Abstract
In Queer Histories and the Politics of Policing, Emma Russell offers an analysis of the contentious relationship between the police and Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transexual (LGBT) population in Melbourne, Australia. Russell’s approach is multifaceted. It offers an analysis and critique of not only the history of police–queer relations but also each group’s response to it. In doing so, Russell provides a practical analysis of the positive and negative aspects of the LGBT movement seeking legitimacy. For Russell, the strategies employed by LGBT groups to develop institutional relationships and political power are done through appealing to aspects of heteronormativity. She critiques this attempt to create a “homonormative” identity in the society, claiming they are at the same time excluding many in the queer community that are at most risk of state violence. Further, Russell analyzes the strategies used by the Melbourne police in order to recreate their image through participation in LGBT marches as well as how they used official apology to restructure history to rebrand the institution through a narrative of progress. The goals of this book are to add to the discussion about how progressive ideals can be co-opted by “violent institutions” to strengthen the institution’s reputation while maintaining its power.
The methods used in this book include an archival search, which includes news clippings, campaign material, meeting minutes, and bound volumes of LGBT newspapers. There was also an online and library search for submissions and reports on anti-queer violence by both LGBT organizations and the mainstream media coverage of police involvement in queer lives. This archival search is accompanied by 11 semistructured interviews with key informants conducted in 2017. The book begins with a history of police-queer relations in Australia and a case study of a police raid of a gay nightclub. Chapter 2 offers a historical perspective of the origins of policing in Australia. In doing so, Russell connects anti-queer laws and police practices to the broader police purpose of serving the interests of colonial and capital interests. This chapter effectively sets the stage for the reader to understand the formal legal restrictions that have facilitated the abusive treatment that the queer community has historically experienced at the hands of the police.
Chapter 3 is a case study of the 1994 police raid of the Tasty nightclub. Russell calls the raid a symbol of a low point in police–queer relations. This case study offers evidence reinforcing the claim made in Chapter 2 that discriminatory police practices continue despite supposedly progressive policy reforms. Russell also analyzes the response of the victims of the Tasty raid, showing how they effectively turned themselves into ideal victims. Further, Russell reveals how this progress can operate as a double-edged sword, simultaneously pushing some in the queer community toward acceptance and others into a state of otherness. Chapter 4 shifts the focus away from the police and offers a better understanding of the intricacies within the LGBT movement. The LGBT community often gets cast as a homogenous group when in fact there is much heterogeneity. This chapter provides a history of the LGBT movement for equal rights and a discussion of the two main perspectives that emerged. One group is attempting to gain progress through the capitalist system and creation of a homonormative identity. The other group is distinctly anti-capitalist criticizing the former approach as not truly offering a path toward the systemic change they believe marks actual progress.
Chapter 5 examines the effects of the Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon’s participation in an LGBT Pride march. Russell’s analysis reduced the police’s public support of the gay community to impression management. Through narrative analysis of both the media response to police participation and Chief Nixon’s biography, Russell reveals that the negative examples of police behavior in the past can be revised, retold, and legitimized through specific strategies that rework the police’s image in the present. Chapter 6 explores the influence of a crime paradigm on gender politics. Specifically, Russell says this is done through the use of criminal-legal theories, methodologies, and approaches to explain and remedy patterns of individuals’ violence for LGBT people. Russell believes there are three ways in which the crime paradigm can be seen in LGBT anti-violence campaigning:
through the use of victimization surveys, how the results of these surveys resulted in a push for police reform, and through elements of the punitive public discourse surrounding anti-gay violence.
What is particularly interesting about Chapter 6 is Russell’s discussion of the ramifications of a traditionally marginalized group seeking social justice through the same justice system that has historically marginalized them. Chapter 7 focuses on the various official apologies that have been recently made to the LGBT community for past injustices. In it, Russell offers a critique of both the official apologies and the LGBT response to them. For Russell, these apologies more so serve the purposes of reshaping institutional image than gay injustice. This chapter offers a thorough analysis of the narrative features of the apologies, specifically focusing on how they quickly touch on the past and focus on the present as a new beginning or marker of progress. Further, Russell gives examples of LGBT acceptance of the apology and how it reinforces the idea that poor behavior is truly something of the past. Finally, Chapter 8 is a brief synopsis of some of the core ideas as well as the author’s thoughts on what is in the book and how things should move forward.
Overall, this book offers an effective in-depth analysis of the histories of police and queer activism, offers a critical lens on the complications involved in LGBT activist’s push for political acceptance and power, and offers a better understanding of the strategies used by powerful institutions to maintain legitimacy through visible acts and narrative control techniques such as official apology. This book is perfect for use with graduate students and researchers who want to learn and study relationships between the police and marginalized populations, as well as institutional strategies to maintain power and legitimacy.