1/ Today is Australia's first LGBTQI Domestic Violence Awareness Day. Given the societal invisibility of DFV in LGBTQI+ relationships, this is a great first step in improving awareness about, & responses to LGBTQI+ survivors & perpetrators #ImHereForYou

2/ As part of this, I want to talk a little bit about some of the research on how we perceive and respond to DFV in LGBTQI+ relationships, and what societal beliefs impact this.

3/ While research is still emerging in this area, & there are issues with how data has traditionally been collected (e.g. not asking about the gender of the perpetrator, focusing on gay male r'ships, restricting gender to binary categories, inconsistent definitions of violence)

4/ it's estimated that DFV occurs in LGBTQI+ relationships at similar rates to heterosexual relationships (Messinger, 2011; Pitts, Smith, Mitchell, & Patel, 2006). As with all forms of DFV, the abuse is often fuelled by a need to exert power and maintain control (Vic Gov, 2018).

5/ In the context of hetero r'ships, the perpetration of DFV typically follows gendered lines. While folks are still theorising about how LGBTQI+ DFV fits in this model, it's important to acknowledge that violence against LGBTQI+people, in any form, doesn't occur in a vacuum.

6/ The same societal factors that influence, justify & condone violence against LGBTQI+ people more broadly (e.g. negative stereotypes norms & behaviours about gender & sexuality) can serve to keep DFV in LGBTQI+ r'ships invisible & perpetuate disadvantage...

7/ These societal factors can then be used by perpetrators to intimidate, coerce, minimise & threaten the survivor (e.g. threatening to "out" their sexuality, gender ID &/or HIV status), which in turn can compound a survivor's feelings of isolation.

8/ These beliefs can also discourage survivors from seeking help as they can impact the way people outside the relationship perceive and respond to disclosures of DFV (i.e. bystanders, support workers, police, magistrates, jurors, etc.)

9/ One of the studies from my PhD shows that in the context or same-gender DFV, perceivers' use traditional gender stereotypes to assess the perceived severity of the abuse. So when the abuse occurs in a r'ship between two men, people minimise the violence as "boys being boys" &

10/ blame the victim for failing to live up to masculine stereotypes by not "fighting back". However, when the abuse occurs in a r'ship between two women, people use gender stereotypes about women to minimise the severity of the abuse (e.g. women are "too weak" to hurt someone)

11/ Throughout my thesis I look into this a little more & find that across four experimental studies perceivers' repeatedly use stereotypes associated with the victim-survivors gender to make judgements about blame & the severity of the abuse.

12/ More specifically, I found that this happens regardless of the the strength of the evidence OR the type of abuse being perpetrated (physical vs non-physical)

13/ Initially, it looked like regardless of the perpetrator's gender or the couple's sexuality, male victim-survivors of DFV were seen as universally more negatively than female victim-survivors because masculine gender stereotypes don't match with victim-related stereotypes BUT

14/ I looked into this further & found that the negative perceptions of male DFV victim-survivors are reaction to perceived threats to the gender hierarchy. Such that, a man who is a victim of DFV is perceived as a threat to the gender hierarchy because of his “lowered status”.

15/ In response to this, people engage in backlash behaviour by “punishing” the male victim (i.e., judging him harshly). However, violence perpetrated by a woman against another women, does not lower men’s social status, & so is not see as a threat to the gender hierarchy.

16/ Things also get a bit more interesting when we take into account people's level of sensitivity to these threats (e.g., people's endorsement of beliefs about traditional masculine gender roles) - here, the couple's sexuality matters...

17/ In my final study, I find that people who more strongly endorse male role norms (i.e., cultural expectations & definitions of masculine behaviour) judge BOTH male and female DFV victim-survivors in same-gender r'ships more negatively than those in different-gender r'ships...

18/ Negativity towards same-gender DFV also translates into status quo reinforcing behaviour. Those who more strongly endorse masculine gender roles, see same-gender DFV as more threatening to trad. gender roles, & when given the chance take more money from...

19/ a feminist charity (i.e., status quo disrupting) to give to status quo reinforcing charities (e.g. Focus on the Family).

20/ These studies highlight the critical role that gender stereotypes and the endorsement of beliefs about traditional male gender roles have on perceptions of, and responses to, same-gender DFV involving both men, AND women.

21/ They also suggest that a gender transformative approach may be an effective way to reduce bias towards male and female victim-survivors of DFV in same-gender & different-gender relationships.

22/ BUT, it's important to keep in mind that these studies only speak to a small piece of the puzzle. Because I only focused on cis-gender r'ships in this research, these results don't capture the impact of stereotypes about people across the wide range of genders & sexualities

23/ Nor do they speak to the impact of stereotypes about people who belong to multiple, and intersecting social categories (e.g., sexism, racism, classism, sexual prejudice and/or ableism).

24/ While this was done to maintain experimental control & to not to conflate the varying stereotypes that exist about the many amazing and often intersecting LGBTQI+ identities, it's imperative that more research & advocacy continues in this space.

25/ People from LGBTIQ+ communities need to know that help is available for them, that they don’t have to live with abuse & that they won't be further stigmatised when seeking help. Everyone, regardless of their sexuality or gender ID, deserves to live a life free from abuse.

26/ Although the majority of DFV services out there cater to a cis-gender heterosexual model, there is a growing awareness and push for services to cater to the specific needs of LGBTQI+ folk...

27/ As such, many police services around Australia have Domestic Violence Liaison Officers, who have specialist training in working with people who are experiencing DFV, as well as Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officers, who have been specially trained to address LGBTQI+ issues.

28/ Finally, if you or someone you know is at risk of DFV you can:
Call Triple Zero (000) if it's an emergency, & ask for the police.
Call 1800 737 732 – the National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service.
Call QLife on 1800 184 527 3pm – 12pm.
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