Support for Transgender Survivors

We will be using the phrase “transgender and nonbinary” as an umbrella phrase for those whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. These identities are distinct, and the experiences of transgender people often vary from the experiences of nonbinary people. Some nonbinary people identify as transgender and some do not. Always reflect the language survivors use to discuss themselves and their identities.

Statistics on Transgender and Nonbinary Survivors

Research on the experiences of transgender and nonbinary survivors and the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) among these groups varies greatly study to study. More information is needed to determine the true prevalence of IPV for transgender and nonbinary people but below are some statistics we have.

Transgender people are at 2.2 times the risk of physical IPV and 2.5 times the risk of sexual IPV, compared to cisgender people (Peitzmeier et al., 2021).
According to the 2015 US Transgender Survey, transgender people report a 54% lifetime prevalence of domestic violence. The following are reported percentages of intimate partner violence by race: American Indian – 73%, Asian – 43%, Black – 56%, Latine – 54%, Middle Eastern – 62%, Multiracial – 62%, white – 54% (James et al., 2016).
Of the 32 transgender and gender-expansive people who were murdered in 2024, 56% of victims were Black transgender women and 42% victims were killed by a romantic/sexual partner, friend or family member according to a report by the Human Rights Campaign.
Transgender survivors are less likely to access support from medical professionals, mainstream domestic violence shelters, or the police.
22.8% of transgender people avoided needed medical care.
58% of transgender people who interacted with law enforcement within the past year experienced mistreatment or abuse.
Of unhoused transgender participants in the US Transgender Survey who sought shelter, 41.4% were denied entry, with nearly 30% turned away for being transgender or due to gender expression. Additionally, 44% faced mistreatment, including harassment, assault, or being forced to present as the wrong gender (James et al., 2016).
Young transgender women experience heightened rates of intimate partner violence.
One study of transgender women ages 16-29 in Chicago and Boston found a 42% lifetime prevalence of IPV (Garthe et al., 2018).
This study of mostly Black and Latine young women found that 75% of respondents experienced some sort of victimization because they are transgender and 85% experienced at least one form of discrimination.
According to the 2015 US Transgender Survey, 12% of respondents participated in sex work in exchange for income. Those who participated in sex work were more likely to experience violence, including 77% experiencing IPV (James et al., 2016).

