New video encourages LGBTI people to escape abusive relationships

A THOUGHT-provoking new online video, released yesterday, encourages LGBTI people suffering from domestic violence to “trust your instincts” and access specialist services.

Produced by LGBTI health body ACON, the video, called Tales From The Other Side, talks to five people who have suffered financial, psychological and physical abuse in their relationship and made the decision to seek help.

Some of the stories are confronting, such as a gay men who says it took him “a long time to realise what was going on,” despite receiving his first broken bone after only six months of being in the relationship.

Another subject says one argument ended up with her “on the floor begging for forgiveness for making him so angry.”

A theme running through the video is the fact many LGBTI people do not recognise their treatment as abusive because, as one person puts it: “Domestic violence has always been sold to me as heterosexual man hitting a heterosexual women.”

ACON chief executive Nicolas Parkhill said the video aimed to start a conversation among the community about what was a serious health issue.

“Tales From The Other Side will help raise awareness of [domestic violence] among LGBTI people while giving mainstream services an opportunity to learn more about how to positively work with community members seeking help,” he said.

Funded by the Aurora Group, the video is targeted at community, health and domestic violence service providers, including the NSW Police Force, LGBTI communities and allies.

The NSW Inner City Legal Centre (ICLC) runs the Safe Relationships Project, a court support and legal advice service for LGBTI people experiencing domestic violence.

ICLC director Dan Stubbs said Tales From The Other Side “will not only support LGBTIQ communities to keep talking about [domestic violence] but it clearly tells us that [it is] is real, it exists in our communities, this is what it can look like and legal support is available.”

The video comes a week after the Stand Up Against Domestic Violence initiative was launched — backed by ACON, NSW Police, Sydney Council and the federal Department of Social Services — which aims to break down the barriers that prevent LGBTI people from talking to those close to them who might be in an abusive relationship.

When it comes to domestic violence, “trust your instincts,” says one of the video’s subjects, “the problem is [not] your sexuality, the problem is abuse occurs in all kinds of relationships.”

 What the video here: