Violence against gay men

Gay men experience violence at disproportionate rates. This disparity is driven by state-sanctioned structural violence, homophobia, and problematic masculine norms. The present chapter reviews the historical legacies of violence against gay men and provides an overview of research on current prevalence rates. The authors introduce multiple theoretical frameworks (e.g., minority stress theory) to elucidate the experiences of gay men with multiple marginalized identities. Common risk factors (e.g., gender nonconformity) and forms of violence (e.g., intimate partner violence) in this population are discussed. Subsequently, barriers to reporting violence and the consequences associated with violence are reviewed. The chapter concludes with a discussion of practice and policy recommendations and implications.