Understanding Trans Intimate Partner Violence

Historically, the movement to address domestic abuse has been very focused on the experiences of cisgender women, that is, women whose gender identity corresponds with the sex they were assigned at birth. The campaign to end gender-based violence (sexual and domestic) grew out of the feminist movement. As understandings of feminism have shifted and expanded to become more inclusive and attentive to the many forms of oppression people face, so too has the focus of those providing services to survivors of domestic abuse. In many fundamental ways, trans people’s experiences with violence are quite similar to those of their cisgender peers, including the same types of violence: emotional abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse. However, the tactics used against a trans person may be distinct and there are often additional barriers to contend with as they seek support and attempt to become safe and to heal.

Trans people face elevated rates of domestic abuse compared to their cisgender peers. The US Trans Survey (2015) suggests that 54% of trans people experienced some form of intimate partner violence (IPV), including acts of controlling behavior and physical violence. Additionally, respondents reported high rates of severe physical violence perpetrated by a partner. Aside from their experiences with IPV, trans people also encounter high rates of other forms of violence like police brutality, hate crimes, mistreatment or harassment at work and school, and violence in their families of origin. IPV can compound these experiences and severely impact trans people’s overall sense of safety and well-being. To make matters worse, the systems and networks that may feel like natural sources of support to others can be unwelcoming, violent or unsafe for trans people.

Although trans people experience violence in many of the same ways as their cisgender peers, they are also susceptible to specific tactics of abuse that attack their identities. These attacks can come from cisgender or transgender partners. Individuals in the US Trans Survey shared many ways in which the coercive controlling violence they encountered specifically related to being trans. Some examples included being told no one else would ever love them because they are trans, being told they are not a “real man” or “real woman,” and taking steps to control or prevent their access to hormone therapy or other gender-affirming medical care. One survivor in the survey shared, “My trans status was used as a tool to [make me] stay with my former partner. She would say things like, ‘no one else would ever love you.’” Just as we have understood patriarchy and misogyny as cultural backdrops for domestic abuse against women, we must recognize transphobia and heterosexism as tools that people use to control their trans partners.

This growing awareness of the impact of domestic abuse on trans survivors means there has been much work done recently to understand IPV in the trans community and the best approaches to support trans survivors. New Hope Midcoast invites community members to attend a presentation by Xavier Guadalupe-Díaz, Ph.D., Professor and Criminology Program Coordinator in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Framingham State University, author of Transgressed: Intimate Partner Violence in Transgender Lives (2019) and co-author of Transgender Intimate Partner Violence: A Comprehensive Introduction (2020). Dr. Guadalupe-Díaz will review current research on transgender IPV including definitions and prevalence of IPV, key concepts like polyvictimization and help-seeking, and implications for future research, policy and practice. In addition to his own publications, Dr. Guadalupe-Díaz will reference findings from the US Trans Survey in his talk. Presentations will be held from 4-5:30 on Wednesday, September 25 at Midcoast School of Technology in Rockland and Thursday, September 26 at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. Register online at newhopemidcoast.org (click on News and Events), by email at , or by calling Joan at (207) 691-5969.