Joelle Piercy, LSW, MSS, MLSP (she/her/hers) | Safe+Sound Somerset
Director of Outreach and Community Engagement
Pride Month is a celebration of identity, visibility, and hard-won progress. At Safe+Sound Somerset, we also use it as a time to reflect on what it will truly take to create a world free from domestic and sexual violence.
Violence prevention doesn’t begin once harm has occurred. It begins with changing the systems, beliefs, attitudes, and everyday interactions that shape how we treat each other. Domestic and sexual violence are rooted in oppression, and it’s critical that we look honestly at how all forms of oppression are connected and must be dismantled for individual acts of violence to end.
While sexual assault and intimate partner violence often involve individual acts of harm, they do not occur in a vacuum. People cause harm within a culture that supports or reinforces violence through:
- Harmful stereotypes about gender and sexuality
- Silence, dismissal, or erasure of people’s identities
- Norms that prioritize power and control over mutual respect
- Systems that exclude, marginalize, or fail to protect those who are harmed
We see the impact of these conditions reflected in the data. Research shows that LGBTQIA+ individuals experience intimate partner and sexual violence at rates equal to or higher than their heterosexual and cisgender peers. For example:
- 61% of bisexual women and 44% of lesbian women report experiencing intimate partner violence in their lifetime
- 37% of bisexual men report similar experiences
- 54% of transgender and nonbinary people have experienced intimate partner violence
- Nearly half (about 47%) of transgender individuals report experiencing sexual assault in their lifetime
(Source: https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-intimate-partner-violence-in-the-lgbtq-community)
While these numbers represent experiences within individual relationships, they also reflect the impact of broader social conditions that shape who is believed, who is supported, and who has access to safety. Prevention requires us to address both the harm that happens to individuals and the social environment where violence happens.
Challenging Harmful Norms about Gender, Identity, and Violence Promotes LGBTQIA+ Equity AND Prevents Interpersonal Violence
The movement for LGBTQIA+ rights has always challenged rigid norms about gender, identity, and relationships. We want to be clear: rigid gender norms are a known risk factor for domestic and sexual violence. When people are taught that:
- Some identities are more valid than others
- Certain expressions of gender or love must be controlled or corrected
- Power and dominance define relationships
…it limits people’s ability to fully experience personal freedom through their ability to make choices, set boundaries, and give or withhold consent. We feel safe when we have control over what happens to us. Safety includes the freedom to be who you are, to define your own identity and relationships, and to trust that your boundaries and autonomy will be respected
This is why affirming LGBTQIA+ identities is foundational to violence prevention. People cannot feel safe if they are not fully seen, respected, and valued for who they are.
Violence Prevention Actions To Take This Pride Month
If violence is supported by culture, then prevention must also be cultural. It’s something we actively practice every day in the ways we show up for one another.
Pride Month offers a meaningful opportunity to do just that. Here are some ways that individuals, families, educators, and community members can celebrate Pride while strengthening violence prevention efforts:
- Affirm Identity in Everyday Interactions Use people’s chosen names and pronouns; avoid assumptions about someone’s gender, relationships, or identity. This supports safety by respecting a person’s right to make choices and express boundaries.
- Create Spaces of Belonging Ensure classrooms, workplaces, and community spaces are inclusive and welcoming; display visible signs of support like Pride flags or pronoun pins; interrupt or speak up against harmful comments. Connection and belonging reduces isolation, which is a key risk factor for both domestic and sexual violence
- Practice and Model Consent Normalize asking for and respecting consent in everyday situations, not just intimate relationships; listen when someone says “no” or sets a boundary. Consent is a skill that we build through daily practice
- Support LGBTQIA+ Equity in Policy and Organizations Advocate for policies that protect dignity, equity, and access to care. Prevention is collective. Systems, communities, and policies must reflect the safety we want to build.
These actions may seem small, but they shift our culture at its foundation. They build connection and promote respect in ways that make communities safer for everyone.
Everyone deserves to live with dignity, autonomy, and safety. We envision a community where identities are affirmed, power is shared, relationships are rooted in mutual respect and communication, and systems are inclusive and equitable. Then, and only then, will we be able to end domestic and sexual violence.
You Are Not Alone
If you or someone you know needs support, Safe+Sound Somerset offers confidential, survivor-centered services for people of all identities and backgrounds.
24/7 Call and Text Helpline: 866-685-1122
Learn more at www.safe-sound.org
To learn about additional resources for LGBTQIA+ community members, contact NJ PRISM: 844.NJPRISM (657.7476) . NJPRISM provides statewide information and referrals to the LGBTQIA+ community between 9 am-5 pm.
