Session: Beyond Individual Risk: Structural Inequities and New Directions In LGBTQ+ Sexual and Relationship Violence Research (Society for Social Work and Research 31st Annual Conference)

Background and Purpose. Sexual and relationship violence (SRV) research has historically centered cisgender, heterosexual populations, often overlooking how structural inequities shape experiences of violence, recognition of harm, and access to support among LGBTQ+ communities. This symposium reorients SRV scholarship through a social justice lens by centering the lived experiences of sexual and gender minority populations and advancing innovative approaches to prevention, intervention, and measurement.

Methods. The symposium brings together five studies using diverse methodologies, including a scoping review, qualitative inquiry, intervention adaptation and feasibility testing, secondary data analysis, and randomized controlled trial methods with advanced causal modeling. Across these approaches, the papers examine how systems of cisheteronormativity, patriarchy, racism, and stigma shape both vulnerability to violence and the effectiveness of responses.

Results. The first paper synthesizes research on emotional intimate partner violence among sexual minority men in the United States, identifying critical gaps in measurement and the need for tools that capture identity-based abuse. The second examines how conformity to masculine norms relates to sexual aggression among sexual minority men, highlighting both risk and potentially protective dimensions of masculinity. The third and fourth papers shift to intervention and response. One presents the adaptation and feasibility of a peer-based intervention to improve social reactions to sexual violence disclosure among LGBTQ+ emerging adults, demonstrating strong acceptability. The other uses qualitative methods to examine how structural inequities shape recognition of violence, showing that bystander intervention is often constrained by systems that render harm less visible. The final paper reports on a randomized controlled trial of a mentoring intervention for transgender and gender diverse youth using Complier Average Causal Effects modeling, finding short-term reductions in mental health distress and internalized stigma but limited sustained effects.

Conclusions and Implications. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that SRV cannot be understood or addressed without attention to the broader sociopolitical context shaping LGBTQ+ lives. Findings highlight both the promise of culturally responsive, affirming interventions and the limitations of approaches that do not address structural drivers of violence and inequity. This symposium calls for a reimagining of SRV research and practice that centers intersectionality, challenges dominant assumptions, and prioritizes multi-level, community-informed strategies. By advancing theoretical, methodological, and applied innovations, this work offers critical guidance for social work researchers, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to develop more equitable and effective approaches to preventing violence and supporting LGBTQ+ survivors.