Despite the growing evidence base on LGBTQIA+ people’s experiences of domestic and family violence (DFV), there has been relatively little focus on experiences of formal service provision, nor exploration of how differences in gender and sexuality might impact service experiences and support needs. Specifically, very few studies have focused explicitly on the experiences of non-binary people.

Similarly, since DFV services are commonly segregated by binary gender, service providers have had little opportunity to develop practice-based evidence in responding to non-binary people impacted by domestic abuse.

Designed in dialogue with an Advisory Group of people with professional and lived experience over 12 months, my doctoral research uses participatory methods to subvert the academic context and provide a relational framework for Australian service providers and non-binary people to collaboratively interrogate the role of gender in DFV responses.

This presentation will focus on the first phase of the study, involving in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of non-binary people impacted by DFV in Australia, and co-creation and analysis workshops with research participants and Advisory Group members.

I will present findings related to how non-binary people describe the role of gender in their experiences of DFV. This will include findings around the diversity of participants’ experiences of gender, and how this impacted both their experiences of abuse and the options and decisions available to them in seeking both formal and informal supports.

I will discuss implications of these findings for improving the inclusiveness of DFV interventions for non-binary people. Further, I will critically reflect on the potential of participatory methods to create spaces for dialogue and action and query the role that research might play in building a more equitable service system.