Running head: INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN THE LGBT COMMUNITY

Intimate Partner Violence in the LGBT Community

Caroline N Everidge
Ball State University

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN THE LGBT COMMUNITY

Task One Gather information from key informants in the community and from the
literature
Identify Major Participants
Muncie OUTreach works with members of the LGBT community by providing different
resources, such as free HIV and STI testing and sex education, LGBTQ therapy, a food bank,
partnership with A Better Way in cases of domestic violence (Muncies local domestic violence
shelter), and free contraception/protection.
Identify Community Condition
Nationally, about 1 percent of all couple households are same-sex couples (Lofquist,
2011), or about 726,600 households (United States Census Bureau, 2013). In Indiana, there are
approximately 12,722 same-sex households (United States Census Bureau, 2013). In Indiana, the
majority of same-sex couples are female or 56% (Gates, 2014). Individuals in couples can be
broken down by age: <30, 17% same-sex, 8% different- sex married; 30-59, 53% same-sex, 40%
different-sex married; 50-64, 27% same-sex, 33% different-sex married; and 65+, 3% same-sex,
19% different-sex married (Gates, 2014). Lesbian couples in Muncie represent approximately
0.4% of all households.
Identify Relevant Historical Incidents
Although attitudes are beginning to change, the majority of domestic violence programs
view domestic violence as a male-perpetrated, heterosexual experience (Ard & Makadon,
2011, para. 4). When researchers and feminists began focusing attention on intimate partner
violence (IPV) fifty years ago, same-sex relationships where not included: same-sex intimate
relationships were illegal and largely invisible (Baker, Buick, Kim, Moniz, Nava, 2012, p. 183).
It wasnt until recently, 2003, that same-sex relationships were fully decriminalized in the United

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN THE LGBT COMMUNITY

States in Lawrence v. Texas (Baker et al., 2012). IPV is beginning to be acknowledged in the
LGBT community. Although tacitly acknowledged as being an important issue, IPV in LGBT
relationships has not been thoroughly studied or analyzed, which reveals its actual status as
marginalized in current theoretical frameworks for understanding IPV (Cannon & Buttell, 2015,
p. 70). The Violence Against Women Act, until reauthorized in 2013, did not include protections
for LGBT couples (Cannon & Buttell, 2015).
Because of limited research, it is difficult to determine the rate of IPV in the LGBT
community, but recent research estimates that IPV is experienced at similar rates in both samesex and heterosexual couples (Cannon & Buttell, 2015). 43.85% of self-identified lesbians
reported to have been physically victimized, stalked, or raped by an intimate partner in their
lifetimes, compared to 35% of heterosexual women, 29.0% of heterosexual men, and 26.0% of
gay men. Bisexual women experienced the highest rates of IPV with 61.1% (as cited in Cannon
& Buttell, 2015, p. 66). Perpetrators most commonly use two tactics to control their victims:
threatening to or actually revealing the victims sexuality to others (outing the victim), or
isolating the victim (Potter, Fountain, Stapleton, 2012, p. 202). Many lesbians who report abuse
state that the abuse occurred during their first relationship when they were the most vulnerable
(Potter, et al., 2012).
Task Two Explore the professional knowledge base
The LGBT community faces several barriers when it comes to IPV treatment and
services. One of these barriers is lack of support from family, friends, religious communities, etc.
This type of support is often utilized by IPV victims in heterosexual relationships but many
LGBT persons have been rejected from these support groups and have oftentimes been
victimized by them, finding their only support in their abusers. This exacerbates the problem the

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN THE LGBT COMMUNITY

LGBT community is facing. Another barrier that people in the LGBT community face is not
getting the proper treatment for their situation. Providers often are unaware of the different needs
people in the LGBT community have. In order to effectively intervene, and ultimately prevent
abuse, providers must know about LGBT persons, how cultural and ethnic issues impact gender
identity and sexual orientation, and the multiple and complex variables in LGBT domestic
violence (L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center, 2011).
The National Center for Victims of Crime and the National Coalition of Anti-Violence
Programs (NCAVP) found that in 2009 LGBTQ victims of crime still did not have consistent
access to culturally competent services to prevent and address the violence against them
(National Center for Victims of Crime & National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 2010, p.
2). Without access to culturally competent services, LGBTQ victims will continue to suffer
disproportionately from violence and the after-effects of victimization (National Center for
Victims of Crime & National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 2010, p. 2).
Collect Supporting Data
People in the LGBT community grow up knowing that society thinks their love is
disgusting, that they are perverted or at the very least not valued and are, therefore, an acceptable
target of discrimination and violence (National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, 2007, p.
4). Much of this is internalized. Distinguishing factors of domestic violence in samegender/gender-variant relationships are, therefore, the overtly sexist, heterosexist, and profoundly
homophobic nature of social norms combined with an internalization of homophobic,
heterosexist, and sexist conditioning that encourages and/or reinforces an abusers violence
(National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, 2007, p. 4).
Make the Data Meaningful for Interpretation

