C. E., Richters, J., Grulich, A. E., & de Visser, R. O. (2003). Sex in Australia: The rational and methods of the Australian study of health and relationships. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 27(2), 106–117. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-842x.2003.tb00797.x
Suen, L. W., Lunn, M. R., Katuzny, K., Finn, S., Duncan, L., Sevelius, J., Flentje, A., Capriotti, M. R., Lubensky, M. E., Hunt, C., Weber, S., Bibbins-Domingo, K., & Obedin-Maliver, J. (2020). What sexual and gender minority people want researchers to know about sexual orientation and gender identity questions: A qualitative study. Archives of Sexual Behavior,49(7), 2301–2318. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01810-y
Taylor, Y., Hines, S., & Casey, M. E. (2011). Theorizing intersectionality and sexuality. Palgrave Macmillan.
Tewksbury, R., DeMichele, M. T., & Miller, J. M. (2005). Methodological orientations of articles appearing in criminal justice’s top journals: Who publishes what and where. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 16(2), 265–279. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511250500082278
Truman, J. L., Morgan, R. E., Gilbert, T., & Vaghela, P. (2019). Measuring sexual orientation and gender identity in the National Crime Victimization Survey, Journal of Offender Statistics, 35(4), 835–858. https://doi.org/10.2478/jos-2019-0035
Westbrook, L., Budnick, J., & Saperstein, A. (2022). Dangerous data: Seeing social surveys through the sexuality prism. Sexualities, 25(5-6), 717–749. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363460720986927
Whitfield, D. L., Walls, N. E., Langenderfer-Magruder, L., & Clark, B. (2014). Queer is the new Black? Not so much: Racial disparities in anti-LGBTQ discrimination. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 26(4), 426–440. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538720.2014.955556
Wiley Online Library. (2022). Criminology. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/17459125
Wolff, M., Wells, B., Ventura-DiPersia, C., Renson, A., & Grov, C. (2017). Measuring sexual orientation: A review and critique of U.S. data collection efforts and implications for health policy. The Journal of Sex Research, 54(4-5), 507–531. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2016.1255872
Woods, J. B. (2014). "Queering Criminology": Overview of the state of the field. In D. Peterson, & V. R. Panfil (Eds.), Handbook of LGBT communities, crime, and justice (pp. 15–41). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9188-0_2
Zettler, H. R., Cardwell, S. M., & Craig, J. M. (2017). The gendering effects of co-authorship in criminology & criminal justice research. Criminal Justice Studies, 30(1), 30–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/1478601X.2016.1265958

Citation

Crittenden, C. A., Crick, S., Basham, S. L., & Storey, H. (2023). Let’s Talk About Sex(uality): A Content Analysis of the Inclusion and Measurement of Sexual Identity and Sexual Orientation in Published Criminological Research. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 7(3), 65-90. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13240

Crittenden, C. A., Crick, S., Basham, S. L., and Storey, H. (2023). Let’s Talk About Sex(uality): A Content Analysis of the Inclusion and Measurement of Sexual Identity and Sexual Orientation in Published Criminological Research. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 7(3), pp. 65-90. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13240

Crittenden CA, Crick S, Basham SL, Storey H. Let’s Talk About Sex(uality): A Content Analysis of the Inclusion and Measurement of Sexual Identity and Sexual Orientation in Published Criminological Research. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2023;7(3), 65-90. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13240

Crittenden, Courtney A., Skylar Crick, Sherah L. Basham, and Heather Storey. "Let’s Talk About Sex(uality): A Content Analysis of the Inclusion and Measurement of Sexual Identity and Sexual Orientation in Published Criminological Research". American Journal of Qualitative Research 2023 7 no. 3 (2023): 65-90. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13240

Crittenden, Courtney A. et al. "Let’s Talk About Sex(uality): A Content Analysis of the Inclusion and Measurement of Sexual Identity and Sexual Orientation in Published Criminological Research". American Journal of Qualitative Research, vol. 7, no. 3, 2023, pp. 65-90. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13240

Crittenden CA, Crick S, Basham SL, Storey H. Let’s Talk About Sex(uality): A Content Analysis of the Inclusion and Measurement of Sexual Identity and Sexual Orientation in Published Criminological Research. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2023;7(3):65-90. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13240