Understanding the differences between same-sex and heterosexual relationship violence is crucial, University of Manitoba professor Janice Ristock said during a lecture at Carleton March 23.
Ristock, a women and gender studies professor, spoke about “what we know, what we need to know, and where we need to go” in regards to same-sex relationships.
Not much research exists about same-sex relationships, Ristock said, but she said those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender report more emotional and sexual abuse.
“They also found that gay and bisexual men were more likely to report different experiences of forced sex, or sexual coercion,” Ristock said.
While the same forms of violence exist in same-sex relationships, there are different tactics of emotional abuse employed in same-sex relationships, such as threats of being “outed,” Ristock said.
The threat of revealing someone’s sexuality to friends and family is a powerful tactic that someone can use to keep someone in a relationship and in a state of fear, Ristock said.
“She was afraid to be ‘outed’ at work,” one woman told Ristock in a 2010 interview. “She was upset at me for being so open.”
Another difference is the terminology surrounding domestic violence, which Ristock said is defined as being associated with heterosexuals. For this reason, people who experience same-sex violence sometimes don’t realize they’re in an abusive relationship, she explained.
The issue is also complicated by the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. People will choose to stay with an HIV positive abusive partner out of fear, guilt, or co-dependence, Ristock said.
Carrolyn Johnston, Carleton’s equity adviser and co-ordinator of sexual assault services, organized the event after hearing about Ristock’s work from a colleague.
“We often deal with issues of homophobia, sexual orientation and gender, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about the experiences of some of these marginalized communities that we don’t talk about generally,” Johnston said.
Moving forward, Johnston said Carleton needs to improve its support services for the LGBTQ community.
“We don’t often apply a broader lens to the issue, so one of the goals with the new sexual assault centre is to do more education and outreach around different issues,” she said, adding the university is looking to work more closely with students engaged in the issues and bring student perspectives into the work they’re doing.
