Understanding Domestic Violence ______________________________________________________________
IPV can occur regardless of a victim or perpetrator’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or relative strength, and any type of person can be a victim or perpetrator of IPV regard- less of their identity. According to Brown and Cooper (2021) marginalized groups are at an increased risk for experiencing IPV, as abusers will often capitalize on existing social and economic vulnerabilities to wield control. In the LGBTQ+ community, abusers frequently exploit prevailing homopho- bic and transphobic societal norms, utilizing them as tools to maintain control. These systems of stigma, discrimination, and inadequate understanding of LGBTQ+ individuals are weaponized by abusers to perpetuate their dominance (Voices Against Violence, 2019). Other structural factors like age, poverty, and other forms of stigma can further intersect with LGBTQ+ identities to place some groups at higher risk than others. Transgender people, particularly Black transgender women, face a heightened risk of IPV victimization that is fatal (Brown & Cooper, 2021). This is due to the compounding effects of racism and transphobia as well as higher rates of IPV risk factors such as poverty and lack of institutional support (Human Rights Campaign, 2021). Age- related determinants of IPV that impact young adults, such as power imbalances from older partners and fewer social and eco- nomic resources, may be magnified even further for LGBTQ+ young people, who may lack affirming and accepting parents, teachers, or mentors who can provide access to resources, programs, or support to help avoid or leave an abusive rela- tionship. Higher rates of poverty, economic insecurity, and homelessness /housing insecurity among LGBTQ+ people, particularly BIPOC LGBTQ+ people, transgender people, and bisexual people, can also contribute to increased risk of IPV, as abusers can capitalize on their partners’ inability to afford to leave their home, job, or community (Wilson et al., 2020). BARRIERS TO SEEKING SUPPORT The negative effects of IPV faced by LGBTQ+ people are exacerbated by the barriers they face to seeking help. Barriers to help seeking by LGBTQ+ survivors covered in two different systematic reviews with the following findings (Robinson et al., 2021; Calton et al., 2016): • Low awareness and availability of affirming services, which may lead LGBTQ+ people to delay or avoid reporting out of a feeling they have nowhere to go (Calton et al., 2016). • Difficulty accessing LGBTQ+ specific or inclusive/ affirming agencies and services, due to them being few in number and potentially far distances away. For instance, a 2016 report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs found that 44% of LGBTQ+ survivors of IPV were denied shelter services when seeking help (Dickerson-Amaya et al., 2019):
‒ This is particularly true for transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming survivors who are at risk of being turned away, mistreated, or misgendered in shelters or services that are segregated by sex. • Hesitation to report out of fear of encountering anti-LGBTQ+ stigma, driven by prior negative and discriminatory experiences with healthcare providers and institutions, the police, and the judicial system • Negative experience when reporting to providers or the police, including being turned away, discriminated against, or having their complaint dismissed, downplayed, or ignored because perpetrator was a same-sex partner and/or survivor was LGBTQ+ (Calton et al., 2016). • Historical systemic biases against LGBTQ+ people / same-sex couples from the police and judicial system, including increased risk of police brutality, decreased likelihood of having orders of protection enforced, and stigmatizing homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic attitudes held by providers and police, all further perpetuate distrust and hesitation to report. • Many LGBTQ+ IPV survivors also experience additional barriers to reporting and help seeking unique to their LGBTQ+ status, as the same systems of discrimination and stigma that abusers rely on to perpetrate abuse can also serve as barriers to LGBTQ+ survivors seeking and receiving help (Resnick, 2021). ‒ For instance, the same systems of homophobic/transphobic stigma and discrimination that lead the threat of outing to be an effective technique by abusers to perpetrate IPV may lead LGBTQ+ survivors to avoid reporting for fear that doing so will force them to out themselves before they feel safe or ready. • Stereotypes about typical gendered IPV scenarios may be internalized by LGTBQ+ survivors, leading victims to feel shame about being abused and avoid seeking help, or to feel stressed about disclosing abuse to friends and family or fear that they will not be believed or sided with. At the same time, LGBTQ+ people who do report may be ignored or not believed when they do seek help, as their demographic background does not match a stereotypical victim narrative (Resnick, 2021).
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