1) The study examined how victim gender, victim sexual orientation, defendant sexual orientation, and juror gender influenced juror ratings of guilt in a rape trial. 2) No main effects were found for these factors, but there was a significant interaction between defendant sexual orientation and victim gender. 3) Specifically, jurors assigned higher guilt ratings when the defendant's sexual orientation did not match the victim's gender (e.g. a gay male defendant and female victim) as this made consensual sex seem less likely.

1. Rape trial verdicts influenced by defendant sexual
orientation and victim gender but not juror gender
Aminda Hernandez, B. Damon Taylor, Sarah Adamson, Kristine M. Jacquin, Ph.D., Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, CA
Abstract
We examined the influence of victim gender, victim sexual
orientation, defendant sexual orientation, and juror gender
on juror ratings of a rape defendant’s guilt. No main effects
were found but a significant interaction was found between
defendant sexual orientation and victim gender.
Hypotheses
• Female jurors were expected to assign higher guilt
ratings to the defendant.
• Jurors were expected to be biased against
homosexual victims and defendants.
• Jurors were expected to be biased against male
victims when the defendant is homosexual.
Introduction
• Research suggests that rape trial jurors may be impacted
by the sexual orientation of the defendant and victim.
• Defendants tend to be rated as less guilty when the victim is
homosexual.
• Homosexual defendants tend to be rated as guiltier than
heterosexual defendants (Blashill & Powlishta, 2009;
Burden & Jacquin, 2008; Davies & Boden, 2012; Hill, 2000;
Mitchell & Hirschmann, 1999; White & Robinson-Kurpius,
2002).
• Victim gender also seems to impact rape trial verdicts,
along with other victim characteristics (Bradbury & Williams,
2013; Clow et al., 2013; Ellison & Munro, 2009; McKimmie
et al., 2013; Tabak & Klettke, 2014).
• Juror gender also seems to influence rape trial verdicts,
with female jurors more likely than male jurors to find the
defendant guilty.
• Male jurors are also more likely to blame the victim (Fischer,
1997; Pozzulo, 2010; White & Robinson-Kurpius, 2002).
• The current study was designed to fill in gaps in the
research by concurrently examining victim and defendant
sexual orientation and victim gender on juror decisions in a
rape trial.
METHOD
Results: Def. Sexual Orientation (n.s.)
Results: Juror Gender (n.s.)
2
2.05
2.1
2.15
2.2
2.25
2.3
2.35
F(1, 484) = 1.67, p = .20
Juror Female
Juror Male
Results: Vic. Sexual Orientation (n.s.)
Results: Vic. Gender x Def Sexual Ornt.
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
VictimMale VictimFemale
F(1, 484) = 15.15, p < .0001, partial η2 = .03
Def Heterosexual
Def Homosexual
Discussion
• The results suggest that rape trial jurors are not biased by
victim gender alone, or by victim or defendant sexual
orientation alone.
• Instead, jurors seem to use victim gender and defendant
sexual orientation to evaluate whether consensual sex
might occur (e.g., heterosexual male defendant and female
victim, or gay male defendant and male victim).
• If consensual sex seems unlikely based on these variables
(e.g., gay male defendant and female victim), jurors
consider the defendant to be guilty of rape.
• N = 505 mock jurors (M age = 19 years, SD = 1.8)
• Gender: 66% female, 34% male
• Race/ethnicity: 70% Caucasian, 26% African-American, 1%
Hispanic, 1% Asian, 2% mixed or other ethnicity.
• Participants were randomly assigned to read one of eight rape
cases that varied only on victim sexual orientation (homosexual or
heterosexual), defendant sexual orientation (homosexual or
heterosexual), and victim gender (female or male).
• Mock jurors read the rape trial transcript, discuss the case for 30
minutes with 5 other mock jurors, and then individually rated the
defendant’s guilt on a 4-point scale (4 = definitely guilty, 3 =
probably guilty, 2 = probably not guilty, 1 = definitely not guilty).
2.12
2.13
2.14
2.15
2.16
2.17
2.18
2.19
2.2
2.21
2.22
F(1, 484) < 1, p = .61
Def Heterosexual
Def Homosexual
2
2.05
2.1
2.15
2.2
2.25
2.3
F(1, 484) = 2.21, p = .14
Vic Heterosexual
Vic Homosexual