LGBT Violence Prevention Project
Cultural Differences | STDs and HIV | Resources | Tufts LGBT Center
Relationship Violence, Sexually Transmitted Infections & HIV
Dealing with STI's & HIV is often scary and challenging. Dealing with STI's/HIV in the context of relationship violence can get much more complicated. Here are some thoughts that might help you assess your need for assistance—whether it be by seeking medical care, accessing counseling or psychological support or simply getting more information. What is critical is that you are well-informed and have the appropriate support to make the best decision for you.
Being involved with an abusive or violent partner might increase your risk for HIV/STI transmission in a number of ways. For example, if your partner forces you to have sex, you could suffer physical injuries (such as tearing or cuts) that can transmit viruses and bacteria. Withholding information is another common way that abusive partners maintain power and control. If your partner withholds information about HIV status or sex outside of the relationship, you may be unaware of the scope of your risk.
By using condoms and other protection, or engaging in acts that carry a lower risk than others, you can reduce your risk of HIV/STI transmission. But in abusive relationships, even raising the topic might enrage a partner, putting you at risk for more frequent or more severe attacks and rendering you unable to negotiate your own safety.
In some situations, internalized homophobia becomes an obstacle to safety. In other words, repeatedly hearing negative messages about LGBT people can lead to feelings of unworthiness so severe as to affect your ability to assert your sexual and/or intimate needs, insist on protection or prioritize your own health and safety. Additionally, a history of victimization—from violence or discrimination and stigma, in this case—may make you feel that your options for partners are limited, that where and when you can engage in sex is restricted, and and that there are few people you can tell. You might partner with people who don't have your best interest in mind because you feel as though you have to settle or don't deserve better. Please know that at Tufts and in the community there are people who feel otherwise about you and care about your health, safety and well-being.
Additional factors have an impact on risk for transmission, safety and accessing support for LGBT folks. Statistics confirm high rates of drug use for GLBT populations. This might 1) lesson your or your partner's willingness or ability to engage in safer sex practices and 2) increase your risk directly depending on how the drug is administered or its physical effects. Another real and significant issue is of lack of knowledge on the part of service providers who might not understand the complexities of HIV/STIs for women who have sex with women or who might be unfamiliar with transgender health issues. At Tufts, our clinicians tend to be non-judgmental and willing to help; so even if they don't have all the facts, they are usually a good place to start.