GLBT domestic violence orgs. to give training

The GLBT Domestic Violence Coalition (GLBTDVC) on March 11 will present a day-long training on the Intimate Partner Screening Tool, a method to assist service providers in properly determining who is the perpetrator and who is the victim in a GLBT domestic violence situation. The training will take place at Northeastern University's Curry Student Center from 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Curt Rogers, executive director of the Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project, one of the member organizations of the GLBTDVC, said the training is geared primarily towards people who work with domestic violence victims. The Intimate Partner Screening Tool gives providers working with GLBT people "a construct, a conceptual analysis to help them identify the perpetrator and the victim in a relationship." There are multiple barriers to appropriately identifying and addressing same-sex domestic violence, among them the belief that domestic violence doesn't happen in LGBT relationships because it is a gender-based issue, societal homophobia and a lack of education regarding LGBT domestic violence on the part of service providers.

Rogers said the screening tool is not simply a series of questions as the issue of same-sex domestic violence is "a very complicated issue" that requires more analysis than compiling a checklist. Rather the tool is "a series of concepts and levels of awareness for you to consider as you do explore someone's relationship with them," he explained.

As an example, he cited the tool's concept of "context, intent and effect," which works off the idea that just about any behavior that can be used to abuse or control someone can also be used in self-defense. In order to understand what the behavior is indicating one must examine the context in which it happened, the intent of the behavior, or what the person was attempting to accomplish and the effect the behavior had on the other person. For instance, said Rogers, if a person punches their partner, "was that punch because they were inside the car and one person wasn't allowing them out and in order for that person to get control over what's happening to them, and having no other way out, did they punch so that they could get out of the car and have their freedom? Or was the punch actually a way of trying to gain control over the person in one way or the other?"

The Intimate Partner Screening Tool was created by the GLBTDVC, which includes members of the Boston-area GLBT community, domestic violence advocates, law enforcement, medical providers and university staff. Rogers said that the training has been offered regularly for the past four or five years.

For more information, visit http://www.thenetworklared.org/ScreeningToolConference.htm, call 617-667-8241 or e-mail [email protected].