25.8 percent of lesbians report rape, sexual coercion, or forced penetration. 20.7 percent report being stalked. 29 percent report psychological aggression by a partner.
Key Takeaways
- 25.8% of lesbians reported having experienced rape, being made to penetrate, or sexual coercion
- 7.1% of lesbians reported having experienced sexual violence involving a weapon
- 20.7% of lesbians reported being stalked
- 14.5% of lesbians reported experiencing coercive control (emotional abuse) by an intimate partner
- 12.9% of lesbians reported experiencing intimate partner violence involving threats
- 8.2% of lesbians reported experiencing intimate partner violence involving stalking
- 10% of lesbian women reported experiencing sexual violence in their lifetime
- 2.5% of lesbian women reported experiencing sexual coercion by an intimate partner in the past 12 months
- 20.3% of lesbians reported experiencing non-partner sexual violence
- 38% of lesbian and bisexual women reported at least one barrier to getting help for IPV
- 19% of lesbian and bisexual survivors reported fear of being judged by service providers
- 16% of lesbian and bisexual survivors reported fear that their identity would not be respected
- 31% of IPV survivors reported PTSD symptoms (meta-analysis estimate)
- 14% of IPV survivors reported substance misuse problems after abuse (meta-analysis estimate)
- 35% of IPV survivors reported depression symptoms
Nearly a quarter of lesbians experience intimate partner violence, with significant rates of sexual violence and stalking.
Related reading
01 · Category
Lgbtq+ Victimization10 stats
01
25.8% of lesbians reported having experienced rape, being made to penetrate, or sexual coercion
02
7.1% of lesbians reported having experienced sexual violence involving a weapon
03
20.7% of lesbians reported being stalked
04
24.8% of lesbians reported experiencing physical violence at the hands of an intimate partner
05
7.4% of lesbians reported experiencing intimate partner violence in the past 12 months
06
19.4% of lesbians reported experiencing at least one form of violence (physical, sexual, stalking) from a partner
07
14.8% of lesbians reported experiencing stalking in their lifetime
08
22% of lesbian women and 25% of bisexual women reported intimate partner violence (lifetime) in a U.S. population study
09
18% of LGBT survivors reported that abuse started or escalated after they came out (survey estimate)
10
14% of lesbian survivors reported their partner threatened to reveal their sexual orientation (survey estimate)
Interpretation
Lgbtq+ Victimization Interpretation
Nearly a quarter of lesbians, 25.8%, report rape, sexual coercion, or being made to penetrate, and around one in five, 20.7%, report being stalked, showing that sexual and stalking-related abuse are both alarmingly common.
02 · Category
Intimate Partner Violence30 stats
01
14.5% of lesbians reported experiencing coercive control (emotional abuse) by an intimate partner
02
12.9% of lesbians reported experiencing intimate partner violence involving threats
03
8.2% of lesbians reported experiencing intimate partner violence involving stalking
04
16.6% of lesbians reported experiencing intimate partner violence involving physical injury
05
3.8% of lesbians reported being forced to have sexual intercourse by an intimate partner
06
6.4% of lesbian women reported experiencing physical violence by an intimate partner in the past 12 months
07
3.9% of lesbian women reported experiencing threats by an intimate partner in the past 12 months
08
11.5% of lesbian women reported experiencing emotional abuse by an intimate partner in the past 12 months
09
22.2% of lesbians reported being threatened with harm
10
29.0% of lesbian women reported experiencing psychological aggression by a partner
11
6.7% of lesbian women reported being afraid of a partner
12
9.2% of lesbians reported that their partner monitored or tracked them
13
34% of lesbian and bisexual women reported emotional violence by a partner (lifetime)
14
24% of lesbians and 28% of bisexual women reported physical violence by a partner (lifetime)
15
11% of lesbian and 14% of bisexual women reported stalking by a partner (lifetime)
16
40% of LGBT survivors reported that their partner threatened them with deportation, custody, or legal consequences (survey estimate)
17
15% of LGBT survivors reported threats to “out” them as a tactic of abuse (survey estimate)
18
23% of LGBT survivors reported controlling their access to social support or friends (survey estimate)
19
31% of LGBT survivors reported partners used social media to monitor or harass (survey estimate)
20
9% of LGBT survivors reported digital abuse that included nonconsensual sharing of intimate images (survey estimate)
21
14% of LGBT survivors reported that their partner controlled or confiscated their phone/computer (survey estimate)
22
21% of lesbian and bisexual women reported partner jealousy related to dating or socializing (survey estimate)
23
27% of lesbian and bisexual women reported that their partner used intimidation tactics (survey estimate)
24
13% of lesbian and bisexual women reported physical violence with injury (survey estimate)
