Extending the Shadow of Sexual Assault Hypothesis: Fear of Sexual Violence and Hate Crimes among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons

Women’s fear has been explained as rooted in fears of sexual assault—a phenomenon known as the shadow of sexual assault hypothesis. The current study extends this hypothesis to examine whether lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons’ fear of hate crimes is shadowed by fears of sexual assault. Results indicate that bisexual and transgender persons express greater fear of hate crimes relative to others. This fear is explained by their fear of sexual assault—supporting the shadow hypothesis for bisexual and transgender persons. Findings suggest the importance of fear of sexual assault in explaining sexual and gender minorities’ fear of hate crimes.