Explain the characteristics of gay and lesbian intimate partner abuse. Then thoroughly discuss explanations for the failure/reluctance of gay/lesbian victims to report domestic violence victimization to police.
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a serious yet often ignored issue facing LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities. Until recently most studies of partner violence have been almost exclusively of heterosexual partners, with only limited information about prevalence/incidence of partner violence among gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. Same gender partner violence is often invisible and hidden but the dynamics (social stress, power, alcohol, dependency and isolation) and types of violence in same-gender relationships are similar …show more content…
The 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey conducted by the CDC had category breakdowns for Sexual Violence by any Perpetrator and Violence by an Intimate Partner. Under Sexual Violence by any Perpetrator nearly 1 in 5 women (18.3%) and 1 in 71 men (1.4%) in the United States have been raped at some time in their lives. More than half (51.1%) of female victims of rape reported being raped by an intimate partner and 40.8% by an acquaintance; for male victims, more than half (52.4%) reported being raped by an acquaintance and 15.1% by a stranger. Approximately 1 in 21 men (4.8%) reported that they were made to penetrate someone else during their lifetime; most men who were made to penetrate someone else reported that the perpetrator was either an intimate partner (44.8%) or an acquaintance (44.7%). (Black, Basile, Breiding, Smith, & Walters, …show more content…
An abusive partner may threaten to “out” his or her partner’s sexuality to family, friends, or co-workers as a tactic to get that person to stay in the relationship or to coerce the victim in order to get what he or she wants. Lesbians and gay men whose families and friends are unsupportive of their sexuality have fewer sources of support, thereby increasing isolation and making it more difficult to end abusive relationships. There is also the fear of abandonment among gay males, when one has HIV/AIDS they may fear dying alone, or they may believe that they will not be able to find another partner due to their medical condition. Another factor against the reporting of relationship violence is that LGBTQ and HIV-affected people often experience workplace discrimination, making them less financially secure. Abusive partners often take advantage of financial insecurity to control their partners, as seen in the high number of survivors experiencing financial violence (LGBTQ survivors with disabilities were two times more likely to be isolated by their abusive partner and four times more likely to experience financial violence). (Sorenson & Thomas,
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a serious yet often ignored issue facing LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities. Until recently most studies of partner violence have been almost exclusively of heterosexual partners, with only limited information about prevalence/incidence of partner violence among gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. Same gender partner violence is often invisible and hidden but the dynamics (social stress, power, alcohol, dependency and isolation) and types of violence in same-gender relationships are similar …show more content…
The 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey conducted by the CDC had category breakdowns for Sexual Violence by any Perpetrator and Violence by an Intimate Partner. Under Sexual Violence by any Perpetrator nearly 1 in 5 women (18.3%) and 1 in 71 men (1.4%) in the United States have been raped at some time in their lives. More than half (51.1%) of female victims of rape reported being raped by an intimate partner and 40.8% by an acquaintance; for male victims, more than half (52.4%) reported being raped by an acquaintance and 15.1% by a stranger. Approximately 1 in 21 men (4.8%) reported that they were made to penetrate someone else during their lifetime; most men who were made to penetrate someone else reported that the perpetrator was either an intimate partner (44.8%) or an acquaintance (44.7%). (Black, Basile, Breiding, Smith, & Walters, …show more content…
An abusive partner may threaten to “out” his or her partner’s sexuality to family, friends, or co-workers as a tactic to get that person to stay in the relationship or to coerce the victim in order to get what he or she wants. Lesbians and gay men whose families and friends are unsupportive of their sexuality have fewer sources of support, thereby increasing isolation and making it more difficult to end abusive relationships. There is also the fear of abandonment among gay males, when one has HIV/AIDS they may fear dying alone, or they may believe that they will not be able to find another partner due to their medical condition. Another factor against the reporting of relationship violence is that LGBTQ and HIV-affected people often experience workplace discrimination, making them less financially secure. Abusive partners often take advantage of financial insecurity to control their partners, as seen in the high number of survivors experiencing financial violence (LGBTQ survivors with disabilities were two times more likely to be isolated by their abusive partner and four times more likely to experience financial violence). (Sorenson & Thomas,