Sexual Victimization Among Sexual and Racial/Ethnic Minority Women: Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice

Abstract

This chapter discusses the current state of the literature regarding sexual minority (e.g., lesbian, bisexual) women’s experiences of sexual victimization, their post-victimization recoveries, and the major gaps in the literature regarding these experiences. It also describes minority stress theory (Meyer, Psychological Bulletin 129: 674–697, 2003) and uses this contextual framework to define additional proximal and distal psychosocial stressors (i.e., microaggressions, coming out, internalized homophobia) that sexual minority and racial/ethnic minority women might encounter during their victimization and post-victimization recovery experiences. Cultural and ethical considerations for working with sexual minority women who have been victimized and avenues to improve cultural humility (i.e., cultural competence) among clinicians are reviewed. This chapter also highlights the necessity of using intersectionality framework (Crenshaw, K., The University of Chicago Legal Forum 1: 139–167, 1989) to further understand the unique experiences of sexual minority women and encourages researchers and clinicians to utilize this framework in both clinical and research settings. Suggested avenues for future research with sexual minority women are explored.