17/6/12
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Nearly half of queer Latina women in Chicago have been the victim and/or the perpetrator of domestic violence and many have experienced racism both within and outside of the LGBT community, according to a report released Thursday by Mujeres Latinas en Accion and Amigas Latinas, the Advocate reports.
The 2007 study “Latina Portrait: Latina Queer Women in Chicago” surveyed 305 LGBT Latina women (only one identified as transgender) and found that 43 percent reported being assaulted by a female partner and 31 percent said a female partner had threatened to kill them. National statistics on same-sex partner violence (which are likely lower than the reality due to underreporting) typically report abuse rates of about 30 percent (similar to rates in heterosexual relationships).
“They had a history of violence and the violence is continuing,” said Amigas Latinas member Lu Rocha, according to the Windy City Times. “What was alarming was that the women admitted they were participating in the violent behavior.”
Of those surveyed, 45 percent said they had hit or punched a female partner, and 23 percent admitted they had threatened to kill a female partner. It is not clear how much (if any) overlap there was between reported victims and perpetrators. If there was minimal cross-over (so-called “mutual abuse” is widely considered to be a myth, though victims may engage in violence as self-defense), the number of women in violent relationships could be as high as 88 percent.
According to the Windy City Times, the women surveyed also experienced significant mistreatment from the LGBT community and society at large:
Many women reported being discriminated against in the mainstream LGBT community because they are Latina. Nearly 69 percent said that racist remarks had been directed at them, while almost 85 percent said they had been in the presence of such remarks.
“We have to understand that violence can be perpetrated through remarks in a number of different ways,” said Torres.
Study findings suggest that discrimination contributed to high rates of mental health concerns. Seventy-seven of the respondents reported depression, while 66 reported suffering from anxiety.
While researchers noted that the survey’s high number of respondents with formal education was a potential shortfall, it also served to contradict stereotypes about domestic violence.
“I hope this disrupts the idea that violence only affects poor women,” said report co-author Dr. Lourdes Torres.
For local LGBTQ domestic violence resources, contact Bradley Angle at 503-281-2442.
