Amsterdam investigates anti-homosexual violence
According to the study ‘As long as they keep their hands off me’, commissioned by the City of Amsterdam and performed by the University of Amsterdam, men aged 17 to 25 with low education levels use violence against homosexuals when they perceive a challenge to their masculinity. The perpetrators claim to have ‘nothing against gays’, as long as the homosexuals behave in a manner they consider acceptable. Their macho youth culture challenges them to distance themselves from ‘typical homosexual behaviour’, if necessary by using violence. Violence against homosexuals is based on concepts of masculinity and sexuality, and is almost never religiously-based. There are also almost no cases of organised ‘gay bashing’.
Violence against homosexuals proof of own masculinity
Among relatively large groups of young men, tolerance of homosexuality appears to be a very thin veneer of civilisation. The study indicates that negative ideas about homosexuality are widely held in schools, the military and athletics, regardless of ethnicity. Intolerance goes hand-in-hand with discrimination and physical violence, creating an unsafe climate for homosexuals.The study involved interviews with perpetrators, examinations of police, rehabilitation and court records, conversations with young people who belong to high-risk groups and surveys completed by students attending school in Amsterdam.
Origins
The origins of the perpetrators’ aversion to homosexuality lie in their emotions and ideas regarding masculinity and sexuality. Four aspects that call up their particular irritation, disgust or dislike are: anal sex, ‘feminine’ behaviour, the visible expression of homosexuality and fear of being seduced by homosexuals. Remarkably, the young men do not reject homosexuality in its entirety; they often claim to have nothing against homosexuals and realise that homosexuality is a part of society. *However, they do place strict limits on the behaviour that homosexuals may display in their presence; they may not display the four elements listed above. Violence primarily occurs when these young men feel as if homosexuals consider them to be sexual objects: in almost 40% of the cases studied, this was the proven trigger for the violence. These young men cannot bear the idea of being forced into a role that they consider to be feminine and humiliating.
Perpetrators
Suspects of violent crimes are usually young men between the ages of 17 and 25. They are just as likely to have a native-born Dutch background as they are to have a Moroccan background (both 36%). However, as 39% of all young men in Amsterdam belong to the former group, and only 16% belong to the latter, Moroccans are overrepresented among the suspects of violence against homosexuals. The majority of the incidents (55%) take place outside areas that are known as meeting places for homosexuals.
There is little difference of opinion about homosexuality among the different groups studied (students, high-risk young people and perpetrators). Secondary school students seem to have only the bare minimum of tolerance for homosexuality. Although they claim to accept homosexuality in general, they are considerably less tolerant of homosexuality in their immediate vicinity.
The small differences in opinions between the groups lead to the worrisome conclusion that the group of potential perpetrators of violence against homosexuals is very large. This is also indicated by the fact that most perpetrators do not plan their actions in advance; incidents of premeditated ‘gay bashing’ are very rare. Most incidents occur spontaneously at the moment that the perpetrators are confronted with a situation that conflicts with their concepts of masculinity and sexuality.
The researchers have found a number of factors that explain why some young men resort to violence against homosexuals and others do not. Perpetrators often commit violence in groups and find it difficult to resist peer pressure. In many groups, contrasting oneself with homosexuality helps create a tough, masculine identity for young men. This prevents them from being seen as ‘queer’, which to them is equated with being weak and effeminate. Social-economic factors also play a role: perpetrators are often likely to be unemployed, poorly-educated and come from dysfunctional families. Anti-homosexual violence can be an effective way to gain respect and a masculine status for those who cannot do so in a legal manner. Their violence is not religiously inspired – religious ideas have no more than an indirect influence.
Facts and figures
In 2007 there were 201 reports of violence against homosexuals in Amsterdam. These included 79 cases of verbal violence (39%), 38 threats (19%), 17 muggings (9%) and 67 cases of physical violence (33%). In the majority of cases, the victims of anti-homosexual violence do not report the incident to the police. An estimated 75% to 96% of these types of incidents go unreported, so the actual number of incidents is much higher. In only 43% of all cases are the police able to register a suspect. More than half of all incidents of physical violence take place on the street. The remaining incidents (42%) take place in gay bars and nightclubs or parks where homosexuals are known to congregate. Anti-homosexual violence usually takes place at the weekend, with an increase in the summer months and a peak in August.
Amsterdam in comparison
Due to the lack of comparable international data, it is difficult to determine whether violence against homosexuals occurs more or less frequently in Amsterdam than in other cities or countries. However, it is clear that the issue is not limited to Amsterdam. A growing number of countries, including Germany, Belgium, Sweden and Great Britain are paying more attention to the issue of increasing violence against homosexuals.
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Press release - City of Amsterdam - 20 November 2008
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