DERIVATIVE DEVIANCE The Cases of Extortion, Fag‐Bashing, and Shakedown of Gay Men

Abstract Derivative deviance is defined as the victimization of stigmatized persons because of their inability to avail themselves of the protections of civil society without threat of discrediting. Whether there is a preexisting relationship between the victim and the victimizer affects the possible forms of victimization. When there is no preexisting relationship, victims must he identified by culturally accepted understandings of which places are deviant and what deviants look like. In these cases, the principal forms of victimization are assault and robbery. When there is a preexisting relationship, greater knowIedge of the victim's significant others permits the more sophisticated victimization of extortion. However, to the extent the victim has reference groups who are also deviant, he is often able to resist extortion attempts. Extortion attempts were found typically to arise our of preexisting relationships among our gay male respondents.