Visibly invisible : Policing queer young people as a research gap

Abstract

This paper argues that queer young people occupy an ironic position in public space that requires further empirical attention in relation to policing. The paper suggests that queer young people are visibly invisible: they are visible in their youthfulness, a characteristic that research shows is generally over-policed in wider public space; and they are invisible in their queerness, a characteristic that renders these communities invisible not only in wider legal discourse but also in policing practices more specifically. Interestingly, to this point the question of how sexual orientation mediates policing relationships is yet to be addressed in criminological research. There has been some international research examining queer young peoples’ experiences in the criminal justice system more broadly but these issues have yet to be made the subject of research in Australia. Given their position as visibly invisible, and the wealth of research indicating that diverse groups of young people are over-policed, this paper represents a ‘call-for-research’ on these issues in an Australian context.