Today’s Queer Money™ closes out Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Domestic violence is a topic not much discussed in our society. If it wasn’t for our friend and guest for today’s Queer Money™, Brynne of Femme Frugality, we wouldn’t have known that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

When domestic abuse is talked about, it often excludes LGBT people. That’s the topic we discuss today.

Listen:

Domestic Violence in the Queer Community

The Human Right’s Campaign reports, using the National Violence Against Women Survey as a source, that “Among women who reported cohabiting with a female partner at some point in their lifetime. 39.2 percent had experienced rape, physical assault or stalking by an intimate partner, compared to 21.7 percent of women who had cohabited with men only.

Among men who had cohabited with same-sex partners, 23.1 percent had experienced rape, physical assault or stalking by an intimate partner, compared to 7.4 percent of men who had cohabited with women only.”

The Obscure Side of Domestic Violence

We usually think of domestic abuse as physical or sexual violence, but there’s an emotional and often obscure aspect of domestic abuse. Domestic violence can start with or only include gaslighting and seemingly mild forms of manipulation to make a victim conform their opinions to the abuser’s opinions. There’s also financial abuse, which robs a victim of economic power.

Because of the breadth of the effects of financial abuse and because we and Brynne are personal finance experts, we talk about this strain of domestic abuse and recourse extensively. Studies from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence show that between 94 percent and 99 percent of all abuse includes financial abuse.

Talk with a Domestic Abuse Councilor

As we say above and on the show, all three of us our personal finance experts. None of us are experts on domestic violence. If you sense that your relationship is becoming or is abusive and especially if you plan to leave an abusive relationship, talk with a domestic abuse counselor.

Brynne’s and our best recommendation for the most direct resource for people of all gender identities and sexual orientations regardless of where you reside is the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 | 1-800-787-3224 (TTY).

Correction: The original article incorrectly linked here to National Violence Against Women Survey when the original quote above came from the HRC article to which it is now linked.

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