Sponsor
Portland State University. Department of Psychology
First Advisor
Tessa Dover
Term of Graduation
Summer 2026
Date of Publication
9-14-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.) in Psychology
Department
Psychology
Language
English
Subjects
Community, Procedural Justice, Safe Spaces
Physical Description
1 online resource (v, 78 pages)
Abstract
Members of the LGBTQ+ community experience disproportionately negative interactions with law enforcement, especially within queer spaces. Although such spaces are intended to provide safety, comfort, and community for marginalized groups, they remain vulnerable to internal and external threats. The historically negative relationship between LGBTQ+ individuals and law enforcement emphasizes the importance of understanding how the public evaluates police actions when they are aimed at queer (vs non-queer) spaces. Using a vignette-based experimental design, this thesis examined public perceptions of police-initiated contact (i.e., a raid) in a space (i.e., a bar) designated for certain groups of people (i.e., lesbian, gay, or straight). This study incorporated the Procedural Justice Theory to examine perceptions of fairness and trust of police actions. This project employed an exploratory convergent mixed-methods study design, with this thesis focusing on the quantitative analysis. An analysis of 144 participants collected from Portland State University students in February 2026 found evidence that women have lower perceptions of fairness and trust of police behavior, and that this may be particularly true in queer bar settings. This study highlighted differences in perceptions of fairness across spaces and subgroups, addressing a critical gap in understanding how societal views of queer communities overlap with the justice system. Additionally, the hypothesized findings could inform future studies on the LGBTQ+ community and law enforcement.
Rights
© 2026 Delnaz Taherkalateh
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/45152
Recommended Citation
Taherkalateh, Delnaz, "Queer Spaces and Procedural Justice: Public Attitudes Towards Police Civilian Contact" (2026). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 7218.