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ON ANOTHER DOMESTIC-VIOLENCE FRONT
LGBT battering
BY KRISTEN LOMBARDI

Just like straight love, queer love has a flip side. To wit: last month, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs released statistics on domestic violence in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) relationships in 2002. Nationally, as many as 5092 incidents of LGBT partner abuse were reported last year. In Massachusetts, advocates fielded 261 such calls and, as is the case with straight spousal abuse, that number is believed to be lower than reality. The Network/La Red, a Boston group that combats domestic violence among lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered women, took part in the national effort. The Phoenix spoke with the Network’s Gunner Scott about the state of LGBT domestic violence in Massachusetts.

Q: What strikes you about these latest statistics?

A: They’re pretty consistent. If you compare those who call about LGBT domestic violence versus straight domestic violence, you’d say it’s a low number. But you have to take into consideration certain factors. Some people may not identify themselves as LGBT, although they’re involved in a same-sex relationship. Some may call mainstream domestic-violence programs. The biggest factor is that, in the LGBT community, domestic violence is seen as a straight issue. It’s about straight women and straight men. It’s about sexism and violence against women. Ads about domestic violence have been aimed at straight women. Yet one in four LGBT folks are battered by a partner at some point in their lives, which is very similar to straight women.

Q: You saw a slight decrease in reported cases last year. Why?

A: Our numbers went down because we didn’t have a large ad campaign in 2002. In 2001, when we had an ad campaign, our numbers had gone up significantly. We had 329 cases in 2001, compared to 180 last year. So you see that the more you put out the information, the more people call.

Q: Is there a particular segment that’s disproportionately affected?

A: Domestic violence cuts across all races, ages, and socioeconomic classes. We have folks who call us from across the state, as well as across the country. We’ve had folks call us from Spain, Mexico, the former Soviet Union. They’re people from all races, from teenagers on up to the elderly.

Q: How does Massachusetts compare with other states when it comes to this issue?

A: It depends. The majority of programs [like Network] are in larger cities. Some are bigger than Boston, with bigger LGBT populations. In Massachusetts, there were 261 reports of LGBT domestic violence. In New York, there were 371. Columbus, Ohio, reported 64 incidents. But Columbus is a much smaller city than Boston, with a smaller LGBT population. Different cities also have different comfort levels. In Boston, the LGBT community is out and the city government has been supportive. In other places, people might not feel as supported by the community at large. And that contributes to the number of people calling programs. They might not feel as safe coming out.

Q: So how does the state measure up in fighting LGBT domestic violence?

A: In Massachusetts, we have organizations, like Network, that work to educate the LGBT community about domestic violence and provide services to survivors. In the larger domestic-violence community, there are 60 or so programs. And the majority have had some training around LGBT domestic violence. Still, there isn’t a lot of awareness about this issue in the first place. When I came out 10 years ago, I read lots of books. None of them talked about domestic violence. The issues were gay rights, discrimination in housing or the workplace, HIV/AIDS. Today, the issues for the LGBT community are marriage rights, HIV/AIDS, and gays in the military. You don’t hear too much about what’s going on to combat domestic violence. It’s seen as a downer issue. We’ve worked hard to overcome gay stereotypes — that we cannot have long-term, monogamous relationships, that we’re not fit to be parents. When you talk about queer domestic violence, it can fuel negative stereotypes. You have the conservative right-winger saying, "See, you’re violent to each other, too."

Q: So what should we do now?

A: Statistics show that domestic violence happens in the LGBT community, that it can happen to your best friend or neighbor or co-worker. We in the LGBT community should be looking at this issue and finding ways to end it and support survivors. We still have a lot of work to do.


Issue Date: August 8 - 14, 2003
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