1 in 3: The Domestic Violence Podcast

71-Rainbow Shadows: When Home Isn't Safe for LGBTQ+ DV Survivors


Listen Later

Happy Pride Month, Warriors. This episode takes you on a powerful journey through LGBTQ+ history in America while exploring a critical issue often overlooked amid the celebrations: the alarmingly high rates of domestic violence affecting queer communities.

From New York's 1966 laws prohibiting alcohol service to gay patrons to the watershed moment of the Stonewall uprising, I trace how systemic discrimination created environments where LGBTQ+ individuals were criminalized simply for existing. Understanding this history provides crucial context for grasping why domestic violence poses unique challenges for queer survivors today. When society has already taught you that you're unwelcome, where do you turn when the person who promised to love you becomes your greatest threat?

The statistics are sobering: 61.1% of bisexual women and 43.8% of lesbian women experience intimate partner violence—significantly higher than rates among heterosexual women. Yet fewer than 5% of LGBTQ+ survivors seek protective orders. Why? Because they face distinctive barriers: threats of being outed, histories of trauma from discrimination, and systems that often fail to understand or accommodate their needs. For many, seeking help means risking further harm, creating a dangerous silence we must collectively break.

This Pride Month, I'm dedicating this podcast to amplifying LGBTQ+ survivors' voices. If you have a story to share—publicly or anonymously—please reach out at [email protected]. Your experiences matter, and together, we can create spaces where healing is possible for everyone, regardless of who they love or how they identify. 

Sources:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/stonewall-milestones-american-gay-rights-movement/

https://www.history.com/articles/pride-month

https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/june-28/

https://www.history.com/articles/the-stonewall-riots

1 in 3 is intended for mature audiences. Episodes contain explicit content and may be triggering to some.

Support the show

If you are in the United States and need help right now, call the national domestic violence hotline at 800-799-7233 or text the word “start” to 88788.

Contact 1 in 3:

  • Send your emails to [email protected]
  • Follow on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok @1in3podcast
  • Check out the website https://www.1in3podcast.com/

Thank you for listening and please remember to rate, review & subscribe!

Cover art by Laura Swift Dahlke
Music by Tim Crowe

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

1 in 3: The Domestic Violence PodcastBy Ingrid Dutton