International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation Volume 9 2026 2
treatment recommendations for counselors.
Unique Experiences of Trauma in the TGD Population
TGD survivors of IPV experience forms of victimization
that are uniquely tied to their gender identity—
experiences that cisgender survivors do not encounter.
One of the most distinct and pervasive tactics is
identity abuse, which includes threats of “outing” a
survivor’s gender identity, deliberate misgendering,
withholding gender-affirming care or clothing, and
leveraging societal transmisia to isolate or control the
survivor (Henry et al., 2021 Peitzmeier et al., 2021).
These forms of abuse weaponize the survivor’s identity
against them, often exploiting their vulnerability
within transphobic systems, such as healthcare,
law enforcement, and housing (Beyer et al., 2022
Rogers, 2016 Seelman, 2015). For example, abusers
may threaten to disclose a survivor’s trans status to
employers, family, or authorities, knowing that such
disclosure could result in discrimination, loss of
employment, or physical danger. This form of coercive
control is specific to TGD individuals and is rarely, if
ever, experienced by cisgender survivors (Henry et al.,
2021).
Additionally, TGD survivors face institutional betrayal
and systemic exclusion that compound their trauma.
Many are denied access to shelters, misclassified by
law enforcement, or subjected to mistreatment when
seeking help, such as being arrested instead of their
abuser or denied entry to gendered services (Kurdyla,
2023 Momen &DeKeseredy, 2020). These experiences
are not only retraumatizing but also reinforce the
abuser’s control by confirming the survivor’s fears that
no safe or affirming support exists. The intersection
of IPV and transmisia creates a landscape where TGD
survivors must navigate both interpersonal violence
and structural violence simultaneously (Peitzmeier et
al., 2021 Scheer &Poteat, 2021). This dual burden—of
surviving abuse while also surviving systemic erasure—
marks a distinct and urgent need for identity-affirming,
trauma-informed care that recognizes and responds to
these unique forms of victimization.
Coercion
Sexual coercion in IPV against TGD individuals is
best understood through the lens of coercive control
theory, which conceptualizes abuse as a patterned
strategy of domination designed to entrap and erode
a survivor’s autonomy (Tolmie, Smith, &Wilson,
2024). Within T-IPV, sexual coercion is not limited
to isolated incidents of unwanted sexual contact—
it often involves sustained manipulation, threats, and
exploitation of identity-specific vulnerabilities. Abusers
may weaponize gender-affirming needs, such as access
to hormones, clothing, or social validation, coercing
survivors into unwanted sexual activity under threat
of outing, abandonment, or withdrawal of support.
These tactics reflect a broader system of control that
leverages societal transmisia and institutional betrayal
to reinforce dependency and fear.
Findings from the Australian Trans and Gender
Diverse Sexual Health Survey reveal that 53.4% of TGD
participants reported experiencing sexual coercion,
with elevated risk among nonbinary individuals
presumed female at birth and those living publicly
in their affirmed gender (Simpson et al., 2024). The
study also highlights how help-seeking behaviors are
often shaped by access to peer support and affirming
care, underscoring the importance of relational safety
in recovery. When viewed through coercive control
theory, sexual coercion in T-IPV emerges as a deliberate
mechanism of entrapment—one that exploits both
interpersonal dynamics and systemic oppression. For
clinicians, recognizing this patterned abuse is essential
to developing trauma-informed, identity-affirming
interventions that restore agency and disrupt cycles of
domination.
Abuse
Physical and sexual abuse are frequently weaponized
as tools of control and subjugation in IPV against TGD
individuals, functioning not only as acts of interpersonal
harm but as mechanisms of identity-based domination
(Beyer et al., 2022 Kussin-Shoptaw et al., 2017).
Perpetrators may exploit the unique vulnerabilities of
TGD survivors, such as limited access to affirming care,
housing instability, or fear of institutional betrayal,
to isolate, silence, and retraumatize them. Research
indicates that nearly half of transgender individuals
have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime, with
a significant portion of these assaults perpetrated by
current or former partners (Beyer et al., 2022 James
et al., 2016). These acts often intersect with transmisia,
treatment recommendations for counselors.
