A study in the Netherlands found that women in same-sex relationships have 56% higher odds of being suspected of committing crimes compared to their peers in opposite-sex relationships. In contrast, men in same-sex relationships had 32% lower odds of being suspected of committing crimes compared to men in opposite-sex relationships. The paper was published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.
Sexual minority groups generally face an elevated risk of various types of adversity. Studies show that they are more likely to have been abused in childhood, to have been victims of crime, and to suffer from substance use disorders and other psychiatric disorders. They are also more likely to commit suicide.
Individuals prone to crime and antisocial behaviors also tend to have increased odds of these same adverse outcomes. This suggests an association between being a sexual minority and being involved in crime or antisocial behavior.
Study author Steve G. A. van de Weijer and his colleagues wanted to explore the links between having a same-sex relationship and being involved in crime. They also wanted to know whether this link is general or specific to certain crimes. In other words, are individuals in same-sex relationships more (or less) prone to committing specific types of crimes compared to their heterosexual peers?
Starting from a theory that sexual minority individuals are exposed to more stress as they grow up, the study authors hypothesized that these individuals would be more likely to have committed criminal offenses compared to their heterosexual peers. Also, based on theories explaining the social and behavioral specificities of sexual minorities as effects of sexual hormones (mainly testosterone), the study authors hypothesized that women in same-sex relationships would be more likely to commit crimes, but that this likelihood would be lower for men in same-sex relationships.
The authors analyzed data from Statistics Netherlands, a Dutch governmental institution that gathers statistical information about the Netherlands. Data about whether a person is in a same-sex or opposite-sex relationship and about criminal behavior also came from government databases. In total, the study used data from over 3.5 million individuals, 2% of whom were in a same-sex relationship at least once (around 75,000 people). 15% of these participants were suspected of committing a crime at least once between 1996 and 2020. 90% of those accused were also found guilty by a judge or paid a fine.
Results showed that 22% of men in opposite-sex relationships were suspected of committing a crime at least once. This was the case with only 14% of men in same-sex relationships. In contrast, 7% of women in opposite-sex relationships were crime suspects at least once in their lives, while this was the case with just below 9% of women in same-sex relationships.
This pattern was found for all types of crime except drug offenses. 0.5% of women in both heterosexual and same-sex relationships were accused of this type of crime.
“The results of the study suggested that men in opposite-sex relationships were more often suspected of crime than were men in same-sex relationships, while women in opposite-sex relationships were less often suspected of crime than women in same-sex relationships,” the study authors concluded.
The study sheds light on the links between crime and sexual orientation. However, these links probably also depend on the cultural context and the status of sexual minorities in a society. Therefore, statistics might be different in other cultures. Additionally, not all criminal behaviors result in legal prosecution. This difference between crimes actually committed and those which were prosecuted and for which a suspect has been identified could have produced a certain bias.
The paper, “Same‑Sex Relationships and Criminal Behavior: A Total Population Study in The Netherlands,” was authored by Steve G. A. van de Weijer, Sjoukje van Deuren, and Brian B. Boutwell.
(Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that women in same-sex relationships “have 69% higher odds” of committing crimes compared to their peers in opposite-sex relationships. The correct percentage is 56% higher odds, based on the multivariate analysis.)