This month, I'm going to focus my activities and educational tools on the impact sexual assault has on the LGBTQ+ community, as well as sharing resources.
The very first resource I'd like to share in our community is Diversity Cornwall, who can be found on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/diversitycornwall/
I'm going to start off my education portion with a great Ted Talk given by Dr. Paige Baker-Braxton entitled "LGBTQueering the Narrative of Sexual Violence". In this video, Dr. Baker-Braxton discusses how even though most people think of sexual assault survivors as white, female, under 40, thin, and straight, the reality is that members of the LGBTQ+ community are more likely to experience sexual violence.
When members of the LGBTQ+ community experience sexual violence and speak out or try to get help, often they face barriers that other survivors do not. For trans persons, these barriers can include being mis-gendered in hospitals, as well as facing difficulties receiving trans-competent rape kits. Dr. Baker-Braxton goes on to discuss what can be done to take action and to help make sure that members of the LGBTQ+ community are properly cared for when they ask for help.
Before I leave you to watch the video, I just want to highlight some of the statistics that Dr. Baker-Braxton discusses in the video, as they are extremely important:
• 44% of lesbians are raped, experience physical violence, or are stalked by an intimate partner, as compared to 35% of straight women
• Gay and bisexual men are 2X more likely than straight men to experience sexual harassment
• 1 in 2 bisexual women and 1 in 2 people who identify as transgender will experience sexual violence in their lifetime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHGmU4ITXdo