New resource and new project for sexuality and gender diverse communities

The It's Not OK campaign and RainbowYOUTH, along with community partner organisations, have collaborated to update a resource on healthy relationships for sexuality and gender diverse communities.

Originally produced in 2010, You, Me / Us provides information for queer, trans* and takatāpui people on sex and consent, identifying and preventing abuse, and asking for help. The booklet uses the following terms:

"Queer: A reclaimed word that represents sexuality and gender diversity. We use it to encompass lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, fa'afafine, and takatāpui identities, as well as everyone in between and not sure. This word is used by many people, but it is also appreciated that it is not the preferred term for everybody.

Trans*: The word "trans*" is used as an umbrella term for gender-diverse people, including transgender, tangata ira tane, FtM, MtF, transsexual, fa'afafine, whakawahine, transmen, transwomen, akava'ine, leiti, genderqueer and gender-neutral people, and many others.

Takatāpui: A traditional Māori term that means "intimate partner of the same sex." We use it to encompass all Māori who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, intersex and queer."

The resource also provides contact information on organisations that can provide support.

Duncan Matthews, RainbowYOUTH General Manager, said "Watching different areas of the community come together to collaborate on this resource was hugely exciting, and gives me confidence that the resource produced will provide accurate, up to date and accessible information for many queer, gender diverse and takatāpui people in our communities on healthy relationships, identifying unhealthy behaviors and accessing support."

You Me / Us posters and booklets are available for download and distribution from the It's Not OK Campaign website and the You, Me / Us website, or by request to RainbowYOUTH or the It's Not OK Campaign.

New project

A separate new national project seeks to raise awareness of intimate partner violence and sexual violence in queer* communities, and gather information about queer* community experiences and strategies to inform resource and service development. The project will include a website, anonymous survey, community hui and work with queer* community media, focused on the ways homophobia, biphobia and transphobia impact on and structure how abuse occurs in queer* relationships. The project is funded by the It’s Not OK Campaign and project managed by Sandra Dickson, with input from an advisory group which includes queer* community sector representatives. For further information, email the Project Manager.

Further research and resources

New Zealand

The research report Sexual coercion among gay men, bisexual men and takatāpui tāne in Aotearoa/New Zealand (Fenaughty, Braun, Gavey, Aspin, Reynolds, Schmidt, 2006) presents the findings from two studies designed to explore sexual coercion among gay and bisexual men in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

A University of Waikato Masters thesis studied Sexual assaults on gay and bisexual men: Barriers to reporting to the police (Patlakas, 2013).

The book chapter Working with issues of same-sex family violence (McLeod, 2003 in McMaster & Wells (Eds.) discusses the prevalence of family violence within same-sex relationships.

Women's Refuge has information on violence in relationships between women.

International

Australia

Australia's Same-Sex Domestic's Violence Interagency operates the Another closet website, including the resource booklet Another closet: Domestic Violence in Same-Sex Relationships (2009).

The Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault (now Sexual Violence Research) has published a Resource Sheet Sexual violence and gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer communities (Fileborn, 2012).

United States

Resources and research are compiled in a Special Collection by VAWnet, Preventing and Responding to Domestic Violence in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer (LGBTQ) Communities (July 2013).

The Northwest Network of Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian and Gay Survivors of Abuse (USA) works to end violence and abuse by building loving and equitable relationships in their community and across the country. The provide: support for survivors, community engagement and education (including relationships skills classes), youth programs and activities, and provider training and technical assistance. Alongisde the National Coalition of AntiViolence Projects the Northwest Network have provided a library of research which aims to map the state of knowlege regarding LGBTQ domestic violence.

The Network/La Red (USA) is a survivor-led, social justice organisation that works to end partner abuse in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, BDSM, polyamorous, and queer communities. It has published the fact sheets Bisexual-specific partner abuse handout and Partner Abuse Happens to Trans Folks too, and information for providers on working with LGBQ/T survivors.

The Survivor Project (USA) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to addressing the needs of intersex and trans survivors of domestic and sexual violence through caring action, education and expanding access to resources and to opportunities for action.

The US National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (in collaboration with FORGE) has produced a guide for refuges and other services, Sheltering transgender women: Providing welcoming services (2014).

The US Office for Victims of Crime has produced a guide for workers, Responding to transgender victims of sexual assault (2014).

New York's Anti-Violence Project has published a Community action toolkit for addressing intimate partner violence against transgender people and a Community action toolkit for addressing intimate partner violence against [LGBTQ] people of color.

A recent article discusses the findings of doctoral research exploring trans people's experiences of domestic abuse, their social care needs and whether these are met by domestic abuse agencies (journal access required). Rogers, M. (2015) Breaking down barriers: Exploring the potential for social care practice with trans survivors of domestic abuse. Health Soc Care Community. 2015, Feb 9. doi: 10.1111/hsc.12193. [Epub ahead of print]

The United States National Sexual Violence Resource Center has produced an Information Packet, Sexual violence & individuals who identify as LGBTQ. This includes an annotated bibliography, research brief, resource list and guides on: Talking about Gender & Sexuality, Creating Inclusive Agencies, the Process of Coming Out, the Impact of Discrimination, Hate & Bias-Motivated Crimes, the Impact on Individuals & Communities, Sexual Harassment & Bullying of Youth, and Transformative Prevention Programming.

A Power and Control Wheel for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Relationships has been developed by Roe and Jagodinsky, adapted from the Duluth power and control wheel.

Transgender People, Intimate Partner Abuse, and the Legal System by Leigh Goodmark (2013) discusses "barriers confronting transgender people seeking relief from intimate partner abuse, situates those barriers in the broader context of the structural and institutional violence and discrimination that are so prevalent in the lives of transgender people, and examines closely the inadequacy of the legal system to address the needs of transgender people subjected to abuse."

Data on the national prevalence of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence among gay, lesbian, and bisexual women and men in the United States is available in the 2010 Findings on Victimization by Sexual Orientation from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS).

Image: Rainbow by Benson Kua. Licence: Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Media

Breaking the taboo of domestic violence in LGBTI relationships, Stuff, 30.05.2015