The U.S. Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act today, including provisions for LGBT survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Says Sharon Stapel of the New York City Anti-Violence Project:
For the first time ever, VAWA now explicitly recognizes LGBTQ survivors as “under-served populations,” prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in service provision and recognizes that all states can use VAWA funding to support LGBTQ-specific programs and services.
The bill now will head to the Republican-led House of Representatives.
Studies indicate that while LGBT people are victims of intimate-partner violence at the same rate as the general population, they’re less likely to seek out or receive support services. Since its passage in 1995, VAWA has provided billions of dollars to agencies helping victims of stalking, domestic violence and sexual assault.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Clockwork
>Studies indicate that while LGBT people are victims of intimate-partner violence at the same rate as the general population
I never believed this stat. Contrived by activist types.
Heterosexual men abuse women way more than anything with gays and lesbians.
Interesting
Where since a fundamentalist doesn’t believe in math, I guess math isn’t real. The problem is that its not enough to say you don’t believe some evidence is true. You need to offer your own.
JayKay
Until it’s renamed, made entirely gender-neutral, and provides male victims of female abusers with the exact same protections and services it affords alleged female victims, it remains nothing more than a vile piece of sexist legislation cooked up by the most despicable members of the wymynyst left, and it should be repealed in it’s entirety.
Sadly, I doubt house Republicans have the testicular fortitude to stand up to the man-haters and their castrated liberal enablers.
Geri
@Clockwork:I don’t claim to know for sure but I do suspect that bisexual women are more likely to be victims of domestic violence than straight and gay women. More likely whether their partner is male or female.
Geri
@Clockwork: Also it’s clear from your response that you’re making the common error of thinking that “LGBT” just means “lesbian & gay”.
Of all LGBT people transwomen are the most likely to be victims of homicide. Transwomen are particularly vulnerable to violence of all kinds including domestic violence and face all manner of problems and issues when trying to access to sexual assault and domestic violence services.
Also, just because most incidents of domestic violence are cases of a man abusing his female partner it does not mean that LGBT people are not victims of intimate-partner violence at the same rate as the general population. Because, to state the “bleedin’ obvious”, male-female intimate-partner relationships are by far the most common intimate-partner relationshipsin the general population.
JayKay's Mother
Please excuse my son, JayKay’s (aka Jason) disrespect for us women or “wymyn” as he often likes to call us as he never really had more than a seventh grade education. I fear that his obsessive anger/hate towards women springs from the fact that when he was born his eyes were fully open (newborns are usually born with their eyes shut), so while he was gnawing his way out of my womb that faithful day on the operating table…well, let’s just say that he got a panoramic view of my vagina, and he’s never been the same since.
Riker
@JayKay’s Mother: Are you saying that battered men shouldn’t have access to the same services that battered women have? What about JayKay’s post specifically was wrong? Pointing out a specific flaw is much better than mocking.
Clockwork
@Geri:
By the way I’m trans.
Some of you are so desperate to get gay, lesbian, trans, bi, gender-identity, language into every aspect of government as a way to self-affirm who you are (employment protection I have no problem with at all) –
But it turns into what? Transsexual street hookers who get assaulted are more important than an elderly man who gets robbed/attacked at a bus stop?
It is like hate crimes with some of you, everything, bullying – condom use in porno – domestic violence – banning bunk religious therapy – government paying for transition – oh help us we a being beat up by our partners – but you never hear about it because we are so forced into the closet no one can talk about it!
If you people want to live and sleep with government regulation that way fine, it’s not for me.
Geri
@Clockwork: Re: “Transsexual street hookers who get assaulted are more important than an elderly man who gets robbed/attacked at a bus stop?”
Huh?
You’re not seriously trying to suggest that transwomen are no more vulnerable than anyone else as long as they don’t do sex work or something along those lines are you?
I’m not trans. But I am bi.
Clockwork
@Geri:
You’re not seriously trying to suggest that transwomen are no more vulnerable than anyone else as long as they don’t do sex work or something along those lines are you?
No, I believe all crime victims should be treated equally, irregardless of demographic classification constructed by legislation.
Sorry, I just don’t subscribe to the trans-victim agenda.
