Violence in Lesbian,Gay,Bisexual,Transgender,and Queer Communities: Preliminary Findings from New Mexico

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) persons' experiences of violence continue to be inadequately addressed. We present secondary data analysis of violence experienced by 116 LGBTQ persons living in New Mexico. It adds to the limited information about the disconnect between the violence experienced by LGBTQ and the associated help-seeking behaviors. Between January 15, 2016 and March 31, 2016, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) and Fierce Pride, an LGBTQ health advocacy organization, collected data through an online survey. Participants were recruited through word of mouth, e-mail lists, and social media posts. Findings indicated that 65 (55%) participants reported that someone had attempted to have sex with them without their consent. Fifty (43%) reported that someone had sex with them without their consent. Only 18 of 116 (16%) participants reported seeking help after being abused. A third of the participants, 41 of 116 (35%), reported they did not seek help, whereas 57 participants (49%) chose not to answer the question. Study findings suggest that violence poses a serious threat to LGBTQ people in New Mexico. They also suggest the need to develop and implement services centered on LGBTQ communities to reduce fear and stigma and create safe spaces in which people can seek help. Limitations include a small sample size of predominantly white/Caucasian participants that did not reflect the demographics of the state. Their experiences may not reflect those of LGBTQ people of color. Reliability and validity of the survey have not been established.

Introduction

Violence in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities remains a national concern. As in the rest of the nation, LGBTQ communities in New Mexico face a number of inequities associated with social stigma and discrimination that expose them to health concerns such as mental health, violence, and substance abuse (Oglesbee et al. 2016; Tomedi and Padilla 2013). There are several contributors to LGBTQ health inequities, including stress related to discrimination, as well as barriers to health care access, lack of health insurance, delayed services and treatment, and limited cultural competency in health care systems (Kreheley 2009). Few have explored violence experienced by and help-seeking behaviors of LGBTQ people in the state. This study fills this gap and presents secondary data analysis of the types of violence experienced by LGBTQ participants.

Methods

The purpose of the study was multifold. It aimed to document violence experienced by LGBTQ study participants living in New Mexico, highlighted the perpetrators of the violence, and explored participants' perceptions of safety and help-seeking behaviors.

Study participants

New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) and Fierce Pride, an LGBTQ health advocacy organization, collected data between January 15 and March 31, 2016, through an online survey about violence in high burden communities. Institutional review board approval was obtained before analyzing the data.

Data collection/analysis

Study survey included questions about demographics, sexual violence/assault experiences, intimate partner violence, injuries related to violence, perceptions of safety in public and personal relationships, and help-seeking efforts. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, were compiled using SPSS 22.0.

Results

Demographics

The largest group of participants identified themselves as lesbians (n = 41; 35%). Overall, 75% (n = 87) of the study participants were non-Hispanics (Table 1).

Table 1.

Demographic Characteristics (N = 116)

Characteristics	n	%
Age
18–44	69	59
45–80	47	41
Sexual orientation
Gay	16	14
Lesbian	41	35
Bisexual	5	4
Pansexual	5	4
Straight/heterosexual	6	5
Queer	5	4
Not sure	1	1
Multiple	37	32
Sex assigned at birth on original birth certificate
Female	93	80
Male	17	15
No answer/missing	6	5
Current gender identity
Female	76	66
Male	15	13
Transgender female	1	1
Transgender male	6	5
Genderqueer or gender nonconforming	16	14
No answer/missing	2	2
Ethnicity
Are you Hispanic or Latino/a?
Yes	28	24
No	87	75
No answer/missing	1	1
Race
American Indian or Alaska Native	9	8
Asian	1	1
Black or African American	2	2
White	82	71
More than one race	12	10
No answer/missing	10	8

Sexual violence/assaults

Sixty-four of 116 participants (55%) reported that someone attempted to have sex (but sex did not occur) with them without their consent, whereas 50 out of 116 participants (43%) reported that someone had sex with them without their consent. In addition, 48% of the participants indicated that they were exposed to unwanted sexual situations that involved flashing them, peeping, sexual harassment, or making them look at sexual photos or movies (Table 2).

Table 2.

