“Tell Me”: Disclosing Sexual Abuse by Survivors from the LGBTQ+ Community via Social Media

(1) Background: Members of the LGBTQ+ community face specific risk factors that make them more vulnerable to multiple forms of sexual abuse and victimization than cisgender heterosexual individuals. Furthermore, numerous personal, intrapersonal, societal, and cultural factors inhibit disclosure, threatening their wellbeing. The purpose of the current study was to explore sexual abuse experiences among survivors from the LGBTQ+ community. (2) Methods: An analysis of sexual abuse disclosure posts published on an Israeli Instagram page called Torenu was conducted. Through the analysis of these posts, this study aimed to better understand the unique characteristics and dynamics of the sexual abuse of survivors from the LGBTQ+ community. Sixty-five posts from members of the LGBTQ+ community disclosing sexual abuse were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. (3) Results: Two themes emerged during the analysis. The first theme focused on the characteristics of the survivors and perpetrators. The second theme related to the abuse characteristics, addressing four main aspects: publicness, normalization, numbness of the senses, and escalation. (4) Conclusions: Understanding the nature of sexual abuse within the LGBTQ+ community could encourage society to take responsibility for fostering an inclusive discourse on sexuality, one that acknowledges LGBTQ+ identities, reduces stigma, promotes visibility, and facilitates intervention within the community.