Pilot project on same sex abuse

A first of its kind report in Ireland on violence and control experienced by men in same sex relationships will be launched in Cork next week.

The Tusla-funded ReachOut project was carried out by the OSSCork Domestic Violence Information Resource Centre in collaboration with Gay Project, Cork.

The project aims to assess prevalence rates and support needs among gay and bisexual men experiencing abuse or control in their relationships, and to develop local pathways and resources.

Using a focus group, a community survey, and a series of interviews, the project gathered the views and experiences of members of Cork’s gay community and service providers.

Angela O'Connell, Development Worker at OSSCork, said the report found that intimate partner abuse among gay, bisexual, and trans men in Cork is as prevalent, if not more so, as it is in the heterosexual population.

“The findings from the survey were very much in line with international findings,” Ms O’Connell told the Cork Independent.

“With such small numbers, it hasn't really come to light.

“Also, it's a hidden population and a population that has had a historical bad experience with dealing with mainstream services,” she added.

Ms O’Connell said there are many forms of abuse and control within same sex relationships, some of which are unique to the community: “One of these things would be isolation from the gay community itself,” she said.

“When you talk about somebody whose community is very small already, to isolate them from that really does make them extremely vulnerable.”

“Then there are things like HIV and trans medications that a partner might control. Then there's shaming and threats of outing and playing on the internalised homophobia,” she added.

Stigma

The stigma and lack of understanding of the issues faced by gay, bisexual, and trans (GBT) men has resulted in a reluctance within the community to reach out for help, Ms O’Conner said.

“If you go back to the HIV/AIDS, the way that was handled initially, their experiences would teach them that they're not going to be welcomed when they present with problems, and that it might likely backfire and stigmatise them even further,” she said.

“The guards and the gay community don't have a very positive history, so a lot of gay men won't approach the guards initially; they might in extreme cases, but that's one of the issues - that it has to become extreme for them to them to go outside of their own community,” added Ms O'Connell explained.

OSSCork, which supports both men and women who are victims of domestic violence, has seen a “very steep” fall-off in GBT men coming to the service since the Covid pandemic.

This fall-off spurred OSSCork Manager, Deborah O'Flynn, to seek funding from Tusla for the ReachOut project.

The project has recently received funding for its next phase which will focus on deliverin training to groups including social workers, hospital staff, gardaí, and sexual health personnel.

Ms O’Connell said the main purpose of this training will be to give a more “specialised and nuanced understanding” of issues faced by the GBT community.

She added that an Garda Síochána has expressed an “openness and willingness" to engage with training on the issue.

The ReachOut will launch in Cork on 5 September, visit gayproject.ie.