Bellingham-Whatcom County Commission on Sexual & Domestic Violence

High Risk Domestic Violence & LGBTQ+ Communities

“It’s stressful being a queer and genderqueer person and trying to get help. You never know if someone is going to be supportive.”

—survivor

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High Risk Domestic Violence & LGBTQ+ Communities Report

Recent research shows that LGBTQ people experience similar, if not higher, rates of intimate partner domestic violence (IPV) compared to their cisgender or heterosexual counterparts. The 2010 National Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) found that 44% of lesbian women, 61% of bisexual women, 26% of gay men, and 37% of bisexual men experience IPV at some point in their lives.

Published March 2018