January 2025
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Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity
Sexual and gender minoritized populations experience more sexual violence in higher education contexts and report more mental health consequences resulting from these experiences than their heterosexual and cisgender peers. A person-centered approach was used to better understand the complex ways that gender identity, trajectory, and expression as well as sexual identity intersect in relation to vulnerability for sexual violence. Our objectives were to examine (a) how experiences of sexual violence and (b) the attribution of sexual violence to gender and sexuality-related characteristics varied across gender and sexuality classes, and (c) how attributing sexual violence experiences to gender and sexuality was associated with trauma symptoms. A sample of 2,936 gender and sexual minoritized general vocational students in Quebec, Canada, completed surveys regarding their experiences of sexual violence; how they attributed these experiences to their gender identity, expression, and trajectory; sexual minority status; and their resulting trauma symptoms. Six classes (questioning gender identity students: plurisexual women, plurisexual men, cisgender gay men, cisgender lesbian women, and transgender/nonbinary students) were identified. Significant differences in both the number of sexual violence experiences and attribution of sexual violence to gender and sexuality were observed across classes. Finally, attributing sexual violence to an aspect of gender or sexuality was associated with higher levels of trauma symptoms, although this association did not vary across gender or sexuality class. The findings highlight the complex ways in which gender and sexuality overlap and the relevance of addressing cissexism and heterosexism in sexual violence prevention and intervention efforts.