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN THE LGBT COMMUNITY

According to the American Community Survey (2013), there were 726,600 same-sex
households in 2013. Indiana had 12,722 households (28.3% of same-sex households are samesex spouses) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013). In 2011, the NCAVP member organizations had
received 3,390 reports of IPV among the LGBT community (National Coalition for AntiViolence Programs, 2012). The majority of overall IPV survivors reported their sexual
orientation as either gay (38.7%) or lesbians (31.3%) (National Coalition for Anti-Violence
Programs, 2012).
Task Three Select Factors that Help Explain the Underlying Causes of the Problem
There are a number of policy solutions for addressing same-sex IPV including changing
legal interpretation of existing domestic violence laws to incorporate same-sex couples,
providing funding to educate law enforcement about the LGBT community, establishing samesex IPV prevention programs, supporting organizations that specifically address same-sex IPV,
and lastly mandating cultural competency training for organizations receiving federal funding to
implement IPV prevention or treatment programs (Center for American Progress, 2015).
The NCAVP has six recommendations: 1) Congress should pass an LGBTQ-inclusive
Violence Against Women Act. This will improve access to services for LGBTQ survivors of IPV,
dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. 2) Policymakers and funders should increase
funding on all levels to LGBTQ-specific antiviolence programs. 3) Policymakers should support
and fund LGBTQ training in increase the cultural competency of all victim service provides to
effectively work with LGBTQ survivors. 4) Policymakers and funders should fund LGBTQ antiviolence organizations to conduct IPV prevention initiatives. 5) Policymakers and funders should
support programs and campaigns to prevent and increase public awareness of LGBTQ IPV. 6)
Policymakers should ensure that the federal government collects information on sexual

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN THE LGBT COMMUNITY

orientation and gender identity, whenever demographic data is requested (National Coalition for
Anti-Violence Programs, 2012).

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN THE LGBT COMMUNITY

References
Ard, K. L. & Makadon, H. J. (2011). Addressing intimate partner violence in lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender patients. J Gen Intern Med. doi: 10.1007/s11606-011-1697-6
Baker, N. L., Buick, J. D., Kim, S. R., Moniz, S., & Nava, K. L. (2012). Lessons from examining
same-sex intimate partner violence. Springer Science + Business. doi: 10.1007/s11199012-0218-3
Cannon, C. & Buttell, F. (2015). Illusion of inclusion: The failure of the gender paradigm to
account for intimate partner violence in LGBT relationships. Partner Abuse 6(1). doi:
10.1891/1946- 6560.6.1.65
Center for American Progress. (2015). Domestic violence in the LGBT community: A fact sheet.
Retrieved from
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/lgbt/news/2011/06/14/9850/domestic-violencein-the-lgbt-community/
City-data.com. (2015). Muncie, Indiana. Retrieved from http://www.city-data.com/city/MuncieIndiana.html
Gates, G. J. (2014). Same-sex couples in Indiana: A demographic summary. Los Angeles, CA:
The Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law. Retrieved from
http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/IN-same-sex-couples-demo-aug2014.pdf.
L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center. (2011). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender intimate partner
violence: The California report. Retrieved from
http://laglc.convio.net/site/DocServer/Cal_Report_2011_FINAL.pdf?docID=14322

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN THE LGBT COMMUNITY

Lofquist, D. (2011). Same-sex couple households. American Community Survey Briefs.

Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/acsbr10-03.pdf
National Center for Victims of Crime & National Coalition for Anti-Violence Programs. (2010).
Why it matters: Rethinking victim assistance for lesbian, gay, bisexuals, transgender, and
queer victims of hate violence and intimate partner violence. Retrieved from
http://www.victimsofcrime.org/docs/Reports%20and%20Studies/WhyItMatters_LGBTQ
report_press.pdf?sfvrsn=0
National Coalition for Anti-Violence Programs. (2012). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
queer, and HIV-infected intimate partner violence. Retrieved from
http://www.avp.org/storage/documents/2012_NCAVP_IPV_Report_Final.pdf.pdf
National Resource Center on Domestic Violence. (2007). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans
(LGBT) communities and domestic violence Dynamics of domestic violence. Retrieved
from http://www.vawnet.org/Assoc_Files_VAWnet/NRC_LGBTDV-Full.pdf
Potter, S. J., Fountain, K., & Stapleton, J. G. (2012). Addressing sexual and relationship violence
in the LGBT community using a bystander framework. President and Fellows of
Harvard College. doi: 10.3109/10673229.2012.712838
United States Census Bureau. (2013). Characteristics of same-sex couple households 2013.
Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/hhes/samesex/