Introduction

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a much broader term than domestic abuse and it describes a devastating social and global issue. Domestic abuse, originally classified as an act between a man and a woman where the male figure was the perpetrator in most reported cases, reduces the likelihood of inclusion for the LGBTQ community. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019), using the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, in their 2015 report, one in four women and one in ten men have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime and have reported some form of IPV-related impact (CDC, 2019). By broadening the term to be more inclusive of LGBTQ and underserved individuals, IPV was established. The boundaries of research conducted to discuss IPV within the LGBTQ community have been severely shortsighted. There is a vast amount of research done quantitatively and qualitatively looking into IPV within couples of opposite sex, but there is a dearth of research about the LGBTQ+ community as a whole. The majority of IPV research within the LGBTQ+ community involves lesbian women and gay men, and less research has been done to highlight the issues faced by both men and women who are bisexual. Transgender and queer individuals tend to be overshadowed in research unless there is a specific focus on this community, with gender elements such as non-gender-conforming or nonbinary individuals being excluded from much needed research.

Most of the research into IPV within the LGBTQ+ community can be attributed to the passing of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA) (2013), which has provided further opportunities to gain awareness of the impact of IPV. The Act incorporated more funding for research and preventative programs for IPV throughout the United States. The Act also incorporated protections for individuals encompassing sexual orientation and gender identity. This created an opportunity for scholars to provide literature focusing on various aspects of IPV pertaining to causes, reports, and prevention resources.