From Deficit to Queer and Strengths-Based Approaches to Sexual Violence Research and Prevention

Abstract Purpose This article advances a queer, strengths-based approach to sexual violence research and prevention, challenging heteronormative, risk-focused frameworks and the field’s narrow focus on victimization. It argues for a shift toward understanding the conditions that enable sexual agency and affirming experiences, grounded in a queer politic that both critiques normative gender and sexual scripts and creates space for more positive sexual encounters. Methods The article undertakes a critical review of the limitations of deficit-based approaches in sexual violence research and examines emerging strengths-based frameworks within related disciplines and the sexual violence field. It also draws on a case study from the author’s qualitative research on queer sexual consent, illustrating the methodological value of centering affirming and agentic sexual experiences in research with LGBTQ + participants. Results The analysis demonstrates that deficit-based models often overlook the structural and cultural norms that enable sexual violence and obscure the potential of affirming, agentic sexual practices. The case study illustrates how a strengths-based approach can generate novel insights into the mechanisms through which people can resist and reimagine limiting sexual scripts. Conclusions A queer, strengths-based approach offers a necessary conceptual and methodological shift in sexual violence research. It invites new possibilities for prevention, education, and policy that affirm sexual and gender diversity. While not without challenges, this methodological approach supports efforts to transform the social conditions under which sexual violence occurs and to create environments where all people can sexually thrive.