25
25% of lesbians reported coercion tactics (emotional or verbal) by partners (survey estimate)
26
12% of lesbians reported experiencing cyberstalking in the past year (survey estimate)
27
7% of lesbians reported nonconsensual image sharing by a partner (survey estimate)
28
10% of lesbians reported harassment via calls/texts by a partner in the past year (survey estimate)
29
5% of lesbians reported physical stalking by a partner in the past year (survey estimate)
30
26% of LGBT survivors reported using safety planning due to fear of retaliation (survey estimate)
Interpretation
Intimate Partner Violence Interpretation
Across the data, psychological and emotional abuse is especially widespread, with 29.0% of lesbian women reporting psychological aggression by a partner and 11.5% reporting emotional abuse within the past 12 months.
03 · Category
Sexual Violence9 stats
01
10% of lesbian women reported experiencing sexual violence in their lifetime
02
2.5% of lesbian women reported experiencing sexual coercion by an intimate partner in the past 12 months
03
20.3% of lesbians reported experiencing non-partner sexual violence
04
2.9% of lesbian women reported being raped or made to penetrate by a partner in the past 12 months
05
8.6% of lesbian women reported experiencing sexual violence by a partner that involved physical force in their lifetime
06
5.1% of lesbians reported being coerced into sex by a partner
07
16% of lesbian and 18% of bisexual women reported sexual violence by a partner (lifetime)
08
8% of lesbian and bisexual women reported forced sex in their lifetime (survey estimate)
09
6% of lesbian and bisexual women reported forced sex in the past year (survey estimate)
Interpretation
Sexual Violence Interpretation
Sexual violence affects a substantial share of lesbian women, with 10% reporting sexual violence in their lifetime and 2.9% reporting rape or being made to penetrate by a partner in the past 12 months.
More related reading
04 · Category
Access And Barriers30 stats
01
38% of lesbian and bisexual women reported at least one barrier to getting help for IPV
02
19% of lesbian and bisexual survivors reported fear of being judged by service providers
03
16% of lesbian and bisexual survivors reported fear that their identity would not be respected
04
11% of LGBT survivors reported that police responded poorly when they sought help for IPV
05
24% of lesbian survivors reported they did not report IPV because they feared their partner would retaliate
06
30% of lesbian survivors reported a lack of services tailored to sexual orientation
07
28% of LGBT survivors reported they were discouraged from reporting to police due to bias
08
43% of LGBT survivors reported they had experienced some form of discrimination when seeking help
09
39% of LGBT survivors reported that confidentiality concerns affected their willingness to seek services
10
6% of LGBT survivors reported that their partner used the system (courts/services) to further abuse
11
34% of LGBT survivors reported they delayed seeking help for a month or longer after the abuse started
12
23% of lesbian survivors reported that help-seeking was complicated by lack of recognition of same-sex partner violence
13
18% of LGBT survivors reported being turned away from services
14
12% of LGBT survivors reported being asked inappropriate questions about their orientation when seeking help
15
9% of LGBT survivors reported that shelter rules created barriers to staying safe
16
53% of survivors reported they needed legal assistance but did not receive it (U.S. survey estimate)
17
37% of survivors reported needing transportation to attend services, but it was not available
18
24% of survivors reported needing childcare to access services
19
8% of survivors reported needing interpreter services but did not receive them
20
16% of LGBT survivors reported that noninclusive intake forms made them avoid services
21
19% of lesbian survivors reported that they did not access IPV-specific medical care due to provider bias
22
11% of lesbian survivors reported not receiving appropriate referrals from clinicians
23
28% of lesbian survivors reported inadequate safety planning support
24
14% of lesbian survivors reported fear of discrimination prevented accessing crisis hotlines
25
20% of LGBT adults reported being treated unfairly when seeking healthcare (U.S. estimate)
26
18% of LGBT adults reported avoiding healthcare due to fear of discrimination (U.S. estimate)
27
33% of survivors reported police did not take their complaints seriously (survey estimate)
28
25% of lesbian survivors reported that law enforcement lacked training to handle same-sex IPV
29
12% of lesbian survivors reported that family or community stigma prevented reporting (survey estimate)
30
10% of lesbian survivors reported fear of losing custody of children due to IPV reporting barriers (survey estimate)
Interpretation
Access And Barriers Interpretation
Across these statistics, nearly half of LGBT and lesbian survivors faced serious barriers to getting help, with 43% reporting discrimination and 39% saying confidentiality concerns affected their willingness to seek services.
