In the past two decades, numerous studies have shown there are serious LGBTQ health disparities, and that members of the LGBTQ community suffer sexual abuse at a disproportionate rate when compared to the general population. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the stigma surrounding the personal choices of the LGBTQ community can affect many areas of their lives and can cause harm in many forms, including discrimination, harassment, family disapproval, social rejection, and violence — all of which can have a negative impact on physical and mental health.
When forensic nurses work with the LGBTQ community, they address physical and emotional needs following sexual violence. Working in GBTQ victim services, forensic nurses, including sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs), collect evidence, document crimes and provide vital information to police and prosecutors.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest LGBTQ advocacy group in the United States, said LGBTQ survivors of sexual assault deserve culturally competent care.
“For LGBTQ survivors of sexual assault, their identities — and the discrimination they face surrounding those identities — often make them hesitant to seek help from police, hospitals, shelters or rape crisis centers, the very resources that are supposed to help them,” the organization said in its website article titled: “Sexual Assault and the LGBTQ Community.” The HRC further notes that “This epidemic of sexual violence in the LGBTQ community is something we must all work together to address.”
Registered nurses (RNs) who earn a master’s in nursing degree (MSN), including an online master’s degree in nursing, and work as forensic nurses can address concerns including LGBTQ health disparities. By working in Q victim services, RNs can help disenfranchised communities receive the medical and legal assistance they deserve.
LGBTQ Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery where force, coercion or fraud is used to obtain labor, marriage, or commercial sex acts.
“Here in this country, people are being bought, sold and smuggled like modern-day slaves, often beaten, starved and forced to work as prostitutes or to take jobs as migrant, domestic, restaurant or factory workers with little or no pay,” according to the FBI.
The International Labour Organization estimates that human trafficking and forced labor are a $150 billion worldwide industry. This profitable form of transnational crime is second only to drug trafficking, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“Human trafficking is a hidden crime, as victims rarely come forward to seek help because of language barriers, fear of the traffickers and/or fear of law enforcement,” the department says.
According to the Polaris Project, a data-driven social justice project to battle sex and labor trafficking, underrepresented communities are disproportionately affected by many serious crimes, including LGBTQ human trafficking. Among the challenges facing healthcare workers treating survivors, is that many individuals are hesitant to seek help or speak about their experiences. By pursuing a master’s degree in nursing, nurses can build valuable communication skills to connect with survivors and help improve patient care.
According to PolarisProject.org:
- Up to 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ
- 46% ran away because of family rejection
- They are 7.4 times more likely to experience acts of sexual violence than their heterosexual peers
- They are 3-5 times more likely to engage in survival sex to meet basic needs such as shelter, food, drugs, and toiletries
- LGBTQ homeless youth are at a significantly higher risk of human trafficking and often are not aware of the resources available to them
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports that of the nearly 26,500 runaways in 2020, one in six was likely a victim of child sex trafficking.
“Traffickers use force, fraud or coercion to lure their victims and force them into labor or commercial sexual exploitation,” according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“They look for people who are susceptible for a variety of reasons, including psychological or emotional vulnerability, economic hardship, lack of a social safety net, natural disasters or political instability. The trauma caused by the traffickers can be so great that many may not identify themselves as victims or ask for help, even in highly public settings.”