68 seconds: A narrative inquiry of LGBTQ+ people of color who survived sexual violence

Abstract

Sexual violence is a pervasive and devasting issue in the United States (U.S.). According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), a person in the U.S. is sexually assaulted every 73 seconds. While there are several studies that document heteronormative assaults on White, college-aged women, few studies examine the sexual violence experiences of LGBTQ+ people of color. An intersectional framework illuminates the compounded oppressive experiences for LGBTQ+ people of color and presents six stories that illuminate how narrators described the reasons for their sexual assaults with respect to their intersectional positionality. Narrators’ experiences throughout their childhoods as well as their mental health following their assaults are explored, noting consistent needs for intentional shifts in conversations regarding sexual violence treatment and prevention to include specific mention of intersectional identities. Given the predominant focus of White, cisgender, college-aged women in the extent literature, the implications and limitations for an intersectional framework to guide a narrative inquiry regarding sexual violence are discussed.