“My Identity is Distracting”: LGBTQIA2S+ Campus Sexual and Relationship Violence Survivors’ Experiences of Bystander Intervention

Abstract

Bystander intervention programs have grown in popularity as prevention strategies to respond to high levels of sexual and relationship violence (SRV) on college campuses. Although the benefits and efficacy of bystander intervention programs have been well-studied, existing programs insufficiently attend to the experiences of LGBTQIA2S+ (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, Two-Spirit) students. Moreover, bystander research rarely focuses on survivors’ experiences, and no previous studies have specifically examined LGBTQIA2S+ survivors’ experiences of bystander intervention. To address this gap, we conducted interviews with 29 LGBTQIA2S+ survivors of SRV to explore their experiences of bystander intervention before, during, and after SRV and how these experiences were shaped by cisheteronormative assumptions about gender, sexuality, and vulnerability. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we identified four themes: (1) “Was This Assault or Was It Not?” (2) “My Identity is Distracting,” (3) “Not Built for Us,” and (4) “Queer Community Was Key.” Our findings highlight the central role of recognition in bystander intervention processes and clarify how harm is recognized, how vulnerability to harm is assigned, and when intervention is perceived as warranted, shaping survivors’ access to timely intervention and responses to disclosure. Participants described barriers to engaging with formal university services and emphasized the importance of informal support from LGBTQIA2S+ peers in filling gaps left by institutional responses. These findings demonstrate how commonly observed bystander processes are structured by broader social assumptions about gender and sexuality, influencing how SRV is interpreted and responded to in ways that shape access to help and care. These findings extend bystander intervention research by centering LGBTQIA2S+ survivors’ perspectives and have implications for the development of LGBTQIA2S+-specific and -affirming bystander education, survivor support services, and campus policy.