USA LGBT and Queer Domestic Violence in 2008

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) today released its report on domestic violence within lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) communities in the United States during the year 2008. The total number of cases reported to NCAVP members was 3,419. Los Angeles, with increased monitoring capacity, reported close to 1,500 incidents. Major findings of the report reflected that the number of reported DV-related fatalities increased and the number of cases with reported police misconduct in 2008 increased by 93%. In 2008, incidents of police misconduct, reported by 2.3% of all callers to NCAVP organizations, nearly doubled compared to those reported in 2007.

â??This report is the definitive resource on LGBTQ domestic violence in the US. However, it is certain that incidents of LGBTQ domestic violence are under-reported and under-addressed due to systemic anti-LGBTQ bias and discrimination. The reported trends demand an increased response to issues of and support for LGBTQ domestic violence services,â? said Sharon Stapel, Executive Director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project.

Other major findings of the 2008 report included increases in reports along many race and ethnicity categories, notably people identifying as Latina/o (100%), Multi-racial (91%), and African Descent (50%). Striking increases were seen in a relatively new category of immigration, especially people with recent visas (1700%), refugees and asylees (900%), and people who are undocumented (250%). Additionally, reports of domestic violence against people living with disabilities increased by almost 50%.

According to Kaitlin Nichols, Director of Organizing & Education for The Network/LaRed, â??Increased violence at the hands of intimate partners and of the police, and increasingly diverse communities seeking services, shows that strengthened cultural competency in mainstream institutions and the continued presence of LGBTQ-specific anti-violence programs are needed now more than ever.â?

NCAVP makes several key recommendations in the 2008 report, including the need for local state and federal governments to: increase funding to LGBTQ domestic violence programs, extend support to community and non-profit based prevention initiatives, and improve the efficacy of law enforcementâ??s response to LGBTQ domestic violence.

â??Despite a troubled economy, NCAVP calls upon elected officials and community leaders to show their commitment to fighting domestic violence within the LGBTQ communities with resources, support and a willingness to speak out against this violence. The need for safe and effective services and public awareness has never been greaterâ? said Terra Slavin, Lead Staff Attorney for the Domestic Violence Legal Advocacy Project at the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center.

This report is a product of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), a network of over 35 anti-violence organizations that monitor, respond to, and work to end hate and domestic violence, HIV-related violence and other forms of violence affecting LGBTQ communities.

Fifteen NCAVP member organizations from the Pacific Coast, the West, the Midwest and the Northeast collected data for this report. No programs reported from the Southeast or the South, due to a highly limited number of programs and resources. NCAVP member organizations are found in 20 states throughout the country and many are the single resource in their entire state.

“More than half of the country is without a local or state-wide LGBTQ anti-violence program,” said Kristin Tucker of the Northwest Network of Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian and Gay Survivors of Abuse, “There is no question that we have made great strides in increasing the innovative, critical programs available to LGBTQ survivors of domestic violence, but we know that community-based services continue to be under-resourced. The government, the public and members of LGBTQ communities across the country must work in collaboration to bring this issue forward and to address the needs of LGBTQ survivors of domestic violence.”

By News Wire