LGBT+ Domestic Abuse

Domestic abuse is any incident or pattern of abuse or violence against an intimate partner or family member. Domestic abuse does not only affect women. It can happen to anyone, including men, transgender people and other queer person.

What is domestic abuse?

Domestic abuse usually falls into one of these six categories:

• Coercive Abuse
• Emotional Abuse
• Financial Abuse
• Physical Abuse
• Sexual Abuse
• Threats

There are some abusive behaviour that usually only affect LGBT+ people, such as:

• Threatening to out someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity
• Isolating them from family, friends, or community
• Undermining their identity or self-worth
• Controlling access to safe spaces and support networks
• Exploiting internalised shame to justify the abuse
• Convincing them help isn’t available due to real or perceived homo/bi/transphobia
• Using myths about LGBTQ+ relationships to deny or downplay the abuse
• Pressuring them to stay silent to ‘protect’ the reputation of the LGBTQ+ community

All forms of domestic abuse are wrong. No one should have to put up with any form of abuse.

Does AMIS support gay and bisexual men?

Yes. AMIS was set-up to provide direct information, support and guidance to any man in Scotland who is currently or has experienced domestic, partner or dating abuse. One of our charitable purposes is to support any man, regardless of their sexual orientation. We provide the same high-quality, confidential and free support to all men. Our support team are here to help.

We are here to help you – see how to contact us.

Does AMIS support transgender men?

Yes, we do. See more information specific to transgender men.

Barriers to support

LGBT+ people can face many barriers to support. At AMIS, we work to be inclusive of any man in Scotland. Galop suggests there are several barriers to support, such as:

• Lack of visibility and representation of LGBT issues
• Lack of established partnerships with LGBT organisations
• Lack of knowledge around availability
• Lack of understanding and awareness of distinct experiences of abuse
• Services relying on myths and stereotypes

Galop also reports that individual LGBT+ people may have additional barriers to support:

• Feeling like an incident is too minor to seek support
• Previous negative experiences with support services
• Concerns about homophobia and transphobia
• The belief that non-LGBT+ services are not for LGBT+ people
• Not being comfortable being openly LGBT+

We aim to remove these barriers. If you are unsure about calling, try emailing us first.

What other support is available?

Fortunately, the UK has many charities dedicated to supporting people from the LGBT+ community. Here are some other charities that might be of interest:

• Stonewall – general information
• Just Like Us – educating young people
• Switchboard: LGBT Helpline – general support and guidance
• Mind LGBTQ – mental health information 
• LGBT Foundation – support groups, counselling, mental health information
• Mermaids – support for transgender young people
• Albert Kennedy Trust – support for young people/homelessness
• FearFree – domestic abuse face-to-face support in Scotland
• Galop Helpline – domestic abuse helpline

More services and charities can be found by using our support finder tool.