ABSTRACT
This chapter contends that young people’s sexual citizenship and affective belonging in the USA and Australia is impacted upon by interactions with the criminal legal system. Particularly for queer youth of colour, the criminal legal system clearly shapes all facets of belonging, often for life. An intersectional approach is required to fully map the experiences and the forms of refusal and resilience engaged in by queer youth, as illustrated by queer youth who push back on their policed and punished landscapes and demand and make other practices of public safety. Criminalisation and punishment systems do not promote equity or belonging.
