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Written by Louis Weisberg, Staff writer
Sep 8, 2010
The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded Diverse and Resilient a $155,000 grant to increase awareness of intimate partner violence among LGBT people in Wisconsin.
The grant comes in response to youth and adult health surveys in Wisconsin that have shown significant disparities in partner violence and community violence for LGBT people.
In 2008 and 2009, Diverse and Resilient and the Center for AIDS Intervention of the Medical College of Wisconsin undertook research to determine the readiness of Wisconsin’s LGBT communities to take action on partner violence. Despite high rates of violence, communities across the state showed only a vague awareness of the issues and few activities were in place to address them.
“Most people who have experienced intimate partner violence don’t even know that they have,” said Diverse and Resilient executive director Gary Hollander. “Community members, including close friends, pretty much act like it’s not (violence) unless (the victim) has a black eye. When we talked to community leaders in four communities in Wisconsin, they were only vaguely aware of the resources available their communities.”
The federal award to the agency will support three major program efforts: to implement strategies to build awareness among LGBT people about intimate partner violence; to build the capacity of LGBT organizations to respond to intimate partner violence; and to help develop relationships among LGBT groups and general community service providers to victims of violence and assault.
OutReach, Madison’s LGBT Community Center, will be the primary site for the project, which will also involve communities in Eau Claire, La Crosse and Milwaukee. Melissa Lemke, of the Center for Urban Population Health, is the project manager.
The one-year project is funded through the Congressionally Recommended Grants Program with the support of U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin.
