Sex, sexuality and gender diverse communities are increasingly recognised as vulnerable to intimate partner and sexual violence, but very little is known of specific experiences of people from these communities in Aotearoa New Zealand due to a lack of research and Rainbow specific services.
Trans and gender diverse people are a heavily under-researched population group in terms of violence in Aotearoa New Zealand and elsewhere, but all indications point to experiences of violence being higher than for cis people – those comfortable with the gender they were assigned at birth. More recent studies point to very high rates of violence for transfeminine, transmasculine and non-binary people, with higher rates of lifetime sexual assault in particular now being well-documented across several pieces of research with large sample sizes overseas.
The Hohou Te Rongo Kahukura – Outing Violence survey was developed through drawing on international violence surveys, surveys specifically targeting sexuality and gender diverse populations, our analysis of existing research about partner and sexual violence in Rainbow communities and discussions and feedback from the Hohou Te Rongo Kahukura – Outing Violence advisory group about community experiences.