Sexual Violence/Assaults (N = 116)

Question	N	%
Has anyone ever attempted to have sex with you (but sex did not occur) after you said or showed that you did not want to or without your consent?
Yes	64	55
No	37	32
No answer	15	13
Has anyone ever had sex with you after you said or showed that you did not want them to or without your consent?
Yes	50	43
No	46	40
No answer	20	17
Has anyone ever exposed you to unwanted sexual situations that did not involve physical touching? Some examples include things such as flashing you, peeping, sexual harassment, or making you look at sexual photos or movies?
Yes	56	48
No	42	36
No answer/missing	18	16

Intimate partner violence

As indicated in Table 3, 47 out of 116 participants (41%) reported being physically hurt by an intimate partner. It also compiles other details of injuries reported by LGBTQ participants.

Table 3.

Intimate Partner Violence (N = 116)

Question	n	%
Has an intimate partner ever threatened you with physical violence? This includes threatening to hit, slap, push, kick, or physically hurt you in any way.
Yes	43	37
No	52	45
No answer	21	18
Has an intimate partner ever hit, slapped, pushed, kicked, or physically hurt you in any way?
Yes	47	41
No	48	41
No answer	21	18
Have you ever had any physical injuries, such as bruises, cuts, scrapes, black eyes, vaginal or anal tears, or broken bones, as a result of violence by an intimate partner?
Yes	31	27
No	18	16
No answer	67	58

Perpetrators and help seeking

Half of the participants did not answer the question about who their perpetrators were. Of the 58 who responded, 28 reported that they were abused by multiple perpetrators. Friends/acquaintances who were not sexual partners were the most commonly mentioned perpetrators, whereas intimate partners (former or current boyfriends/girlfriends, spouses, or live-in partners) were mentioned by eight participants. Five participants mentioned that their perpetrators were either first dates or a person they had encountered/known for <24 h. A majority of the participants (88%) indicated that their perpetrators were male. Only 18 of 116 (16%) participants indicated that they sought help after abuse.

Perception of safety

A majority of participants (58%) indicated that they felt “very safe” with their current intimate partner; 29% felt “very safe” with a romantic/intimate partner in public; 20% felt “very safe” by themselves in public, whereas only 19% indicated that they felt “very safe” on a first date.

Discussion

This study had several limitations, including a small sample size. In addition, there was a reliance on self-reporting and participants were predominantly white. Therefore, the study findings do not reflect the demographics of the state and may not highlight the challenges that LGBTQ minorities face. Finally, the reliability and validity of the survey have not been established.

Nevertheless, the data analysis presented in this study is a critical preliminary effort to document violence experienced by LGBTQ participants, the perpetrators of such violence and their relationship to participants, and participants' perceptions of safety, and help-seeking behaviors after violence in New Mexico.

A key study finding was that LGBTQ participants in New Mexico were at an elevated risk of violence when compared with heterosexual women. For example, study results revealed that more than half of the participants reported that someone attempted to have sex with them without their consent compared with 20.7% of heterosexual women in the state who had experienced attempted rape (Smith et al. 2017). The percentages were even higher for the small group of gender nonconforming participants, as 75% of these participants reported that someone attempted to have sex without their consent, whereas 63% reported that they were forced to have had sex without their consent. Previous research suggests that transgender and gender nonconforming individuals face higher levels of abuse/violence, particularly sexual violence compared with any other group (James et al. 2016; Rothman et al. 2011).

Almost half of the participants (48%) indicated that they were exposed to unwanted sexual situations that did not involve physical touching, but included flashing, peeping, sexual harassment, or making them look at sexual photos or movies. Few studies have systematically explored such types of unwanted activity and their impact on sexual minorities, despite its negative impact on mental health and substance use disorders and suicidality (Balsam et al. 2011). Study findings suggest that this may be an area for further exploration, both in terms of the insidious nature of such experiences and also in terms of the inability of many to recognize the harmful normalization and long-term impact of such experiences.

Only 16% of the participants sought help. Existing research suggests fear of discrimination, bias related to homophobia and transphobia, stigma, and lack of understanding and compassion from health care providers are some reasons why LGBTQ people do not seek help (Gentlewarrior 2009; James et al. 2016; Kidd and Witten 2007). Limited cultural competency, barriers to health care, lack of health insurance, and delayed services/treatment are particularly problematic in New Mexico's poor, rural, and border communities, and impact LGBTQ help seeking in those communities.

Footnotes

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the New Mexico Department of Health and Fierce Pride, LGBTQ Health Advocacy in NM,

Funding Information

No funding received for this article.

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