Timmmeeeyyy
@Clockwork:
You may not believe the reports, but there have been numerous studies over the past 10 years showing that LGBT’s are as likely to be victims of domestic abuse as heterosexuals. A good friend of mine is one of those doctors studying domestic violence. Specifically, he is looking at what unique and shared traits exist in domestic violence cases regarding LGBT vs straight family violence. One consistent thing he and other researchers have found is that LGBT victims of domestic violence are underserved by both government and private programs that offer both help and prevention. He is currently working with Sweden’s government to close the gap on services offered to LGBT domestic violence victims.
I’m quite confused with your comments “…but you never hear about it because we are so forced into the closet no one can talk about it! If you people want to live and sleep with government regulation that way fine, it’s not for me.”
The purpose of this legislation is to open the closet door that keeps same-sex victims of abuse in hiding and without help. So the “regulation” that you complain about actually opens that closet door and provides funding to same-sex specific antiviolence programs. Here are some of the things the act provides:
Community violence prevention programs
Protections for victims who are evicted from their homes because of events related to domestic violence or stalking
Funding for victim assistance services, like rape crisis centers and hotlines
Programs to meet the needs of immigrant women and women of different races or ethnicities
Programs and services for victims with disabilities
Legal aid for survivors of violence
It provides these services while specifically prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. I really don’t see what’s so awful about that.
Geri
@Riker: I think JayKay has a very valid point to make but makes it so incredibly badly that he (presumably he) totally undermines his argument and leaves himself open to ridicule.
And that’s the problem for male victims of domestic violence from female partners in general isn’t it? It usually gets treated as a joke and so victims fear being ridiculed.
Report from UK claims that more than 40% of domestic violence victims are male
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/sep/05/men-victims-domestic-violence
I seriously doubt that it’s as high as 40% but if you’re a victim of domestic abuse such statistical quibbling is completely irrelevant to you & your situation. You should be able to access help and support no matter how common or rare the type of violence you’re a victim of is.
Hmmmmm
@Riker:Ohm, dear Riker. I think the following lines by the “enlightened” JayKays says it all:
“….a vile piece of sexist legislation cooked up by the most despicable members of the wymynyst left, and it should be repealed in it’s entirety.
Sadly, I doubt house Republicans have the testicular fortitude to stand up to the man-haters and their castrated liberal enablers.”
——————
So, Riker…do you really want to be an apologist for this misogynist jerk? That’s like saying because the 1964 Civil Rights Act did not include the GLBT community specifically then all people of color are evil. Yes, the current Senate version of the Violence Against Women Act should have been gender-neutral in its nomenclature, but it does have a provision of enforcement that IS gender-neutral.
…That still does let JayKay off the hook for being a male chauvinist pig.
jason
This is yet another publicity stunt from the vote-hungry Democrats. They had almost 2 years of a super-majority but failed to pass anything of substance. They’re simply using gay people in a fake show of concern.
JayKay
@Hmmmmm:
Anyone else catch a faint whiff of rotting tuna?
Riker
@Hmmmmm: There we go, a specific rebuttal. I agree with you that JayKay expressed his opinion in a way that was deliberately inflammatory.
However, the act as it was signed in 1994 (not 1995, as the article states) is in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the fourteenth amendment and should be struck down as unconstitutional. VAWA has had ramifications in issues like divorce/child custody, etc and provides funding to shelters and programs that actively discriminate against men. If not struck down by the courts, it should at the very least be amended to be gender-neutral and deny federal funding to programs that are exclusively female.
JayKay's Mother
Please excuse my son, JayKay. He has never gotten over the fact that he was born with a twin case of Micro-penis Syndrome and Angry Bottomitis. I suppose that is why he hates women so much. It is so sad. But, on the bright-side, we never had to worry about the toilet seat being left up around our household.
I implore you, JayKay, embrace your bottomhood fully and stop picking on the “wymym”.
JayKay's Mother
Oh, by the way, the reason my handle comes up as “JayKay’s Mother [Different person #1 using similar name]” well, it is because our son, JayKay, has two mom’s. We hope that explains things (a lot of things) a little better.
JayKay
@JayKay’s Mother:
Well, you’re certainly unfunny enough to pass for a woman…
Hmmmmm
@JayKay: Well, you have been at it long enough (being unfunny, that is)– I guess that makes you a “woman” too. You’re such an angry bottom. Sooo sad.