Intimate partner violence
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is any form of violence that takes place within a romantic or sexual relationship. This includes psychological, physical, sexual and emotional violence. IPV can cause family or relationship breakdown, impact child custody, and can have detrimental impacts on the health and wellbeing of those involved.
Queer people can experience IPV in the forms of their partner threatening to out them or from restricting their access to items important to their sexual or gender identity. Queer victims may have partners that try to keep them closeted or reject them because of their gender or sexual identity.
There are unique barriers to queer victims of IPV. Often the services meant to support victims are designed around cisgender, heterosexual monogamous relationships. A queer victim of IPV may be reluctant or fearful of reporting the violence for fear of being outed or experiencing discrimination or hostility.
Unfortunately, the Queer Justice Project does not currently have the ability to provide legal services in the area of intimate partner violence. Below are some other organizations and resources that may be able to provide more support.
Helpful Resources
Barbara Schlifer Commemorative Clinic (Toronto): offers legal, counselling, and interpretation services to marginalized and racialized populations of women and gender diverse people who have survived domestic violence. https://www.schliferclinic.com/
Safety + Support Hub (Downtown Hamilton): a centralized, low-barrier space for women and gender-diverse people affected by Gender-Based and Intimate Partner Violence. Offers coordinated support services in community, safety planning, mental health support, and employment and training programs. https://www.ywcahamilton.org/safety-and-support-hub/
SACHA: Sexual Assault Centre (Hamilton): provides support to people who have experienced sexualized violence at any point in their lives. Services include counselling and a 24-Hour Support Line (905-525-4162). https://sacha.ca/
YWCA Hamilton: provides gender based violence support services to women, girls, and Two-Spirit LBGTQIA+ people. Services include transitional housing support for women and gender diverse individuals, support for socially isolated and low-income mothers, programming for newcomer women, financial support to leave unsafe and precarious housing situations, and supervised parenting services. https://www.ywcahamilton.org/gender-based-violence-support/
Hamilton Health Sciences Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Care Centre: provides health care for children adolescents, women, transgender persons, and men who have experienced sexual assault and/or domestic violence. https://www.hamiltonhealthsciences.ca/areas-of-care/emergency-care/sexual-assault-domestic-violence/
Good Shepherd (Hamilton): provides emergency shelter space to individuals and their children who are homeless and fleeing violence and abuse, and referrals and advocacy for legal, medical, financial, employment, housing, and community services. 24-Hour Crisis Line (905-523-6277)
Interval House of Hamilton: emergency 22-bed shelter, and other support services, including legal advocacy and system navigation support, for women and children who have experienced violence and abuse. https://intervalhousehamilton.org/
The 519, Anti-Violence Initiatives (AVI) (Toronto): offers workshops for folks who have experienced, trauma and/or violence, as well as a free 8-week support group for 2SLGBTQ+ women, 2 Spirit, and non-binary folks living with trauma. https://www.the519.org/programs/avi/
Family Service Toronto, The David Kelly Program, Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse (Toronto): Counselling services available for male survivors of sexual abuse. Family of a male survivor may also be eligible for service. https://familyservicetoronto.org/our-services/programs-and-services/male-survivors-of-sexual-abuse/
Family Service Toronto, The David Kelly Program, Partner Assault Response: specialized community-based group education/counselling program to offenders who have been mandated by the court to attend in response to a criminal charge involving domestic violence. Offers a group for male-identified members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. https://familyservicetoronto.org/our-services/programs-and-services/partner-assault-response/
CLEO, Steps to Justice, Abuse and Violence Guided Pathways: free online interviews that give you information and resources to help you respond to elder abuse, ask the court for a peace bond, apply for a private prosecution for some crimes involving gender-based violence, and ask the court for an emergency motion, if you or your children are in danger. https://stepstojustice.ca/guided-pathways/abuse-and-family-violence/
CLEO, Steps to Justice, Courts and Partner Abuse: provides plain language information on court processes related to partner abuse, such as restraining orders and peace bonds. https://stepstojustice.ca/legal-topic/tribunals-and-courts/courts-and-partner-abuse/