A fourth of gay and bisexual men experience partner violence, new study finds
One in four gay and bisexual men in Scotland have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) in the last year, a Glasgow Caledonian University study has found.
The university’s “We are INVISIBLE” Same-Sex Male Relationship Intimate Partner Violence research brief – which will be shown to the Scottish Parliament later in the month – brings together findings from two recent studies carried out by Health Psychology professor Jamie Frankis and Dr Steven Maxwell.
Researchers have called for greater protection for victims, with more policies and services.
Gay and bisexual men have shared their stories with the researchers during the in-depth study looking at mental, sexual and wider health of this group of men, which is run by Professor Frankis.
The qualitative research surrounding gay and bisexual men who have been abused is being led by Dr Maxwell, who is now a researcher in Health and Social Sector Leadership at the University of Glasgow.
A participant in the study told researchers: “To be a man and even admit that you were in an IPV relationship, I mean, it knocks confidence, it knocks your self-esteem, and self-worth. The hatred for yourself. The hatred for allowing it. There’s a huge stigma around men coming out as domestic abuse victims, because we’re men, we should be able to deal with it and fight back.”
Another said: “The police do not take it seriously. I think it was a complete lack of training. They didn’t know how to treat it because it was man-on-man. There’s just a complete lack of empathy or understanding from the police about same-sex relations.”
The evidence in the brief for the Scottish Parliament makes recommendations which would improve the support and understanding for those who are experiencing abuse in their relationships.
Intimate partner abuse is defined by the World Health Organisation (2021) as behaviour by an intimate partner or ex-partner that causes physical, sexual, social, and mental health harm, including violence, sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviours.
It is still important to note that gay and bisexual men may also experience casual abuse from one-off partners, as well as ex-partners or regular partners.
The study aims to raise awareness of this issue. Professor Jamie Frankis who worked on the studies said: “Violence against gay and bisexual men from male partners occurs at the same level as women from male partners in heterosexual relationships.
“Services are not set up to support gay and bisexual men when they seek help, and the police are not really understanding how to deal with these issues.”
He added: “Our participants explained that society thinks that men should just be able to cope with violence, that violent between men is just a natural biological thing.
“Our participants described identifying as a domestic abuse victim is hugely stigmatizing because it threatens their own sense of masculinity. Many men downplayed the abuse they experienced.
“But when men did seek help from services, they said they felt invisible, they explained that services, including the police, didn’t know how to support them because they are in a same sex relationship.
“It’s important to get funding for LGBTQ+ facing services to team up with our statutory and third sector services that work with victims of partner violence, so they can learn to work with the wider LGBTQ+ community.”
