‘LGBTIQ’ is used throughout this resource to collectively refer to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex and queer people. Some people may not publicly identify as LGB but are in LGB or queer relationships. It is also important to be aware that different cultures and languages use other words to describe sexuality, attraction, gender or bodies, and labels can be assumed or ascribed to a person without their knowledge.

The ‘I’ in ‘LGBTI’ is often used to include people with intersex variations, however not all intersex people are LGBT. The ‘I’ in ‘LGBTI’ used in this resource refers to the experiences of those intersex people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.

While intersections with LGBT experiences exist for some intersex people, there are major differences between LGBT and intersex experiences .

This includes acts of violence unique to intersex experiences, such as non-consensual ‘normalising’ surgeries which can be experienced by intersex people regardless of whether they are LGBT or not. As the recent LGBTI family violence literature review commissioned by the Victorian Government identified, there is a research gap on the experiences of family violence of people with intersex variation.