Sexual violence affects every demographic and every community – including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lesbian, gay and bisexual people experience sexual violence at similar or higher rates than heterosexuals. 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. Moreover, the ways in which society both hypersexualizes LGBTQ people and stigmatizes our relationships can lead to intimate partner violence that stems from internalized homophobia and shame.

1. Sexual Assault and the LGBTQ Community
1.What Does LGBTQ+ Mean?
LGBTQ is an initialism that means:
L-Lesbian ,G-Gay ,B-Bisexual ,T-Transgender ,Q-Queer or Questioning
People often use LGBTQ to mean all of the communities included in the
“LGBTTTQQIAA”:
Lesbian + Pansexual
Gay + Agender
Bisexual + Gender Queer
Transgender + Bigender
Transsexual + Gender Variant
Two-spirited + Pangender
Queer
Questioning
Intersex
Asexual
Ally
LGBTQ is the more commonly used term in the community; possibly because it is more user
friendly! You may also hear the terms “Queer Community” or “Rainbow Community” used to
describe LGBTQ+ people. This initialism and the various terms are always evolving .The most
important thing is to be respectful and use the terms that people prefer.
Word:Definition:
Lesbian
A lesbian is a female homosexual: a female who experiences romantic love or sexual attraction
to other females.
Gay

2. Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. Gay
is often used to describe homosexual males but lesbians may also be referred to as gay.
Bisexual
Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior toward both males and
females, or romantic or sexual attraction to people of any sex or gender identity; this latter aspect
is sometimes termed pansexuality.
Transgender
Transgender is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from what is typically
associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. It is sometimes abbreviated to trans.
Transsexual
experience a gender identity inconsistent or not culturally associated with the sex they were
assigned at birth.
Two-Spirited
Two-Spirited is a modern umbrella term used by some indigenous North Americans to describe
gender-variant individuals in their communities, specifically people within indigenous
communities who are seen as having both male and female spirits within them.
Queer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities that are not heterosexual or
cisgender. Queer was originally used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires but,
beginning in the late-1980s, queer scholars and activists began to reclaim the word.
Questioning
The questioning of one’s gender, sexual identity, sexual orientation, or all three is a process of
exploration by people who may be unsure, still exploring, and concerned about applying a social
label to themselves for various reasons.
Intersex
Intersex is a variation in sex characteristics including chromosomes, gonads, or genitals that do
not allow an individual to be distinctly identified as male or female.
Asexual

3. Asexuality (or nonsexuality) is the lack of sexual attraction to anyone, or low or absent interest
in sexual activity. It may be considered the lack of a sexual orientation, or one of the variations
thereof, alongside heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality.
Ally
An Ally is a person who considers themselves a friend to the LGBTQ+ community.
Pansexual
Pansexuality, or omnisexuality, is sexual attraction, romantic love, or emotional attraction
toward people of any sex or gender identity. Pansexual people may refer to themselves as
gender-blind, asserting that gender and sex are insignificant or irrelevant in determining whether
they will be sexually attracted to others.
Agender
Agender people, also called genderless, genderfree, non-gendered, or ungendered people are
those who identify as having no gender or being without any gender identity. This category
includes a very broad range of identities which do not conform to traditional gender norms.
Gender Queer
Gender Queer is an umbrella term for gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or
feminine—identities which are thus outside of the gender binary and cisnormativity.
Bigender
Bigender is a gender identity where the person moves between feminine and masculine gender
identities and behaviours, possibly depending on context. Some bigender individuals express two
distinct “female” and “male” personas, feminine and masculine respectively; others find that
they identify as two genders simultaneously.
Gender Variant
Gender variance, or gender nonconformity, is behaviour or gender expression by an individual
that does not match masculine and feminine gender norms. People who exhibit gender variance
may be called gender variant, gender non-conforming, gender diverse or gender atypical, and
may be transgender, or otherwise variant in their gender expression. Some intersex people may
also exhibit gender variance.
Pangender
Pangender people are those who feel they identify as all genders. The term has a great deal of
overlap with gender queer. Because of its all-encompassing nature, presentation and pronoun
usage varies between different people who identify as pangender.

4. 2.Sexual Assault and the LGBTQ
Community
Sexual violence affects every demographic and every community – including lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people. According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), lesbian, gay and bisexual people experience sexual violence at similar or
higher rates than heterosexuals. 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. Moreover, the ways in which society
both hypersexualizes LGBTQ people and stigmatizes our relationships can lead to intimate
partner violence that stems from internalized homophobia and shame.
Yet, as a community, we rarely talk about how sexual violence affects us or what our
community’s unique needs are when it comes to preventing sexual assault and supporting and
caring for survivors of sexual violence.
The CDC’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey found for LGB people:
 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
 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
 46 percent of bisexual women have been raped, compared to 17 percent of heterosexual
women and 13 percent of lesbians
 22 percent of bisexual women have been raped by an intimate partner, compared to 9
percent of heterosexual women
 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.
 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

5. women respondents experienced sexual assault more often than their transgender male
peers.
 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: