Same-gender stalking.

Although stalkers most commonly target victims of the opposite gender, the results of larger and less selective studies suggest that same-gender stalking occurs with greater frequency than formerly thought. This study reviews the exiguous literature on same-gender stalking and presents the findings from a clinical study of 29 same-gender stalking cases that were referred to a forensic psychiatry center. The demographic characteristics, behavior, motivations, and psychopathology of same-gender stalkers are compared with a sample of 134 opposite-gender stalkers. The two groups were similar in many respects, with some discrepancies evident in the prior relationship between victim and stalker, harassment methods, and stalking motives. The impact of same-gender stalking on its victims is examined, and the implications of these findings are discussed.