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Domestic
Abuse is a serious issue among lesbians, gay men, bisexual, and
transgender people. 25 to 30% of relationships are abusive regardless
of gender or sexuality.
Click here to view the Power and
Control Wheel for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Trans Relationships.
- No one
deserves to be abused.
- Abuse can be physical, sexual, or verbal
behavior to coerce or humiliate, emotionally or psychologically.
- Abuse often occurs in a cyclic fashion.
- Abuse can be lethal.
- The purpose of the abuse is to maintain control
and power over one's partner.
- Routine intimidation is used to gain
that power.
- The abused person feels isolated, afraid and usually
convinced that they are at fault.
- The incidence rate in relationships
for gay/lesbian battering and heterosexual battering is approximately
the same; 25% to 30% of relationships are abusive.
- Lesbians and gay men who are abused have much more difficulty
finding appropriate support than heterosexual women do.
- The myth
that lesbian/gay domestic violence is "mutual" prevails
- Using services such as the legal system or battered women's shelters
is tantamount to "coming out" and a major life decision
- Support services often minimize lesbian/gay domestic violence.
Service providers may be ignorant of the severity of lesbian/gay
battering.
- Lesbian and gay survivors may know few or no other gays;
leaving the abuser could mean total isolation from every community
- The gay/lesbian community is small, and it is likely that everyone
the survivor knows will soon know about the abuse.
- The batterer
can use blackmail to hold the victim in the relationship. Being "outed" at
work or to parents is sometimes more threatening than the abuse.
- Service providers like law enforcement officers often feel GBLT
abuse may be
mutual due to gender and/or size of the abuser/abused.
- If there
are children in the relationship, seeking help will be “outed” and
mean the survivor will never again see the abuser's children, since
gays/lesbians have no parental rights.
- Often for gays/lesbians, sympathetic
friends are hard to findsince
the gay/lesbian community is not eager to acknowledge weaknesses that
the heterosexual world will use to supportits homophobic
stereotypes.
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