LGBTQ2+ Experiences of Public Safety: Theorizing Violence in the Queer City

Abstract

The following paper uses geographies of identity around visibility and passing to frame safety and violence in public spaces through an LGBTQ2+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirit, and other sexual minorities) lens. Using the City of Toronto as a case study, the paper unpacks the current state of public safety as articulated by LGBTQ2+ people. Focus groups, interviews, an online survey and secondary readings are the data sources used. This study challenges conventional feminist safety planning and the concept of normal/abnormal uses espoused by proponents of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design by bringing queer intersectionality to the forefront of discussion. The paper puts the recommendations suggested in the collected data into conversation with LGBTQ2+ specific needs around both creating safer cities and speaking of gender outside of the strict binary of cisgender heteronormative experiences. The proposed paper puts forward the concept that a safe city for queer and trans people is a city that is not just tolerant of LGBTQ2+ communities, or commodifying a facet of their inclusivity, but instead must be a city where queerness is actively integrated into its very fabric.