The (Mis)Representation of Queer Lives in True Crime

This book examines the representation and misrepresentation of queer people in true crime, addressing their status as both victims and perpetrators in actual crime, as well as how the media portrays them.

The chapters apply an intersectional perspective in examining criminal cases involving LGBTQ people, as well as the true crime media content surrounding the cases. The book illuminates how sexual orientation, gender, race, and other social locations impact the treatment of queer people in the criminal legal system and the mass media. Each chapter describes one or more high-profile criminal cases involving queer people (e.g., the murders of Brandon Teena and Kitty Genovese; serial killer Aileen Wuornos; the Pulse nightclub mass shooting). The authors examine how the cases are portrayed in the media via news, films, podcasts, documentaries, books, social media, and more. Each chapter discusses not only what is visible or emphasized by the media but also what is invisible in the accounting or societal focus surrounding the case. Lesser-known (but similar) cases are used in the book to call attention to how race, gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, social class, and/or other features influence the dominant narrative surrounding these cases. Each chapter addresses "teachable moments" from each case and its coverage, leaving readers with several considerations to take with them into the future.

The book also provides media resources and supplemental materials so that curious readers, including scholars, students, content creators, and advocates, can examine the cases and media content further. The book will appeal to scholars and students of criminology, psychology, sociology, law, media studies, sexuality studies, and cultural studies, and people with an interest in true crime.

Abbie E. Goldberg (Ph.D.) is Professor in the Department of Psychology at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, where she also currently serves as the Director of Women’s and Gender Studies. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA. Her research examines diverse families, including LGBTQ-parent families and adoptive-parent families. She is the author of over 150 peer-reviewed articles and 4 books: LGBTQ Family Building: A Guide for Prospective Parents (2022), Open Adoption and Diverse Families (2020), Gay Dads (2012), and Lesbian and Gay Parents and Their Children (2010). She is the co-editor of three books: LGBTQ-Parent Families: Innovations in Research and Implications for Practice (2013, 2020), LGBTQ Divorce and Relationship Dissolution (2019), and The SAGE Encyclopedia of Trans Studies (2021), and the editor of The SAGE Encyclopedia of LGBTQ Studies (2016). She has received research funding from the American Psychological Association, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Williams Institute, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, the National Institutes of Health, the Spencer Foundation, and other sources. She teaches courses on gender and crime, human sexuality, diversity in contemporary families, research methods with diverse families, the psychology of sexual orientation, and ethics in clinical psychology.

Danielle C. Slakoff (Ph.D.) is Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at California State University, Sacramento, USA. She received her Ph.D. in Criminology and Justice from the University of Nebraska Omaha, USA, in 2018. Her research examines media representations of crime, gender, race/ethnicity, and domestic violence. Her research can be found in top journals such as Violence Against Women, The Journal of Family Violence, Feminist Media Studies, and Feminist Criminology. Her commentary has been featured on the nationally syndicated Tamron Hall show and in The New York Times, Washington Post, Time Magazine, NPR’s Texas Public Radio, and dozen more outlets. In 2022, Dr. Slakoff won the Division of Feminist Criminology’s Saltzman Award for Contributions to Practice. The Saltzman Award recognizes a criminologist whose professional accomplishments have increased the quality of justice and the level of safety for women through scholarship and activism. She teaches courses on media and crime, women’s issues with the criminal legal system, and contemporary issues in criminal justice, among others.

Carrie L. Buist (Ph.D.) is Associate Professor in the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Legal Studies at Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Michigan, USA. Dr. Buist received her Ph.D. from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan USA, in Sociology with concentrations in Criminology and Gender and Feminism. Dr. Buist’s most current research focuses on the experience of justice-involved LGBTQ+ folks, and she has published and presented widely on the topic of queer criminology. Her co-written book Queer Criminology won The Division on Critical Criminology’s Book of the Year Award in 2016, and she has been honored with numerous awards in research, teaching, and mentorship. Dr. Buist’s publications also include but are not limited to Queering Criminology in Theory and Praxis: Reimaging Justice in the Criminal Legal System and Beyond (co-edited), Queer Criminology (co-written) (1st and 2nd editions), The Trifecta of Violence: A Sociological Comparison of Lynching and Violence Against Transgender Women (co-written), and LGBTQ Rights in the Fields of Criminal Law and Law Enforcement. Dr. Buist is currently working with students and law enforcement on cold case investigations.