LBGTQIA+ Persons
Our Services
Intimate Partner Violence and the LGBTQIA+ Community
There are several forms of violence that present specific to the LGBTQIA+ population:
Threat of Outing:
“If you do this, i will tell you [parents, friends, etc.] you are gay.”
The threat of outing can be used as a way to control another person. Someone who is closeted might not only feel afraid of stigmatization and rejection from their significant others, but also face serious repercussions from various institutions from a forced outing.
Gender/Sexual-Orientation based Insults:
“You are not gay enough,” “You are too gay,” or “You say you’re bisexual because you want to sleep around,” or “You are too butch to be a real woman.”
Putting someone down is a classic form of emotional/verbal abuse because through insults a person erodes someone else’s self-esteem. However, the type of insults abusers use can vary according to race, gender identity, culture, or sexual orientation.
Withholding or Selling Medication:
Any person can withhold or sell their partner’s medication. In the LGBTQ+ community this could have serious implications. if a person is transitioning they may have to take hormonal replacement therapies. Being deprived access to those hormones not only means the person will be slowed in their transitioning process but they may face an increased probability of discrimination.
Any abusive relationship about Power and Control.
Obstacles to Seeking Services:
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Lack of resources: not sure where to go or who to ask for help.
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Closeted Individuals: survivors who are closeted might not know where to seek support because they fear outing themselves. They may also not want to file a PFA because it is public record.
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Homophobia/Transphobia: Some survivors are afraid they won’t be able to find inclusive services.