New Swedish Report Exposes High Rates of Sexual Violence and Health Risks Among LGBTQ+ Community

A comprehensive new report released by the Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten) has revealed troubling levels of sexual violence, harassment, and health risk avoidance within the LGBTQ+ community in Sweden. Presented during Pride Week in Stockholm by researcher Kalle Röcklinger, the study highlights significant challenges faced by homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, and transgender individuals in the country.

Based on responses from 1,069 LGBTQ+ individuals out of 15,838 total survey participants aged 16 to 84 in the 2024 Swedish Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights survey (SRHR), the findings reveal that nearly half of transgender individuals reported recent harassment, while 50% of bisexual women, about one-third of transgender individuals, and one in five bisexual men experienced unwanted sexual acts such as unwanted kisses or forced sexual activities.

Alarmingly, 80% of bisexual individuals and those with transgender experience avoided STI or HIV testing in the past year, indicating significant barriers to accessing sexual health services. Röcklinger emphasized the need for enhanced nationwide access to HIV and STI testing and greater expertise in supporting the entire LGBTQ+ community, particularly in violence prevention.

The report, titled “Common Victimization and Violence Against LGBTQ+ Persons,” also draws attention to the unclear origins of the violence, as the study does not specify whether perpetrators are external or from within the LGBTQ+ community itself. This gap underscores a critical area for further investigation to better understand the dynamics of sexual violence affecting LGBTQ+ people.

These findings bring to light serious health and safety concerns during a time of celebratory public focus on LGBTQ+ rights in Sweden and call for urgent, targeted actions to improve protections and healthcare accessibility for these vulnerable groups.