TDV & LGBTQ+ Youth
LGBTQ+ Youth are Not Immune to TDV
It is important to remember that LGBTQ+ youth are not immune to TDV. In fact, minority youth, including those in the LGBTQ+ community, report TDV at higher rates than their peers. This is especially alarming given the underreporting of TDV by LGBTQ+ youth due to concerns of being outed or a lack of support to help them navigate TDV experiences. Below you will find information on the prevalence and impact of TDV on LGBTQ+ youth as well as considerations for assessment, prevention, and interventions.
What the Research Says
The Trevor Project is an organization dedicated to the mental and physical wellbeing of LGBTQ+ youth, with a primary focus on suicide prevention. This data is from a research study The Trevor Project conducted looking at the suicide risk of teens who have experienced physical dating violence. The results of this study show prevalence rates and reporting trends of TDV among LGBTQ+ youth that demonstrate the need for targeted prevention and intervention efforts.
"I don’t love a body. That's just skin and bones, it's not somebody. I don’t love for reasons that they taught me..."
"...Maybe we're missing the point. Girls who love girls and boys who love boys..."
"...Truth is, it's not black and white, there's not a blueprint. Call me what you like, I'm just a human..."
"...Maybe I love 'em all equal, and maybe I just love people"
"Skin and Bones" ~ Morgan St. Jean
Assessment Considerations
Unique Risks
In addition to facing the same physical, mental, and sexual unhealthy habits or abuse that heterosexual teens face, teens in the LGBTQ+ community face unique TDV risks. TDV is inherently about an imbalance of power and control in a relationship. Such an imbalance can lead to threats of a teen being outed by their partner. The risks associated with being outed may cause a teen to remain in a relationship longer than they are comfortable. Additionally, the marginalization that teens in the LGBTQ+ community can face may lead to isolation, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation making them more vulnerable to TDV.
Limited Support
LGBTQ+ youth may have limited support systems and there may be very few (if any) people who are aware of their relationship, or even their sexual orientation. This lack of support may lead to this teen being isolated from a support system leading to limited people who may notice unhealthy relationship habits, and limited people they feel safe talking to about concerns they may have about the relationship. Even if there are people who are aware of their sexuality and relationship, the teen may be weary of disclosing any concerns of the relationship for fear that these concerns will be inaccurately and unfairly conflated with their sexual orientation.
Coming Out
Even if LGBTQ+ youth are aware of the supports available to them in school, they may be cautious of who they can trust with the knowledge of their sexual orientation. Many of these teens have had experiences with realizing that people who are otherwise loving and caring, are unsupportive and unsafe to the LGBTQ+ population. These teens may trust supportive people enough to talk about other subjects, but may be cautious when it comes to disclosing anything related to their sexual orientation, including any concerns they may have about their relationship.
"A lot of our LGBTQ youth have been worried about how they may be seen by their parents or others, and so a lot of the relationships could have started very secretively or they've worked hard to keep it a secret, because they don't want to be outed just yet ... However, [I noticed] that some of the dynamics and the challenges were similar [to] heterosexual relationships."
~ Aster*
Voices of School Social Workers
Prevention and Intervention Considerations
Like heterosexual teens, LGBTQ+ teens are in need of psychoeducation on what constitutes a healthy romantic relationship, what traits are unhealthy, and what is considered abusive. This document from One Love lists 10 signs for healthy and unhealthy relationships, specifically detailing how these traits show up in LGBTQ+ relationships.
As discussed above, LGBTQ+ youth may be cautious of reporting any violence occurring in their relationship, or even sharing that the relationship exists. It is essential that school staff, especially support staff such as school social workers create spaces and interpersonal dynamics that are safe, welcoming, and accepting to LGBTQ+ youth. This guide from The Trevor Project provides direction for fostering safe spaces and being a safe person for LGBTQ+ youth to seek support from. Ultimately, we cannot control if and when a teen feels safe coming out or sharing information about their relationship, but we can work to build trust and avoid heteronormativity in our language, actions, and spaces.
Ultimately, LGBTQ+ teens are just normal teens. While there are things we need to keep in mind regarding unique risks that they face, ultimately they are navigating developmental struggles that come natural to adolescence and require support just like any other teen. You can use the resources that have been identified on the prevention and intervention pages (as well as those located in the resource toolkit) when supporting LGBTQ+ teens the same as you would a heterosexual teen. This includes creating a safety plan with the teen when necessary.
Supporting LGBTQ+ youth navigating relationship challenges requires a balance of understanding their unique challenges and risks with recognizing that they are ultimately like any other teen. Like any other teen they deserve the support of non-judgmental adults who will work to build trust with them on their terms. You can be one of those adult by working to recognize and undo any heteronormative tendencies you may have and using the resources provided on this page and in the resource toolkit as you support these teens.
Now that you have an understanding of special considerations for TDV among LGBTQ+ youth, click below to hear social workers perspectives on TDV.