LGBTQ+ Adult Sexual Violence Critical Scoping Review: Insights into Victimization and Perpetration

Abstract

The existing research on sexual violence has primarily concentrated on instances where cisgender, heterosexual men have perpetrated sexual violence against cisgender, heterosexual women, with knowledge about LGBTQ+ people underdeveloped. However, there is a growing body of literature examining the experiences of LGBTQ+ people. No previous review has critically synthesized both quantitative and qualitative scholarly studies on adult LGBTQ+ sexual violence globally. In this scoping review, we provide a comprehensive overview of current research by examining the prevalence of victimization and perpetration of adult LGBTQ+ sexual violence. To do this, an extensive search of the Discovery database was conducted, and studies published between 1990 and September 2021 were included. The final sample comprised 108 papers focused on LGBTQ+ participants' experiences of adult sexual violence. Across studies, LGBTQ+ people were found to experience high rates of sexual violence, most commonly perpetrated by men, with rates the highest among transgender and gender-diverse people and bisexual women. However, the body of research is limited as it largely consists of quantitative studies from the United States with differing methodological approaches for measuring sexual violence and gender and sexuality, making it difficult to draw comparisons across studies. We propose recommendations to enhance future research on LGBTQ+ sexual violence.

Keywords: LGBTQ+; queer; sexual violence; transgender; victimization.