Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Communities’ Readiness for Intimate Partner Violence Prevention

Abstract

Efforts to address intimate partner violence (IPV) in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities often rely on identifying what service providers can do to better reach and serve these populations. However, assessing a community's readiness in response to the issue of IPV in LGBT communities locates the issue where outcry is most likely to occur. Utilizing the Community Readiness Model in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities in two rural and two urban communities, this study revealed a low level of community readiness to address IPV. Only vague awareness of IPV exists in these sexual orientation, gender identity, and geographic communities. The study suggests specific next steps tailored to raise LGBT communities’ readiness to address IPV from within their own communities, starting at the current low level.

KEYWORDS:

• intimate partner violence
• LGBT
• community readiness
• prevention

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was supported by a Healthier Wisconsin Planning Grant 2007D-38 to Diverse and Resilient, Inc. and the Medical College of Wisconsin Center for AIDS Intervention Research.

Notes

1. The terms LGBT and same-sex relationships are used interchangeably throughout this article, although reluctantly, and we acknowledge, not always accurately. The authors recognize that some bisexual and transgender people are in relationships that appear heterosexual to those who do not know each person's gender/sexual identity. However, for the sake of consistency with past research and parsimony in this article, we use these terms to include the range of relationships for L, G, B, and T people.