Support for Lesbian Survivors

We will be using the term “lesbian” as an umbrella term typically used by women who are attracted to other women. Lesbian is not a term exclusive to women, as nonbinary lesbians are a vital part of lesbian history and community. The term can overall express a pointed lack of attraction to men.

Statistics on Lesbian Survivors

56% of lesbian women experience IPV, compared to 46% of heterosexual women experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
Approximately 3 in 5 lesbian women have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime.
In a 2024 survey of women survivors of sexual assault, 76% of lesbian respondents reported experiencing sexual assault from men, and 42% reported experiencing sexual assault from women.
82% of lesbians do not seek institutional help when dealing with an abusive partner.
Lesbians reported surviving gaslighting at the hands of LGBTQ+ women more often by far than their peers across sexualities (44%).

Barriers Faced by Lesbian Survivors

Higher rates of sexual and domestic violence are likely due to the heightened stigma, objectification, and community isolation that the lesbian community experiences.

Corrective assault is sexual violence perpetrated against individuals with the intention to “make them straight”. This type of violence is disproportionately targeted towards bisexual and lesbian women. This behavior is normalized with myths and comments such as “you just haven’t met the right man yet”. While these comments minimize the situation with a superficial reading of a person’s identity, they are also harmful in that they convey the message that there is a problem with the way person is and that the solution is to make them have sex with the right person.
There is less research done on the experiences or BIPOC lesbian survivors, particularly lesbian Native American survivors and lesbian survivors from the Asian diaspora. The CDC’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey is one of the largest national studies done on intimate partner violence and is widely used and referenced. However, the CDC report itself names that they had insufficient date from BIPOC LGBTQ+ survivors to draw findings for their research. This underreporting is likely due to a lack of trust in the government and limitations of recruitment strategies specific to BIPOC LGBTQ+ survivors.
Physical violence in lesbian relationships is often belittled and not taken as seriously as violence perpetuated by men; being reduced to “catfights”. This draws on harmful assumptions that women, AFAB people, and people with feminine gender expressions are not physically strong enough to hurt someone else, especially if the person being hurt is more masculine presenting or AMAB.

Reminders and Affirmations for Lesbian Survivors

Lesbian identity is a real and beautiful part of your identity, not the result of trauma. Lesbian survivors often face the false stereotype that they are lesbian as a result of the assault or abuse they experienced. This can be a particularly painful statement because it gives the power, control, and responsibility of someone’s core identity to the person that harmed them and treats survivors, not as experts on their own life experiences, but as confused products of their trauma.
Lesbians have existed and do exist in every culture and in every community. Lesbians of color, your sexual identity is valid and does not have to be separated from your heritage.
Violence and abuse can be perpetuated by women and nonbinary people, and it is not any less dangerous, harmful, or traumatic than violence perpetuated by men. You deserve to have the severity of what you’ve experienced recognized and respected, not downplayed.

Resources

The Anti-Violence Project has a 24-hour hotline for LGBTQ+ survivors to call for confidential support: 212-714-1141

You can find your local LGBTQ+ center and find resources, social groups, and support groups for both the broader LGBTQ+ community and those specific to the lesbian community by going to: www.lgbtqcenters.org/LGBTCenter