This is Part 2 of our blog series highlighting the diversity of survivors BARCC serves.
Pride Month is here! While BARCC is celebrating the resilience of the LGBTQ+ community, we also want to uplift the voices and experiences of LGBTQ+ survivors. BARCC staff work together and with our partners to meet the complex needs of LGBTQ+ survivors and their loved ones.
People in the LGBTQ+ community are particularly vulnerable to sexual and intimate partner violence, with research showing statistically higher rates of experiencing violence:
- Half of all transgender people have experienced sexual violence.
- Nearly half of bisexual men (47%) and bisexual women (46%) experience rape during their lifetime.
- Approximately 13% of lesbian women and 40% of gay men have been raped.
Queer identity and experience can have significant impacts on how survivors experience sexual violence. For example, while BARCC does not require hotline callers to disclose their sexual or gender identity, survivors have expressed how their experience as a trans person has impacted their experience of sexual violence. Jesse Moskowitz, BARCC’s Senior Director of Emergency Services Programs, says that trans survivors have talked about how their identity has been used as leverage over them to keep them from disclosing what happened to them. They may also specifically be targeted because of their trans identity.
For generations, institutions and individuals have perpetuated harmful stereotypes against LGBTQ+ survivors, which can make it challenging for them to seek support after sexual violence. BARCC continues to be one place where all LGBTQ+ survivors are welcome.
LGBTQ+ survivors who are incarcerated face even more barriers to safety and care. In 2012, approximately 12% of imprisoned lesbian, gay, and bisexual people reported experiencing sexual violence from another inmate.
Moskowitz also says that incarcerated trans survivors face additional threats of violence due to often being placed in gendered facilities that do not gender them correctly. In these facilities, trans people face high rates of sexual violence as well as gender dysphoria.
Our hotline staff works hard to assist trans and other LGBTQ+ survivors in accessing appropriate resources and receiving the care they desperately need. Here are two of our past posts to learn more about how BARCC and our partners can help:
- “Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer survivors | We are here for you.”
- “Transgender survivors | We are here for you.”
While Pride Month is an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to preventing and addressing sexual violence against LGBTQ+ folks, the work doesn’t stop here. Our mission is to end sexual violence for everyone through healing and social change, no matter the time of year.
If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs immediate support, please call our hotline 24/7 at 800-841-8371 or reach out to us at barcc.org/chat.
Consider making a gift to BARCC in honor of Pride Month, so that our confidential, 24/7 services for all survivors remain free and accessible for all.
