LGBTQ Victim-Survivors' Experiences and Negotiations of Service Worker and Service System Discrimination

Abstract

Purpose: This study examined the experiences of LGBTQ victim-survivors who sought out support from domestic violence services in Australia. While the literature on intimate partner violence (IPV) is increasingly focused on improving LGBTQ inclusivity and cultural safety within both service and policy contexts, the experiences of LGBTQ victim-survivors themselves are often absent from these discussions. Consequently, little is understood about how LGBTQ victim-survivors navigate and negotiate service contexts that are frequently optimized for cisgender, heterosexual victim-survivors. Methods: Structured life history interviews were conducted with (N = 29) LGBTQ victim-survivors aged 19–79 years of age who had recent (< 2 years) or ongoing experiences of IPV. Results: LGBTQ victim-survivors' help-seeking behaviors are undertaken against the backdrop of a highly variegated service landscape. Individual service organizations and service workers' attitudes towards LGBTQ clients can run the gamut from inclusive and culturally sensitive to heterosexist and exclusionary, with little outward distinction between such. While participants within our study demonstrated the ability to deftly navigate or minimize the incidence of such treatment, there were clear limits to the extent that deploying such strategies would successfully enable victim-survivors to access service support. The additional psychological costs of cautiously navigating service systems were also not insubstantial and contributed significantly to both service disengagement and poorer service outcomes. Conclusions: Efforts to expand service capabilities to improve service uptake and service outcomes for LGBTQ victim-survivors must be attentive to, and address the impact of anticipated and experienced discrimination on service provision.