The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just released a new report, The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2016/2017 Report on Victimization by Sexual Identity. This report highlights findings from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) specific to sexual identity. This report fills gaps in research about the lifetime experiences of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence experienced by U.S. women and men separately by sexual identity. This report focuses on the recent findings from NISVS of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and straight/heterosexual individuals’ lifetime violence victimization experiences.
Note: This analysis includes a breakout of various sexual identities by gender. Due to the number of respondents by gender, researchers could only analyze data of women and men by sexual identity. Researchers could not analyze data on genders other than women and men, and could not specifically analyze data based on sexual identity of transgender respondents.
NISVS was launched in 2010 as an ongoing nationally representative survey of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence against adults in the United States. This survey is the most current and comprehensive nationally representative study on these topics. NISVS data is collected using a random-digit telephone (using both landlines and cell phones) survey of English and/or Spanish-speaking people over age 18 who do not live in an institution (like a correctional facility, nursing home, or other group or care facility, etc.).
Key Findings: (please see the report for more detailed findings)
Note: In this survey, the term contact sexual violence includes rape, made to penetrate (only measured in men), sexual coercion, and or/unwanted sexual contact.
While women and men of all sexual identities experienced sexual violence in their lifetimes, women reported experiencing a substantial sexual violence burden, especially bisexual women.
- 4 in 5 (almost 80%) bisexual women and over 56% of bisexual men reported experiencing contact sexual violence in their lifetimes.
- 3 in 5 (almost 60%) of both lesbian women and gay men reported experiencing contact sexual violence.
- Over 53% of heterosexual women and over 29% of heterosexual men reported experiencing contact sexual violence.
- More than 1 in 4 lesbian women and almost 2 in 4 bisexual women reported to researchers they experienced rape during their lifetimes.
- About a quarter of gay men and 3% of heterosexual men reported to researchers they experienced rape during their lifetimes.
- One in 4 gay men and 1 in 5 bisexual men were made to penetrate someone else during their lifetimes.
Systems of oppression contribute to higher rates of sexual violence. These systems include racism, sexism, and heterosexism, among others. For those impacted by one or more of these oppressions, the risk of sexual violence increases. Over half of non-Hispanic white lesbian women (58.6%) experienced contact sexual violence in their lifetime.
- 1 in 4 non-Hispanic white lesbian women reported to researchers they experienced rape.
- Half of all Hispanic gay men (49.5%) and 61.2% non-Hispanic white gay men experienced contact sexual violence
- Over 27% of Hispanic, almost 34% of non-Hispanic Black, and over 29% non-Hispanic white heterosexual men experienced contact sexual violence
- About half of all Hispanic bisexual women reported to researchers they experienced rape.
- Over half of non-Hispanic bisexual women reported to researchers they experienced rape.
- Over 26% of non-Hispanic white gay men reported to researchers they experienced rape in their lifetime.
Victims generally know those who harm them.
- Most women and men across all sexual identities who experienced contact sexual violence reported that the person who harmed them was someone they knew.
- Over one-third (36.7%) of bisexual women reported experiencing contact sexual violence by a stranger.
- Almost 45% of victims who were gay men reported being raped by an acquaintance, including over 30% by a former or current intimate partner.
Sex of Perpetrator: (Contact Sexual Violence)
- Over 72% of lesbian victims reported only having male perpetrators; 1 in 5 (20%) had both male and female perpetrators.
- Over 74% of bisexual women victims reported only having male perpetrators; 1 in 6 (16.7%) had both male and female perpetrators.
- Over 89% of heterosexual women victims had only male perpetrators and .5% had only female perpetrators.
- 75.3% of gay men reported only having male perpetrators 1 in 6 had both male and female perpetrators.
- 1 in 3 bisexual male victims reported only having male perpetrators.
- 1 in 5 heterosexual male victims reported only male perpetrators, 1 in 2 had only female perpetrators, and about 1 in 6 had both male and female perpetrators.
Young people are targeted by those who sexually offend.
More than half of all female victims and one-third of all male victims of contact sexual violence first experienced victimization before the age of 18, regardless of sexual identity. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth might experience violence at even younger ages. Nearly 1 in 3 lesbian and bisexual female victims and 1 in 6 gay men reported experiencing their first contact sexual violence at the age of 10 or younger.
Prevention Implications:
As this study points out, sexual violence is common among LGB people, and violence starts early. This points to an urgent need for violence prevention programming that impacts people of all sexual identities. Additionally, increasing safety for trans community members and improving research to help share their needs should be a priority. The following are prevention recommendations:
- As has been stated in this and previous studies, research is needed to adapt sexual violence prevention approaches for LGBTQ+ communities and evaluate those approaches.
- Preventionists should be using or adapting curricula to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ individuals. Resources include:
- Prevention and advocacy examples, scenarios, and skill-building efforts should include people of varied gender identities and sexual orientations and include friends and acquaintances.
- Early intervention is key: age-appropriate and supportive prevention programming starting at early ages, parent-focused education, and programming that engages teachers, social workers, and other individuals and organizations that interact with children are all key to preventing violence in the lives of LGBTQ+ children before it even has a chance to happen. A useful resource:
- There is a critical need to address the broader societal norms and structural inequalities that create harmful environments for LGBTQ+ people. Prevention programs should include efforts to understand and dismantle systems of oppression, which contribute to higher rates of sexual victimization for people who are oppressed under those systems. A helpful resource:
- Preventionists and policy educators can and should work together with LGBTQ+ centers and leaders in their communities to engage with schools, school boards, and community groups, to provide education on the importance of accurate and affirming programming for LGBTQ+ people as well as safe, inclusive, and affirming environments. A helpful resource:
- Schools should evaluate and revise anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies that protect LGBTQ+ students. Resources for this include:
Creating safe, supportive, and inclusive environments for everyone is key to preventing sexual violence. Preventing sexual violence means we all must address deep-rooted abuses of power that contribute to inequities in health, safety, and well-being. A health equity approach to preventing sexual violence means that we need to both understand and address the factors that contribute to violence and safety and factors that expose some communities — especially communities that have been historically oppressed — to higher rates of sexual violence. By leading with health equity, we can work together to build collective power and create the kind of equitable, respectful communities we want to live in.