Barriers Faced by Transgender Survivors

The history of the domestic violence (DV) movement as a space for cisgender, heterosexual women means that many of the services these agencies offer were not built for transgender and nonbinary survivors. It is codified into law within Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to provide services to all survivors no matter their sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). However, many agencies still are not providing transgender and nonbinary survivors with the same or equal services they provide to cisgender and heterosexual survivors. Recently, agencies and even national coalitions have taken down LGBTQ+ materials from their websites, removed SOGI questions from their intake processes, and halted LGBTQ+-specific services, further erasing the experiences of transgender and nonbinary survivors of IPV.
The domestic violence field lacks trans-affirming services. Shelters are often segregated by gender, and many do not accommodate trans people- especially trans women in women-only spaces. Transgender and nonbinary people are often asked inappropriate and invasive questions about their bodies and are misgendered by staff and other clients.
Transgender survivors experience specific types of abuse that leverage transphobia. Transgender survivors may experience identity abuse, where an abusive partner uses someone’s trans identity as an additional tactic of abuse that intersects with the types of abuse. Some examples of this type of abuse are threatening to out a partner to their family or workplace, intentionally misgendering someone, denying access to gender affirming care, forbidding a partner from accessing affirming community spaces, and more (Anti Violence Project).
The history of violence and anti-trans rhetoric from the police leave many transgender and nonbinary survivors feeling like calling the police for support around domestic violence is not an option. According to the US Transgender Survey, 58% of transgender people who interacted with law enforcement in the past year and were known to be transgender by law enforcement, experienced mistreatment, harassment, and abuse (James et al., 2016).
There has been a rise in anti-trans state-wide legislation that directly targets transgender survivors’ ability to access domestic violence shelters and sexual assault service providers. A report by the Institute documents the rise in this type of legislation and reviews that multiple states have enacted or proposed laws that would prohibit transgender and nonbinary people from accessing public spaces that align with their gender identity, including restrooms, locker rooms, prison facilities, and domestic violence shelters. Not only does this directly target survivors in states where laws have passed, it leads to confusion amongst service providers around their ability to serve transgender survivors.
Since January 20th, 2025, the domestic violence and sexual assault field has navigated a daily changing political landscape of federal executive orders and memos. These policies have brought fear and uncertainty to the field, partly due to the non-discrimination laws in VAWA not being followed and threats of revoking funding. This confusion has led to organizations who were previously supporting transgender and nonbinary survivors pulling or pausing those services. Transgender and nonbinary survivors already face significant barriers to accessing supportive services, and these executive orders and policy memos only deepen those obstacles.
Transgender people holding multiple marginalized identities are more likely to experience discrimination and violence when seeking supportive services.
Undocumented transgender women are more likely to experience sexual violence, maltreatment, and other forms of violence when in immigration detention. As highlighted in this 2017 article, a transgender woman seeking a restraining order in court was confronted and arrested by ICE after they received a “tip” about her undocumented status and knew she would be present. This story and many like it demonstrating the devastating outcomes of attempting to access supportive services, including the recent ICE raids in hospitals and more, means that immigrant transgender survivors are less likely to reach out for support.
Transgender people with disabilities are significantly more likely to experience unequal treatment in domestic violence program settings—this includes outright refusal of services, dismissive or inadequate responses, and failure to provide disability accommodations (Seelman, 2015). Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) transgender and nonbinary survivors are less likely to access supportive services. The U.S. Transgender Survey highlighted the disparity in Alaksa Native and American Indian survivors accessing support from formal agencies for fear of being met with transphobia. Transgender women of color in the U.S. South face significant health challenges rooted in racism, transphobia, and limited access to inclusive care. These barriers are worsened by their exclusion from health equity initiatives, which often center on urban communities. These experiences of discrimination in healthcare settings mean that BIPOC transgender survivors are less likely to reach out to supportive services (Smart et al., 2020).

Reminders and Affirmations for Transgender Survivors

You deserve to feel respected, safe, and cared for in your relationships.
You do not need to be out to anyone to be whole in your identity; this includes your workplace and family. You deserve to come out to whom and when you want.
It is okay to rest. The work to support fellow trans and nonbinary people is a marathon, not a sprint, and resting along the way is necessary.
It is not your fault if service providers or healthcare providers lack knowledge about trans and nonbinary identities and it is not your job to teach people. This is a comprehensive but not exhaustive list of services for trans and nonbinary survivors from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

Resources

FORGE is a national trans anti-violence organization who works to reduce the impact of trauma on trans/non-binary survivors and communities by empowering service providers, advocating for systems reform, and connecting survivors to healing possibilities. FORGE strives to create a world where ALL voices, people and bodies are valued, respected, honored, and celebrated; where every individual feels safe, supported, respected, and empowered. FORGE hosts a variety of resources for transgender and nonbinary survivors including a Trans Survivors Zine: Healing in Action.
The Anti-Violence Project has a 24-hour hotline for LGBTQ+ survivors to call for confidential support: 212-714-1141
Learn more about the ways in which anti-trans policy impacts trans survivors in a brief by the National LGBTQ Institute on IPV here.
Movement Advancement Project is an independent, nonprofit think tank that works to advance the conversation around the impact of policy through public education campaigns and more. You can find up-to-date information about relevant state and national laws pertaining to several identities and issue areas.
In Our Own Voices, a project partner of the Institute, is a leading national organization giving voice to the needs and challenges of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming communities, as well as LGBT Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities. IOOV seeks to: develop the leadership of LGBTQ POC, strengthen the voices of LGBTQ POC, and increase our capacity for combating oppression and marginalization.