How Sexual and Gender Minority Students Discuss Sexuality and Gender in describing their Experiences of Sexual Violence

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Reference

Martin-Storey A, Paquette G, Bergeron M, *Prévost E, *Castonguay-Khounsombath S. (2022). How Sexual and Gender Minority Students Discuss Sexuality and Gender in describing their Experiences of Sexual Violence. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity.

Abstract

Gender and sexual minority university students experience higher rates of sexual violence than their cisgender heterosexual peers. The objectives of this study were to use a qualitative thematic analysis to understand how gender and sexual minority students discuss (a) gender and sexuality in describing their sexual violence experiences and (b) their reactions to sexual violence experiences where gender and sexuality were considered. Participants were drawn from a mixed-methods study addressing experiences of sexual violence in university contexts and were eligible for the current study if they (a) reported a sexual or gender minority identity and (b) described their sexual violence experience (n = 223). We used an iterative and inductive process to examine descriptions of university-based sexual violence and identified three themes in how participants discussed gender and sexuality in describing their sexual violence experiences. These were (a) direct discussion of their own sexual or gender identities (where subthemes of precipitating and shaping responses were identified), (b) discussion of elements of the sexual violence experience that are particularly salient to gender and sexual minority populations (where subthemes of homophobia and transphobia, gender nonconformity were identified), and (c) reactions to gender and sexuality-related sexual violence experiences (where subthemes of pushout and minimization were identified). These findings suggest the importance of gender and sexuality in gender and sexual minority students’ descriptions of university-based sexual violence experiences, and implications for intervention and prevention efforts are discussed.

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