Transgender, gender-diverse adults face higher risk for experiencing violence, finds study

Transgender and gender-diverse individuals have a higher risk for experiencing all forms of violence compared with cisgender women, according to a study published online June 25 in JAMA Network Open.

Kalysha Closson, Ph.D., from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, and colleagues assessed gender identity differences in experiences of violence among adults. The analysis included data from 3,560 participants (35 transgender women, 52 transgender men, and 64 nonbinary individuals) in the 2023 California Violence Experiences survey.

The researchers found that past-year physical violence was reported by 43% of transgender men, 24% of transgender women, and 14% of nonbinary respondents. Similarly, past-year sexual violence was reported by 42% of transgender men, 14% of transgender women, and 56% of nonbinary respondents.

Transgender women and men had a greater risk for any form of past-year physical violence (transgender women: adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR], 6.7; transgender men: aIRR, 9.7) as well as any form of past-year intimate partner violence (transgender women: aIRR, 3.2; transgender men: aIRR, 6.7) compared with cisgender women. Similarly, compared with cisgender women, transgender men (aIRR, 3.0) and nonbinary respondents (aIRR, 3.3) had a greater risk for any form of past-year sexual violence.

“These findings suggest there is a critical need for gender-affirming violence prevention, support services, and policies that are protective of transgender and gender-diverse individuals,” the authors write.

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