US report: Queer people more likely to be stopped by police

A new report released by the Williams Institute found queer people living in the US are considerably more likely to be stopped and profiled by police compared to heterosexual citizens. By analysing from a police-public contact survey, the research found a larger proportion of LGBQ identifying adults reported contact with the police during a one-year period compared to the general population, with queer people being six times more likely to  “stopped by the police in a public space.”

91% of straight respondents who interacted with the police said they were satisfied with the encounter compared to 81% of LGBQ people, who were more likely to say that the officers behaved inappropriately towards them. LGBQ people were also 11% more likely to have been stopped by the police while driving. The Williams Institute suggested these results correlate with the “lower levels of trust the LGBTQ+ community has with the police” overall.

In response to the findings, study author Ilan H. Meyer said: “In view of the history of criminalization and victimization of LGBQ people, as police reform is being discussed nationally, it is important that reforms include attention to policing of LGBTQ populations across race and gender.”