Women described how sexual violence had impacted their sexuality and gender identity (Table 7.23). Many reported that they felt constantly at risk of sexual harassment or assault just by being a woman. A lost sense of womanhood and feeling stripped of their femininity was commonly described as an impact of sexual violence. A number of cisgender, heterosexual and LBQ women described wanting to appear more masculine through dress and presentation as a way of avoiding being a target for sexual violence, or as a strategy to feel more safe.
Some women described gender confusion or discomfort as a result of childhood sexual abuse. For some women, sexual violence was described as influencing choices around sexual identity, by choosing to be lesbian or feeling unsure about their sexuality. Additionally, fear of appearing visibly queer was commonly described, whereby women were afraid of coming out or publicly presenting a certain way in order to avoid homophobic or transphobic harassment.
Conclusion
The comparative survey reported on in this chapter demonstrated that multiple experiences of sexual violence were common for all women who responded, including trans women and cisgender women, across sexual identities and cultural backgrounds. The CALD trans women reported more frequent sexual harassment than other women; reported the highest rate of sexual harassment by a stranger among the groups; and were more likely to have been harassed outside than other women. The CALD trans women were twice as likely as other groups of women to have been sexually assaulted 10 or more times; were more likely to have been sexually assaulted by a stranger; and were more likely to have been assaulted in the home and outside when compared to other women.
The majority of women across groups reported that self-support was their primary mode of coping with sexual harassment or assault, with self-support highest among the CALD trans women. They were also more likely to have reported no support compared to other groups of women. No trans women reported support from police or justice agencies. The majority of women reported having made changes to their day to day lives as a result of experiencing sexual harassment or sexual assault. This included being hypervigilant, avoiding men, avoiding sex and intimacy, avoiding going out in public (particularly at night), modifying appearance, and learning self-defence. The majority of women also reported a negative impact of sexual harassment and assault, including psychological and physical consequences.
the target number of trans women of colour to take part in the interviews, and the women’s strong commitment and enthusiasm for the project, demonstrates the value of these methods when working with marginalised people.
The analysis of the online posts provided insight into sexual violence within a broader trans community, demonstrating that the majority of experiences reported by this study’s interviewees were common in other cultural and geographical contexts. This suggests that the findings are relevant to those wanting to understand the impact of sexual violence on trans women beyond an Australian context.
Responses to the survey designed for this research demonstrated that sexual violence is prevalent for Australian women, with many commonalities identified across sexuality and gender identities in experiences of sexual harassment and sexual assault. There was a very strong response to the survey from both LBQ and heterosexual cisgender women, doubling the target respondent numbers, as well as a good response from trans women. In combination, this suggests that the findings are robust, and can be used to inform policy and practice related to sexual violence committed against trans women and cisgender women who identify as heterosexual or LBQ.
Limitations of the study
In discussing the findings of the “Crossing the line” project, it is important to acknowledge some of the limitations of the research. First, all of the women who took part in the research responded to a request for participants for a study examining sexual violence. This means that rates of violence within or across groups of women cannot be ascertained based on this sample. Although a population-based study was not intended, women who had not experienced violence may not have responded to requests for participation.
Second, recruitment of trans women of colour for the survey was difficult. While interview targets for trans women of colour were met, and survey targets for other demographic groups were exceeded, responses to the The “Crossing the line” research study aimed to increase
understanding of gender transitioning and experiences of sexual violence for trans women of colour from CALD backgrounds living in Australia, and to compare their experiences of sexual violence with those of cisgender women who identify as lesbian, bisexual or queer (LBQ) or heterosexual. This chapter outlines the strengths and limitations of the research, and summarises its findings, articulating the project’s contribution to the current state of knowledge on sexual violence experiences of trans women of colour and trans women from CALD backgrounds.
Strengths of the research
There are a number of strengths in this research study. The first is the adoption of a feminist intersectional framework. Intersectionality recognises that trans women of colour are characterised simultaneously by multiple interconnected social categories, including gender, sexuality, social class, age and ethnicity, and that these categories are properties of individuals in terms of their identities, as well as characteristics of social structures. A feminist methodological framework emphasises the importance of engaging with women’s actual voices and lived experiences to develop greater understanding of sexual violence at the nexus of culture, gender and sexuality. In combination with the research team’s adoption of an integrated knowledge translation (IKT) framework, these approaches emphasise community participation at all stages of the research process, from design to dissemination, ensuring that the reserarch speaks for and to the communities involved in the research process.
The sequential mixed method design of this research allows for rich and nuanced insights to be gained from the experiences of sexual violence for trans women of colour when compared to those experienced by other trans and cisgender women across LBQ and heterosexual identities. The interviews, conducted by a trans woman of colour, illustrated the complexity of subjective experiences of gender transitioning and sexual violence, as well as the relationship between these two aspects of trans women’s lives. The interviews allowed the researchers to understand the women’s experiences in their own words, with the photovoice element providing an illustrative context. The project’s success in recruiting