Experienced Violence & Challenged Sexual Identity
We are keen to emphasise that the LGBTQ+ community experiences sexual violence on a nuanced, complex spectrum encompassing gender – as well as sexuality – based abuse.
Although our other resources can still be helpful for LGBTQ+ survivors, they do not speak to the intersectionality between gender and sexual orientation in the same way as the resources below.
Experiencing sexual violence can impact your relationship with your sexuality in various ways, and all shifts are equally valid reactions.
No emotion is the ‘right’ emotion, so it is important that you give yourself the permission, time, space, and energy to feel those psychological and physical responses. Hypersexuality (an increase in sexual behaviour following sexual trauma), for instance, is just as acceptable of a response as hyposexuality (a decrease in sexual behaviour). Likewise, feeling empowered in your sexuality is just as valid as feeling like your sexuality is more fragile after sexual trauma.
These resources might help you rebalance your relationship with your sexuality, or else find an entirely new way of experiencing and expressing it.
Scottish Women’s Rights Centre
Has a helpful section for LGBTQ+ survivors.
Pages 4-8 of this pdf speak to some of the struggles outlined above.
RAINN
Provides six detailed profiles from LGBTQ+ survivors, and you can read their stories below:
Rainbow Peers
You can also discuss any of these issues with Rainbow Peers.
They are a branch of the Peer Support programme ran by Oxford University’s counselling service.
You can email them at rainbowpeers@admin.ox.ac.uk asking for an appointment, or message them @rainbowpeers on Facebook.
Survivors’ Network
They have produced a report for survivor services on meeting the needs of trans and non-binary survivors of sexual violence.
Pages 13-16 of this pdf are particularly helpful because they provide testimonies from survivors themselves.
Galop
This factsheet from Galop, the UK’s biggest LGBTQ+ anti-violence organisation, runs through some of the emotions you may be feeling.
LGBT foundation
A guide for gay and bisexual men who have been affected by sexual violence, published by the LGBT foundation.
The document goes through some common physical and psychological reactions to sexual violence as well as dispelling some myths.