A Norfolk man was recently arrested for an assault on a transgender woman that took place in September. The victim was stabbed 17 times in her abdomen and neck, surviving her assault. Many others are not as lucky. To date, more than 23 transgender persons have been killed in 2016 and violence toward the transgender community continues to rise.
Click here to view Channel 13’s story on the recent Norfolk assault.
The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Projects (NCAVP) estimates that nearly one in ten LGBTQ survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) has experienced sexual assault from those partners. Studies suggest that around half of transgender people and bisexual women will experience sexual violence at some point in their lifetimes.
As a community, LGBTQ people face higher rates of poverty, stigma, and marginalization, which put us at greater risk for sexual assault. We also face higher rates of hate-motivated violence, which can often take the form of sexual assault. Additionally, the ways society both hypersexualizes LGBTQ people and stigmatizes our relationships can lead to intimate partner violence stemming from internalized homophobia and shame.
The CDC’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey found for LGB people:
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44 percent of lesbians and 61 percent of bisexual women experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner, compared to 35 percent of heterosexual women
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26 percent of gay men and 37 percent of bisexual men experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner, compared to 29 percent of heterosexual men
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46 percent of bisexual women have been raped, compared to 17 percent of heterosexual women and 13 percent of lesbians
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22 percent of bisexual women have been raped by an intimate partner, compared to 9 percent of heterosexual women
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40 percent of gay men and 47 percent of bisexual men have experienced sexual violence other than rape, compared to 21 percent of heterosexual men
Within the LGBTQ community, transgender people and bisexual women face the most alarming rates of sexual violence. Among both of these populations, sexual violence begins early, often during childhood.
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Among transgender racial minorities, 24 percent of transgender American Indians, 18 percent of transgender people who identified as multiracial, 17 percent of transgender Asians, and 15 percent of Black transgender respondents experienced sexual assault in K-12 education settings – much higher rates than students of other races. Transgender women respondents experienced sexual assault more often than their transgender male peers.
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Nearly half (48 percent) of bisexual women who are rape survivors experienced their first rape between ages 11 and 17.
For LGBTQ survivors of sexual assault, their identities – and the discrimination they face surrounding those identities – often make them hesitant to seek help from police, hospitals, shelters or rape crisis centers, the very resources that are supposed to help them.
85 percent of victim advocates surveyed by the NCAVP reported having worked with an LGBTQ survivor who was denied services because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The National Transgender Discrimination Survey found that among those transgender respondents who had interacted with police 6 percent had been physically assaulted and 2 percent had been sexually assaulted by police. Among black transgender people, 15 percent reported physical assault and 7 percent reported sexual assault by police. Additionally, 22 percent of those transgender people who had attempted to access shelters reported being sexually assaulted by either another person in the shelter or by shelter staff.
This epidemic of sexual violence in the LGBTQ community is something we must all work together to address. If someone discloses to you that they have been sexually assaulted, remember to believe them, reassure them that it wasn’t their fault, keep their disclosure confidential (unless the situation requires mandatory reporting), and never pressure them for more information than they want to share.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, there are some LGBTQ-friendly resources listed below:
The LGBT Center of Hampton Roads, (757) 469-0929
Let’s Talk About It: A Transgender Survivor’s Guide to Accessing Therapy
National Sexual Assault Hotline – can also refer you to a local rape crisis center
1-800-656-HOPE (4673) 24/7 or
Online Counseling at https://ohl.rainn.org/online/
Love is Respect Hotline
1-866-331-99474 (24/7) or Text “loveis” 22522
The Anti-Violence Project– serves people who are LGBTQ
Hotline 212-714-1124 Bilingual 24/7
GLBT National Help Center
Hotline 1800-246-PRIDE (1-800-246-7743) or
Online Chat at http://www.volunteerlogin.org/
Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project Hotline
1-800-832-1901
FORGE– serves transgender and gender nonconforming survivors of domestic and sexual violence; provides referrals to local counselors
The Network La Red– serves LGBTQ, poly, and kink/BDSM survivors of abuse; bilingual
Hotline – 617-742-4911
Northwest Network– serves LGBT survivors of abuse; can provide local referrals
Hotline– 206-568-7777
