Intimate partner violence in transgender and non-conforming gender identity individuals: a review

Abstract

Understanding and accepting diverse gender identities represents a notable societal challenge. Transgender individuals are vulnerable to physical and verbal abuse, discrimination, and hate crimes. This violence can manifest in various forms, including assault, harassment, and microaggressions. The European Court of Human Rights decided in multiple cases (2017 – 2021) that administrative gender identity recognition should not necessarily involve gender reassignement surgery, leading to an increase of number of persons who wish to legally express a different gender identity than their birth-assigned biological gender. Transphobia is an irrational fear or dislike of transgender individuals who are at an increased risk of victimization and vulnerability. We performed a literature review aiming to reveal the prevalence of physical abuse in intimate relationships of the transgender and non-conforming gender identity communities. The main method of research was interviewing individuals and self-reporting violent episodes either lifetime or during the past year, since under-reporting to the authorities is a common phenomenon in domestic violence in general. Transgender people experience a significantly higher prevalence of intimate partner violence compared to the general population, but apparently with no differences neither among gender assigned at birth nor between binary and non-binary individuals. Efforts to address violence against transgender and non-conforming gender identities require comprehensive strategies, like legal protection, awareness campaigns, inclusive strategies, and education to challenge harmful stereotypes, aiming to reduce marginalization and create a more accepting society.