Public Awareness
OPDV Bulletin: Lesbian/Gay Anti-Violence Project Statewide Network
Last October, the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project (AVP) convened a roundtable meeting in Saratoga on the topic of lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual (LGTB) domestic violence. This meeting brought together 20 people from around the state who are currently doing work in the area of LGTB domestic violence. Attendees represented existing domestic violence organizations, community leaders working to organize responses to LGTB domestic violence in their home areas, allied organizations seeking ways to respond to domestic violence in the lives of their constituents, those doing policy work and state government administrators.
The Roundtable, funded in part by a grant from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, was a unique opportunity for advocates to meet with others around the state who are working on LGTB domestic violence issues and for whom collaborative opportunities have been rare. The meeting was the first of several steps taken by AVP and the other Roundtable participants in the creation of a state-wide network of LGTB domestic violence service providers. The primary goal of this Network is to improve the state of service provision, advocacy and other assistance available to lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual domestic violence survivors across New York State. The Network seeks to do this in part by increasing the number of locations where services are available, raising the level of efficacy among those providing such services, advocating for public policy changes that have a direct effect on LGTB survivors, and increasing the level of resources currently available to support services to those within the state’s LGTB communities experiencing domestic violence.
At present, the Network is focused on attracting additional members, as well as developing the structure and plans which will enable it to reach its goals. Steps being taken to build this structure include providing peer support among members, assisting members in program development, identifying statewide resources for client referrals, development of a clearinghouse for resources and information regarding local legal and social systems.
Collaboration among Network members has already begun to show results. Safe Horizons and AVP are working together on an agreement that will allow cross-screening of victims at the two agencies, as well as one apartment (three beds) in its new shelter being made available for lesbian, gay, transgender and/or bisexual victims. For New York City, where for years there were only marginal opportunity for lesbians to find shelter and almost none for men, this will be a tremendous step forward.
For additional information on the New York State LGTB Domestic Violence Network, contact Rachel Baum, MSW, National Coordinator for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Programming or Martine Barbier, CSW, Clinical Manager of the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Programs at 212-714-1184, rbaum@avp.org or mbarbier@avp.org.
AVP is the nation’s largest service agency for victims of domestic violence within the lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, and HIV-affected communities. For these communities, domestic violence is as serious and complex a problem as it is in the heterosexual population. For twenty-three years, AVP has provided counseling and advocacy for thousands of domestic violence victims as well as for survivors of bias crimes, sexual assault, HIV-related violence, and police misconduct. AVP documents incidents of same-sex domestic violence, educates the public about violence against or within our communities, and works to reform public policies impacting all lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, and HIV-affected people. AVP provides free and confidential assistance to victims of violence through its 24-hour bilingual hotline: 212-714-1141.
