Victimization and Fear Among Lesbians and Gay Men in Stockholm

Victimization among lesbians and gay men creates, apart from harm and fear amongst the victimized, great fear among non-victimized gays and lesbians. This article is based on a comparison between victimized and non-victimized gays and lesbians in four populations in Stockholm. The study shows that differences in lifestyle, primarily concerning openness about sexual identity and frequency of participating in· night-time city life result in different rates of victimization. Furthermore, there are great differences in fear of crime between the victimized and non-victimized. Somewhat surprisingly there are no differences in fear of crime among male and female victims. Among the non-victims, male respondents report more fear than females.