Are they really gay? Domestic Violence Amongst Gays Targeted
By: Administrative Account | Source: CNSNews.com
October 20, 2004 6:30AM EST
Domestic Violence in LGBT Relationships Targeted
By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Morning Editor
October 20, 2004
(CNSNews.com) - The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association is launching a first-of-its-kind "LGBT Relationship Violence Project" to educate medical professionals about domestic violence in lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender communities.
The project will be paid for by a $50,000 grant from the Blue Shield of California Foundation, the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) announced in a press release.
"The Blue Shield of California Foundation recognizes that little attention has been paid to domestic violence in LGBT contexts, and that GLMA is uniquely positioned to educate medical professionals and the larger LGBT community about this widely neglected, serious health issue," said Marianne Balin, who manages the Blue Shield of California Foundation's anti-violence program.
The Relationship Violence Project will be formally launched at GLMA's 22nd Annual Conference, on October 21-23, in Rancho Mirage, California.
"Domestic violence is a hugely ignored health issue in the LGBT communities, affecting one in three LGBT relationships," said Susan Holt, an expert on LGBT domestic violence prevention.
"This conference is an important step for our community in facing the violence in our midst and systematically challenging it. Medical professionals can play a pivotal role not only in identifying domestic violence, but also in educating others about the problem," Holt added.
The upcoming presentations in Palm Springs will "mark the beginning of GLMA's essential work to educate the medical community about the often-hidden but brutal reality of LGBT relationship violence," said GLMA President Kenneth Haller, MD. "Medical providers within the LGBT community can play a critical role in helping to detect, address and prevent LGBT relationship violence."
Also speaking in Palm Springs later this week is Patrick Letellier, co-author of Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them: Battered Gay Men and Domestic Violence.
"No one should have to go through what I did at the hands of my violent partner," Letellier said in a press release. "I applaud GLMA and Blue Shield of California Foundation for taking a stand against this problem and beginning to address it. The LGBT Relationship Violence Project will save lives."
A new report from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Projects released last week documented 6,523 cases of LGBT domestic violence that were reported in 2003, a 13 percent increase over the prior year. The number includes six domestic violence-related deaths, the report said.
The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association is dedicated to improving the quality of health services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
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