Assigned Sex and Types of Violence Directed at Nonbinary and Questioning Youth: Implications for Physical and Psychological Well-being

Youth gender diverse (e.g., transgender or nonbinary) are more likely to be the target of violence in their school environment compared to their cisgender peers, which can significantly impact their well-being. Sex assignment (being categorized as male or female at birth) may influence this treatment based on the expectations of gender associated with each sex category. Using data from the province-wide 2018 BC Adolescent Health Survey (a representative stratified random cluster survey of students in grade 7 to 12 classrooms in schools across British Columbia, Canada) we examined how nonbinary and questioning youth are targeted for various forms of violence (verbal harassment or physical assault, social exclusion, cyberbullying, verbal or physical sexual harassment) across sex assignment (female, male). Most youth–78%–had been a target of one or more type of violence. Nonbinary AFAB youth were the targets of significantly more types of violence than other groups. The violence directed at nonbinary and questioning youth is a significant risk to their psychological wellbeing, and an indicator of unaddressed discrimination issues in the school environment. Nonbinary and questioning youth who are AFAB are at a higher risk and may need specific supports to ensure their safety.