Year
2021
Degree Name
Bachelor of Social Science (Honours)
Department
School of Health and Society
Recommended Citation
Parker, Jade, “I had no idea where to go”, exploring barriers to LGBTQ+ survivors of intimate partner violence accessing service provision in the Illawarra,
Bachelor of Social Science (Honours),
School of Health and Society,
University of Wollongong, 2021.
https://ro.uow.edu.au/thss/27
Abstract
This study explored barriers lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (herein LGBTQ+) survivors of intimate partner violence face when accessing support services in the Illawarra, NSW, Australia. The aim was to understand the context-specific barriers being in a regional, rural, or remote (RRR) location queer survivors faced and how help-seeking pathways were affected. Four queer cisgender participants were interviewed for this study, who served as case studies. The data was analysed through a feminist standpoint lens utilising thematic analysis revealing three main themes: one, barriers to recognising victimisation and understanding victim-status; two, help-seeking practises and challenges; and three, the politics of being queer-friendly in practice. The study found that living in an RRR community acts as a barrier to accessing help from support services, indicating that queer survivors of IPV have engaged with relevant support services in the Illawarra in limited ways due to help-seeking pathways being unclear and a lack of available services. Overall, this study found that prejudice, compulsory heterosexuality, heteronormativity, patriarchy, rurality, and other power dynamics surrounding sexuality and gender identity as well as victim-status both create and exacerbate barriers for queer survivors to seek help in RRR locations after their experience of IPV.
Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong.