Barriers for Lesbian Survivors of Domestic Violence

·  One of the big barriers for lesbians seeking services for domestic violence is that is may be hard for police or service agencies to determine which partner is the victim. Sometimes the abusive partner will call the police or seek services at a domestic violence shelter as a way to further control her victim.

·  Some domestic violence shelters or police may not understand that same-sex couples can be in domestic violence situations.

·  Some lesbians are afraid if they seek help for domestic violence, people will find out either that they are LBGTQ or that people will find out about their abusive relationship. In fact, domestic violence service organizations are bound by confidentiality agreements.

·  Some survivors may face homophobia in service agencies and shelters

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