Domestic abuse can happen in any relationship and LGBT relationships are no exception. While very little research has been done on the issue, and many people have estimates ( you may often see the 1 in 4 statistic), we don’t really know. The important issue is to be prepared to support victims in same sex relationships in the same way as heterosexual relationships.

Even though there are many similarities ­in that lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) people suffer from the same emotional, physical, sexual and economic abuse, isolation tactics and selective destruction of pets and property as their non ­gay counterparts; ­there are additional complications confronting them. People who are part of the LGBT community, in addition to dealing with the abuse from their partner or families, face the probability of added victimisation by the community, legal system and service providers, which may be homophobic towards them or fail to understand their needs.

One common threat used by an abusing partner to intimidate and control his/her partner in a LGBT relationship is to threaten him/her with “outing” (disclosure of his/her sexuality to family members, friends, employers, community, etc). Depending on the individual’s situation, outing could potentially result in loss of support, community standing, job, and possibly even child custody. Another control commonly used is that of withholding HIV medication or threatening to reveal the victims HIV status.

When a woman leaves her abusive same sex partner and enters a refuge, there is a danger that her abusive partner will be able to gain access by posing as a victim, Most refuges carefully screen any males attempting to make contact with anyone staying there, but not all refuges use the same degree of caution with females who are trying to make contact.