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Domestic violence common among gays, study says

Pennsylvania survey’s methodology criticized

By JOSHUA LYNSEN
August 04, 2006

A controversial new survey of more than 400 people in Pennsylvania revealed that gays there are more likely than heterosexuals to experience domestic violence, though the report’s methodology has been criticized.

The study, conducted by Thomas Jefferson University in Pennsylvania and published by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, found that among the sample group, gays there were 5 to 10 percent more likely than heterosexuals to be harmed by a spouse, partner or family member.

A counselor who works with gays dealing with domestic violence said he wasn’t surprised by the findings.

“Gay and lesbian relationships often exist without a lot of cultural support,” said Dr. Randy Pumphrey, clinical director for the Lambda Center. “Unlike their straight counterparts, they don’t have the blessing of marriage, the support of church or synagogue, or sometimes even the support of family.”

According to “Interpersonal Violence Among GLBT Individuals,” about 35 percent of gay men, lesbians and bisexuals surveyed reported being victims of such violence. The report claimed that interpersonal violence occurs in an estimated 25 to 30 percent of straight relationships.

The study found that compared to heterosexuals, the gays surveyed were five times more likely to be slapped or shoved, twice as likely to be sexually assaulted, and seven times more likely to be threatened with a gun or knife.
Pumphrey said the violence could stem from the unique stresses that gay couples face and that drug and alcohol use may also play a role. The Lambda Center, located in Washington, D.C., provides mental health and addiction treatment for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender adults.

“I guess there’s a part of me that wants to believe we’re above this,” he said.

“But as a clinician, I know that we’re not. Our relationships can be as flawed as our heterosexual counterparts.”

Results challenged

The Thomas Jefferson University study, conducted by domestic violence expert Ralph Riviello, based its findings on responses from 418 people, the majority of whom were gay men.

Riviello said researchers interviewed subjects last summer at Gay Pride festivals in Philadelphia, Allentown, Pa., and Harrisburg, Pa., and at a regional health clinic. He said the study, which was unfunded, is most representative of the Philadelphia region.

John Stahura, Purdue University’s Social Research Institute Director and an expert in survey methodology, said Riviello’s work “isn’t worth much.”

Stahura said that to produce an authoritative analysis, researchers would have to randomly call phones across the nation and screen for adults and “alternative sexual orientation.”

He said such work would be expensive and time consuming, but would produce more reliable results than Riviello’s survey.

“It was a convenience sample that probably wasn’t even representative of the people who attended the festivals,” Stahura said. “The conclusions aren’t worth much given the sample.”

Nonetheless, Sgt. Brett Parson, commander of the Washington, D.C., Police Department’s Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit, said domestic violence is a prevalent and pressing issue for gays.

“It is, overwhelmingly, the No. 1 type of case the GLLU gets involved in,” he said. “Ugly, nasty assaults of people who care about each other.”

The study found that among gay, lesbian and bisexual respondents, 34.5 percent said they had experienced interpersonal violence. The rate was higher among the 26 transgender respondents, with 50 percent having experienced interpersonal violence.

The transgender respondents represented about 6 percent of the total sample size, although there is no indication that this is representative of the percentage of transgender people among “GLBT people” generally.

Fifty-eight percent of transgender respondents reported being slapped, grabbed or shoved. About 43 percent had been choked, kicked or bitten. About 19 percent were forced to have sex.

According to the study, 40 percent of respondents cited their former partner as the perpetrator, while 14 percent cited their current partner. About 20 percent said the violence was experienced at the hands of a stranger.

Ron Simmons, executive director of the gay support group Us Helping Us in Washington, said parents also inflict harm.

“Our mental health program found that 66 percent of the clients suffered childhood abuse,” he said, “be it physical, emotional or sexual.”

Simmons said parents sometimes punish gay children in the hopes that they will change. He said his group once helped a 16-year-old boy whose parents had found him with gay pornography.

“They took him to see a therapist,” he said. “The mom told him, ‘I’ve tried everything — I’ve tried beating it out of him.’”

Simmons said such instances occur more often than many people realize, and was unsurprised by the study’s findings.

“It doesn’t surprise me just from what I know of homophobia,” he said. “I guess it’s so common to me that I think it’s hard to think that people wouldn’t find it.”

Abuse takes many forms

Parson said domestic abuse takes many forms, and includes a wide range of physical and verbal affronts.

“Most of them are the push, the slap, the threat, the intimidation, the grab, the shake. That’s abuse,” he said. “If you and I are partners, and I grab your arm with such force that it restricts your movement, I’m no longer trying to get your attention. I’m abusing you.”

Parson said there’s a clear distinction between a heated argument and abuse.

“If we are arguing with such emotion and anger that we get in each other’s faces, and you push me on my shoulder onto the sofa, that’s across the line,” he said. “If you accuse me of something that I find so offensive and repugnant that it offends me, and I slap your face, that’s not acceptable.”

But while the definitions of assault are legally clear, Parson said victims often rationalize the abuse.

“I think in most relationships, most people wouldn’t think to report that to the police,” he said. “They might say, ‘Oh, they’re just angry, or emotional, or they’ve had too much to drink.’ But it’s domestic violence.”

Parson said victims of domestic violence, like victims of street crime, should seek help.

He said that during an assault, victims should take a defensive posture and avoid fighting their attackers. Victims should focus on escaping as quickly as possible, and seek help from family, friends, clergy or police.

Parson said he encourages people who have been victims — or fear they might become victims — to think ahead.

“Plan an escape,” he said. “What are you going to do the next time? Who are you going to call, where are you going to go, what are you going to do? Chances are, if you freak out when it happens, you can at least fall back on your plan.”