For LGBTQ survivors, harm resulting from law enforcement involvement is even more pronounced. The long and well-documented history of violence, sexual exploitation, and extortion by police against LGBTQ people has resulted in well-founded reluctance of people in LGBTQ communities to access law enforcement. The role of advocates is not to change LGBTQ people’s perception of law enforcement and prosecution. Rather, the field must take seriously the impacts of biased policing and prosecution against diverse survivors and their families, and integrate that understanding into day-to-day advocacy work.

Key words: domestic violence, intimate partner violence, LGBTQ survivors, law enforcement, BIPOC