Unique Experiences of Trauma in the TGD Population
TGD survivors of IPV experience forms of victimization
that are uniquely tied to their gender identity—
experiences that cisgender survivors do not encounter.
One of the most distinct and pervasive tactics is
identity abuse, which includes threats of “outing” a
survivor’s gender identity, deliberate misgendering,
withholding gender-affirming care or clothing, and
leveraging societal transmisia to isolate or control the
survivor (Henry et al., 2021 Peitzmeier et al., 2021).
These forms of abuse weaponize the survivor’s identity
against them, often exploiting their vulnerability
within transphobic systems, such as healthcare,
law enforcement, and housing (Beyer et al., 2022
Rogers, 2016 Seelman, 2015). For example, abusers
may threaten to disclose a survivor’s trans status to
employers, family, or authorities, knowing that such
disclosure could result in discrimination, loss of
employment, or physical danger. This form of coercive
control is specific to TGD individuals and is rarely, if
ever, experienced by cisgender survivors (Henry et al.,
2021).
Additionally, TGD survivors face institutional betrayal
and systemic exclusion that compound their trauma.
Many are denied access to shelters, misclassified by
law enforcement, or subjected to mistreatment when
seeking help, such as being arrested instead of their
abuser or denied entry to gendered services (Kurdyla,
2023 Momen &DeKeseredy, 2020). These experiences
are not only retraumatizing but also reinforce the
abuser’s control by confirming the survivor’s fears that
no safe or affirming support exists. The intersection
of IPV and transmisia creates a landscape where TGD
survivors must navigate both interpersonal violence
and structural violence simultaneously (Peitzmeier et
al., 2021 Scheer &Poteat, 2021). This dual burden—of
surviving abuse while also surviving systemic erasure—
marks a distinct and urgent need for identity-affirming,
trauma-informed care that recognizes and responds to
these unique forms of victimization.
Coercion
Sexual coercion in IPV against TGD individuals is
best understood through the lens of coercive control
theory, which conceptualizes abuse as a patterned
strategy of domination designed to entrap and erode
a survivor’s autonomy (Tolmie, Smith, &Wilson,
2024). Within T-IPV, sexual coercion is not limited
to isolated incidents of unwanted sexual contact—
it often involves sustained manipulation, threats, and
exploitation of identity-specific vulnerabilities. Abusers
may weaponize gender-affirming needs, such as access
to hormones, clothing, or social validation, coercing
survivors into unwanted sexual activity under threat
of outing, abandonment, or withdrawal of support.
These tactics reflect a broader system of control that
leverages societal transmisia and institutional betrayal
to reinforce dependency and fear.
Findings from the Australian Trans and Gender
Diverse Sexual Health Survey reveal that 53.4% of TGD
participants reported experiencing sexual coercion,
with elevated risk among nonbinary individuals
presumed female at birth and those living publicly
in their affirmed gender (Simpson et al., 2024). The
study also highlights how help-seeking behaviors are
often shaped by access to peer support and affirming
care, underscoring the importance of relational safety
in recovery. When viewed through coercive control
theory, sexual coercion in T-IPV emerges as a deliberate
mechanism of entrapment—one that exploits both
interpersonal dynamics and systemic oppression. For
clinicians, recognizing this patterned abuse is essential
to developing trauma-informed, identity-affirming
interventions that restore agency and disrupt cycles of
domination.
Abuse
Physical and sexual abuse are frequently weaponized
as tools of control and subjugation in IPV against TGD
individuals, functioning not only as acts of interpersonal
harm but as mechanisms of identity-based domination
(Beyer et al., 2022 Kussin-Shoptaw et al., 2017).
Perpetrators may exploit the unique vulnerabilities of
TGD survivors, such as limited access to affirming care,
housing instability, or fear of institutional betrayal,
to isolate, silence, and retraumatize them. Research
indicates that nearly half of transgender individuals
have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime, with
a significant portion of these assaults perpetrated by
current or former partners (Beyer et al., 2022 James
et al., 2016). These acts often intersect with transmisia,
