Domestic Violence in the LGBT Community

Course overview

This course focuses on domestic violence between intimate partners. Domestic violence is defined as an ongoing, continual pattern in a relationship where one person is forced to change or modify their behavior in a response to coercion, exploitation, manipulation, threats and, or violence because of their partner. This course will not address in depth all aspects of domestic violence. However, it will share the foundation and building blocks in order to address the oppression, barriers and challenges unique to, or are magnified for, Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgendered (LGBT) individuals when seeking safety. It is also worth noting that acts of domestic violence against LGBT individuals may not be committed by an individual in the same-gender or gender-variant relationship at all. For example, a male relative may batter a woman after discovering she is involved in a lesbian relationship, feeling it somehow reflects on his family honor. Keywords: domestic violence, LGBT, emotional abuse, psychological abuse, physical abuse, economic abuse, financial abuse, abuser, abused, family, spouse, partner, intimate partner, control, isolation, coming out, secrecy, re-victimization, ageism