05 · Category
Health And Economic Impact10 stats
01
31% of IPV survivors reported PTSD symptoms (meta-analysis estimate)
02
14% of IPV survivors reported substance misuse problems after abuse (meta-analysis estimate)
03
35% of IPV survivors reported depression symptoms
04
26% of IPV survivors reported anxiety symptoms
05
23% of IPV survivors reported injuries requiring medical care (study estimate)
06
16% of IPV survivors reported chronic pain after abuse (study estimate)
07
11% of IPV survivors reported gastrointestinal symptoms related to stress (study estimate)
08
31% of lesbian and bisexual women reported that abuse affected their mental health (survey estimate)
09
17% of lesbian and bisexual women reported that abuse affected employment or education (survey estimate)
10
9% of lesbian and bisexual women reported experiencing homelessness related to IPV (survey estimate)
Interpretation
Health And Economic Impact Interpretation
Across these estimates, mental health impacts are especially prominent with 31% reporting PTSD symptoms and 35% depression symptoms among IPV survivors, while physical and related health consequences also appear though less frequently, such as 23% reporting injuries needing medical care and 16% chronic pain.
06 · Category
Economic Impact14 stats
01
$1.5 trillion estimated global economic cost of IPV per year (WHO estimate, model-based)
02
US$5,000average annual out-of-pocket costs for IPV-related health services (study estimate)
03
US$1,000average productivity loss per worker affected by IPV (study estimate)
04
30% of IPV survivors reported missing work due to abuse (U.S. survey estimate)
05
19% of IPV survivors reported losing employment due to abuse (survey estimate)
06
13% of IPV survivors reported that abuse affected their ability to find housing
07
24% of IPV survivors reported financial problems related to abuse
08
19% of IPV survivors reported that their partner used economic abuse (e.g., controlling money)
09
28% of LGBT survivors reported financial barriers prevented leaving an abusive relationship (survey estimate)
10
18% of LGBT survivors reported legal costs or access to legal aid as a barrier
11
7% of LGBT survivors reported lack of health insurance as a barrier to seeking care
12
22% of LGBT survivors reported not having enough money for safe housing
13
23% of lesbian and bisexual women reported needing economic support services after IPV (survey estimate)
14
18% of lesbian and bisexual women reported needing legal assistance after IPV (survey estimate)
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
Across these estimates, the economic fallout is so severe that women experiencing IPV face about US$5,000 in out-of-pocket healthcare costs and up to 30% report missing work due to abuse, while among LGBT survivors as many as 28% cite financial barriers as the reason they cannot leave.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). Lesbian Abuse Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lesbian-abuse-statistics
MLA
Aisha Okonkwo. "Lesbian Abuse Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/lesbian-abuse-statistics.
Chicago
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "Lesbian Abuse Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lesbian-abuse-statistics.
Sources & references
9 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+6 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)