Violence in LGBT Relations - Where is the Support?

A study by the social policy group SIGMA estimates that 1 in 3 LGBT relationships are abusive in nature.

Feature by Jasper Hamill | 12 Nov 2006

No-one seems sure of the prevalence of domestic abuse in same-sex or transgender relationships. A study by the social policy group SIGMA estimates that 1 in 3 lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender relationships are abusive in nature. Figures from pioneering helpline Broken Rainbow, which specialises in assisting victims of abuse in LGBT relationships, puts the figures at 1 in 4. These numbers, taken from a UK-wide survey, suggest incidents of domestic violence in gay relationships are far higher than most observers would credit. Yet in the whole of the UK, only twenty refuge beds, which are always occupied, are available for gay men suffering abuse.

Beds for women are more plentiful, yet many lesbians or transsexuals face what is termed by Broken Rainbow as 'double victimisation' when in need: persecuted by an abusive partner, ex or parent, and subsequently too afraid of further prejudice to admit their sexuality in a refuge. Issues with transgender people are even more fraught, they claim, with many institutions refusing to recognise their chosen gender, in spite of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 which gave legal recognition and the right to a new birth certificate to transsexuals living in the UK.

The problem in Scotland has been even more acute. Of all the calls made to Broken Rainbow in its first two years of operation, none were from Scotland, and no specific organisation exists to assist male victims of same-sex abuse north of the border. The groups set up to cater for heterosexual women are, according to Ruth Black, centre manager of the Glasgow LGBT Centre, "impossible for lesbian or transgender women to integrate within." Compounding this, many of the communities simply "don't know help is there" if it is needed. Contrast this with the situation in London, where several bodies including Broken Rainbow exist to assist victims, and it quickly becomes clear that action is needed. According to a representative from Stonewall, problems also lie in providing for "the L's, the G's, the B's and T's," who require slightly different services, according to specific needs.

Rob, who was stuck in an abusive relationship in his twenties, said he had "no intention of calling the police," even when the abuse was at its peak. Smoking furiously, he talked ruefully of his partner who would fly into jealous rages if he saw him talking to another man. He grew up in a tough area and was able to defend himself on the streets, but felt unable to escape from the relationship. "We were living together; I was doing odd jobs and just couldn't afford to move out. If he punched me, I hit him back, yet it was clear where the power lay. He knew I had nowhere to go." A slight man with a gruff accent, both he and his situation were so far from popular preconceptions of homosexuality taken from "camp comics on the telly", he felt that he had "nowhere to turn". His family, who only grudgingly accepted him years after he came out, were unwilling to help. The police, in his experience, "didn't really have a clue what I was going through… they would have just seen two queers beating each other up and left it at that." I ask him if he would have contemplated moving into a safe refuge to escape a partner. "In a heartbeat, I just didn't know of any."

People in a similar situation in Scotland have very few places to turn. Vita la Porta, a representative from Broken Rainbow, has personally pushed for extensive advertising of her organisation in places away from the capital. "I feel sad," she says, "when victims phone from Scotland or Northern Ireland and there's nothing I can do. In Wales, they have a similar service to ours called the Dyn Project, but it caters only to gay men. We try to include all members of the LGBT community but if there's nowhere we can refer them to near where they live, then we cannot help them."

In Scotland and around the UK there are institutions like Women's Aid that claim to offer exactly the same services to transgender or lesbian women as they do heterosexual women. Mary Lockhart from Women's Aid admits that there is a gap in service provision for gay men, and possibly lesbian women, but in "a refuge supported by any Women's Aid group, prejudice is not tolerated." She passionately disagrees with the notion that lesbian women will experience any double victimisation. Women's Refuges around Scotland are no longer like hostels; instead they are self-contained flats or 'scatter flats,' integrated with other housing.

Some gay women though, "would rather be in refuges where everybody was also lesbian," and she suggests that, "prejudice can be found everywhere, both in day-to-day life and some refuges." Yet fundamental to the aim of Women's Aid and similar groups is that, "women have the right to expect the same services, regardless of sexuality or gender status." She also points out that despite the lack of groups for supporting homosexual men in violent relationships, it is not the place of Women's Aid to offer help as it is an institution," specifically designed with the needs of women and children in mind."

The Scottish Executive is attempting to tackle the problem. Under the rubric of ACPOS (Association of Police Officers in Scotland) and the LGBT Safer Communities Initiative, work is being done to combat the chronic lack of resources for gay men. A spokesperson from the Safer Communities said that, "it was no surprise that there's no great provision for abused gay men," but a small planning group has been formed to discuss the issue, which includes representatives from many major LGBT groups. None of these groups are happy with the current situation, yet were keen to state that the problem was being considered in some depth. Ruth Black from the Glasgow LGBT Centre pointed to the massive increase in reports of homophobic attacks, and Stuart Wilson of Strathclyde Police claimed domestic abuse in LGBT relationships was something "being taken very seriously."

Of all the reports of domestic violence in Scotland, only around one per cent are from same-sex relationships. This apparent disparity between reported figures and those suggested by SIGMA or Broken Rainbow indicates a profound lack of communication between victims and both the police and the criminal justice system. Already there is work being done multilaterally, involving the police, gay right organisations, Women's Groups and the Scottish Executive, examining how the police and government can best deal with any victims. Yet this research is in its infancy. Police are still tangling themselves up in issues like gender assignation, right down to the language used to address a transgender person's sex. Let's hope these issues are resolved quickly so the required services can be provided as soon as possible.

http://www.broken-rainbow.org.uk/