GMTV FEATURE THE PLIGHT OF MALE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS

The ManKind Initiative are reporting that GMTV (link) on ITV1 are running features on the plight of male domestic violence victims both tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday.

Comments

[Robert Anthony]

Most people think of domestic abuse as being perpetrated by someone’s former or current partner (some agencies only work with this type of domestic abuse). However, abuse can also be perpetrated by other members of an individual’s family, for example, by parents or siblings when someone ‘comes out’. Domestic abuse among the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities is often overlooked. At worst, members of the LGBT communities have received a hostile or ignorant response to their experience of domestic abuse. Equally, the LGBT communities have been reluctant to address the issue of same-sex domestic abuse for fear of prompting, or exacerbating, homophobia. The reality is that domestic abuse can affect anyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, age, gender, race, religion or ability. Around one in four members of the lesbian and gay communities will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime, (a similar proportion to heterosexual women). Our knowledge of the transgender community is limited, although one study found that one in ten transgender people had experienced domestic abuse, while another found that 50% of participants had been raped or assaulted by an intimate partner.