Panel: Gender and Sexual Orientation: Understanding Power Dynamics in Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract of Contribution: Transgender individuals in the U.S. are at heightened risk for experiencing intimate partner violence, with some recent convenience samples finding lifetime prevalence rates of up to 77%. Unfortunately, many post-victimization services are inaccessible and can be dangerous for transgender and gender nonconforming individuals (such as shelters, which are sex-segregated). Using data from the 2015 National Transgender Discrimination Survey, this chapter explores the post-victimization health care seeking behaviors of a diverse group of transgender adults (over 18) in the U.S. Findings indicate that while 54% of adults have faced intimate partner violence, rates are much higher for people of color (73%), undocumented immigrants (68%), disabled people (61%) and those living in economically unstable conditions (72%) or who engage in sex work (77%). What's more, while nearly half of all survivors reported being denied services in the last year because of their gender identity, survivors of color, immigrant survivors, and disabled survivors reporting this treatment up to 80% of the time. Findings suggest that there is significant room for improvement in post-victimization health care services for trans and gender nonconforming survivors. Suggestions include: increasing cultural humility, conducting systematic basic and advanced trainings, and generating trans-specific programming and policies.