Same-sex domestic abuse targeted

Spate of deaths spurs bid to raise awareness

September 05, 2011|By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

A series of killings of gay men and women by their partners has alarmed advocates, who say the deaths reflect a serious problem of domestic violence in the gay community that draws scant attention from many in law enforcement.

Since 2010, there have been seven killings as a result of domestic violence, a sharp increase from prior years when advocates reported one to three such homicides.

Last month, a 47-year-old man was accused of stabbing his boyfriend then burying his body beneath a porch in Winthrop.

As advocates struggle to understand the increase, they say many police, prosecutors, and judges lack the sensitivity and training to help gays, lesbians, and transgender people who are victims of abuse. Often, authorities fail to recognize who is the batterer in such relationships and who needs help. The consequences can be disastrous, advocates say, leaving victims with few resources and empowering the abuser.

The issue is one of many that advocates are tackling as they try to raise public awareness of same-sex domestic violence.

In some ways, concerns about police indifference reflect a broader lack of public understanding of violence that can erupt in gay relationships.

“There are … times when people may see [gay] domestic violence as less serious, like a catfight between women or guys who should work it out between themselves,’’ said Jessica Newman, a counselor in the Violence Recovery Program at Fenway Health. “We live in a society where heterosexism and homophobia are pervasive and people are walking around with unconscious biases.’’

Advocates say there is a deep resistance from some police departments to learn more about the issue. They report dropping off brochures about services for victims only to have officers scoff or discard them. A few years ago, officers from one department in the state walked out of a workshop on helping gay domestic violence victims, said Curt Rogers, executive director of the Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project in Cambridge.

“It was pretty traumatizing,’’ he said. “As soon as we started in on the content, one officer asked: ‘Why are we here? This is just like our diversity training. This is a waste of our time.’ ’’

Advocates declined to name the departments for fear of ruining any chance of working with them.

The need to train law enforcement is great, they say.

There are regular reports of both victim and batterer receiving restraining orders to stay away from each other because a judge was unable to identify the abuser. For the same reason, victims have been arrested along with their abusers after police received a report of an assault.