UNDERSTANDING AND RESPONDING TO SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN THE LGBT+ COMMUNITY
felt believed, validated, understood, encouraged and cared for. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? The findings also highlight the impact of victimization, psychologically, emotionally and socially. The studies we reviewed demonstrate that many LGBTQ+ survivors want and need to access support. Unfortunately, there are social, structural and psychological barriers which prevent them from doing so. These barriers may be even greater for those who hold additional marginalised identities, such as being part of a racial minority group. As part of our research project, we are lucky to have an advisory group which contains engaged and motivated individuals from sexual violence support groups and LGBTQ+ advocacy organisations. Our review highlights how this type of collaboration is vital for making meaningful change in the area. The LGBTQ+ community has long demonstrated resilience and immense strength. Recognizing LGBTQ+ survivors as experts in their own experiences can help shape more effective, inclusive services, ensuring they receive the support they deserve. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO SUPPORT THIS CHANGE? This project is part of a PhD being conducted by Ciara Buckley, under supervision of Dr. Áine Travers. It is being funded by Research Ireland (grant number GOIPG/2024/4475). Our next step is to gather data from survivors and support providers which can help us understand perspective in Ireland. We are currently recruiting participants to share their experiences with us in a confidential one-to-one interview. We want to speak with LGBTQ+ people who have experienced any type of sexual violence, including those who sought professional support afterwards
transphobia from an early age, sometimes leading to the belief that services are not for them. Unfortunately, this barrier can be reinforced by experiences of discrimination when a survivor does engage with a service. Survivors reported negative encounters with law enforcement, mental health professionals, domestic violence shelters, and even family and friends. FACILITATORS TO HELP-SEEKING INTERNAL NEED TO CONNECT WITH OTHERS Over time, some survivors were able to process their experiences and better understand them. This is sometimes accompanied by a desire to connect with others. Many discuss the benefits of camaraderie, such as sharing coping strategies with fellow survivors. Others explain how strong negative emotions, like anger, motivated them to channel their experiences into advocacy or social change. SOCIAL ENCOURAGEMENT AND EMPOWERMENT Supportive friends, family, or other survivors play a critical role in facilitating engagement with help-seeking. By validating survivors’ feelings and providing moral support, they help survivors gain confidence in telling their stories and seeking further help. POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH SUPPORT PROVIDERS Many LGBTQ+ survivors had positive experiences with support services. Seeing staff or other service users who they viewed as ‘like them’ fostered feelings of safety and comfort. Survivors expressed a desire to feel respected, as the experts of their own experiences and treated as collaborators in their healing. Above all else, survivors praised support providers who could cultivate a safe space, where they
and those who chose not to. We are also looking to speak with those who have provided support to an LGBTQ+ survivor, either as a paid professional or training volunteer. You can help by either participating in our study or sharing the material with others. To take part, you can scan the QR code on the bottom of this page, and you will be redirected to an information sheet which explains this project in more detail. Once you have read this, you will be asked to confirm your eligibility and to enter your preferred contact details (phone or email). Alternatively, you can text the word “Research” to 083 193 7290. If you are in a position to share the recruitment poster, we would greatly appreciate your support in this capacity. Please email the researcher at Ciara. Buckley42@mail.DCU and we can email or post you a copy. Finally, if you would like to receive updates about this project, please email the researcher and you will be added to our mailing list. This research has the potential to impact the development and improvement of services and supports for LGBTQ+ survivors of sexual violence in Ireland
Ciara Buckley, Aiswarya Radhakrishnan, Lorraine Boran, Maggie Brennan & Áine Travers
and to consider themselves as a ‘real’ victim deserving of support.
and everyone deserves access to competent support. However, many LGBTQ+ survivors remain silent, either unable or unwilling to seek help. What prevents them from reaching out? And what enables those who do seek support? Our systematic review sought to answer these questions by analysing existing literature. We identified 35 peer-reviewed studies from around the world that addressed this topic. Here’s what we found:
SOCIAL ENDORSEMENT OF RAPE MYTHS AND STEREOTYPES IN SOCIETY Survivors who could overcome internal barriers and acknowledge victimization were often silenced by social endorsement of rape myths. Myths include the idea that rape involves a stranger, physical force, violence and injury, as well as a female victim and male perpetrator. Survivors feel silenced when this did not match their lived experience. In addition, many male survivors are impacted by harmful stereotypes, like the idea that men are constantly seeking sex. This led to beliefs that services weren’t for them, and as though professional support was out of reach.
Sexual violence is an umbrella term used to describe any sexual act where consent is not freely given, it includes crimes like rape, sexual abuse, non- consensual sharing of intimate images, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation or coercion. Existing research suggests that LGBTQ+ people, in Ireland and beyond, are more likely to experience sexual violence than heterosexual cisgender individuals. They have also been seen to face more severe consequences, including higher levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and depression. Unfortunately, Irish services that support survivors report low levels of engagement with LGBTQ+ people. Addressing this problem is challenging because most research on survivorship focuses on female survivors of male perpetrated crimes. Therefore, the unique needs and help-seeking patterns of LGBTQ+ survivors remain poorly understood. In reality, anyone can experience sexual violence,
BARRIERS TO HELP-SEEKING FEELINGS OF SHAME, SELF-BLAME, REJECTION AND DENIAL
DISCRIMINATION DUE TO MINORITY IDENTITY
Many LGBTQ+ survivors internalize societal stigma surrounding both their LGBTQ+ identity and their victimization. This reinforces a sense of guilt, and a fear that they will not be believed. Several survivors struggled to label their experience as sexual violence,
Many LGBTQ+ survivors have encountered homophobia and
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