Report on intimate partner violence in LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities: transgender people face increased risk of violence.
BY VICTOR MELAMED
The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) has released its report “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and HIV-Affected Intimate Partner Violence in 2014.”
Key findings in the report include the following:
• For a fourth year in a row cisgender men killed by their male partners were most impacted by “intimate partner violence” (IVP) related homicide.
• LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities of color, bisexual survivors, transgender communities, and cisgender male survivors were uniquely and disproportionately impacted by IVP.
• A higher percentage of LGBTQ and HIV-affected survivors of intimate partner violence attempted to access the police, courts, and domestic violence shelters for support compared to previous years.
Additionally, the 2014 report found that transgender survivors were 1.98 times more likely to experience IPV in public areas, and 3.39 times more likely to experience discrimination than people who did not identify as transgender.
“Transgender people face increased risk of violence for many reasons, including transphobia and discrimination on the basis of gender identity,” said Mieko Failey, from the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
“It is critical that we address the barriers transgender survivors experience in accessing resources and provide supportive programs that explicitly include the transgender community,” added Susan Holt, also from the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
If your partner is abusive, or if you are abusive to your partner, the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s STOP Domestic Violence and/or Domestic Violence Legal Advocacy Project can help you. Call the STOP Domestic Violence Project at 323-860-5806. After regular business hours, you can also call the 24-hour national domestic violence hotline at 888-799-7233 (SAFE).
