National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs today released Why It

Matters: Rethinking Victim Assistance for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,

Transgender, and Queer Victims of Hate Violence and Intimate Partner

Violence. This groundbreaking report, the product of a 2009 survey of

victim assistance providers and LGBTQ anti-violence programs throughout

the nation, describes widespread gaps in victim services for LGBTQ

victims of crime and recommends steps to improve the services and their

accessibility.

The Why It Matters survey found that LGBTQ victims do not have

consistent access to culturally competent services to prevent or help

victims recover from violence. Most respondent organizations lack

outreach to LGBTQ victims, LGBTQ cultural competence training for staff,

LGBTQ-specific victim services polices and practices, and collaboration

with LGBTQ providers. Too often, mainstream victim assistance agencies

do not provide a culturally sensitive response to these victims, and

LGBTQ-specific anti-violence programs either lack resources to meet the

need or simply do not exist. As a result, LGBTQ victims suffer

disproportionately from violence and its aftereffects.

“This first-of-its-kind report reveals major deficiencies in our

nation’s response to LGBTQ victims of crime,” said Jeff Dion, acting

executive director of the National Center for Victims of Crime. “We hope

our collaboration with NCAVP will begin a long-overdue process of

addressing the serious problems this report describes.”

Solving these problems, the report argues, requires eliminating the

obstacles that prevent LGBTQ victims from reporting crimes and accessing

victim services. Law enforcement agencies often underestimate the levels

of violence against these victims, and the victims–fearing

discrimination and further consequences–often hesitate to report

intimate partner or hate-crime violence, or to seek victim services.

The report recommends increased support for LGBTQ-focused training,

education for service providers and first responders, as well as further

study to determine the specific needs of LGBTQ victims and the

prevalence of crimes against them. It also recommends increased

collaboration among LGBTQ anti-violence programs and mainstream victim

assistance providers, changes to ensure equal access to state and

federal protections for LGBTQ crime victims, outreach to increase public

awareness of the extent and impact of the victimization of this

community, and increased state and federal funding for these efforts.

“Why It Matters offers a roadmap for a journey our nation must take to

address the serious gaps in services for LGBTQ victims of violence,”

said Sharon Stapel, executive director of the NYC Anti-Violence Project,

coordinator of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. “At a

time when the severity of hate-violence against LGBTQ people is

increasing, when new federal legislation demands closer attention to

hate crimes and the gaps in services are widening as programs lose

funding, this report offers significant solutions to meet the urgent

need for better victim services for LGBTQ communities.”

To download the full report (Why It Matters: Rethinking Victim

Assistance for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Victims of

Hate Violence and Intimate Partner Violence ), visit www.ncvc.org or

www.avp.org