Furthermore, the study by Dr. Keren Lehavot from the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, USA and her collaborators revealed that women who are more butch report more abuse in childhood, particularly physical and emotional neglect, while women who identify as femme, and have a more feminine appearance, report more adult sexual assaults.

It is yet not fully understood why sexual minority women are at greater risk of being abused both as children and adults compared to heterosexual women.