UK’s first trans and non-binary domestic violence refuge opens

[lechiffre55]

UK’s first trans and non-binary domestic violence refuge opens

https://twitter.com/Cavakaggy/status/1761028246559129613

https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/02/22/domestic-violence-refuge-trans-uk/

Congratulations to the UK's first trans and non binary domestic violence refuge. I hope you get all the support both political and financial possible. This TERF is incredibly supportive that the trans and non binary community has built a space of their own to support their own community. If it has a fundraiser I hope JKR donates with her usual generosity. I welcome this development and give my best wishes for long term success and hope you serve your community with pride and unanimous appreciation for all the hard work. This is important work and everyone contributing deserves praise and recognition.

I think the service needs to be better funded and expanded for any survivor of dv regardless of gender. I'm not sure a comparison here is going to be anything more than a race to the bottom. I know many trans and non binary individuals who have felt unable to access appropriate dv services when they genuinely needed it as services were insufficient to meet their needs. I'm not sure why you think that translates to me thinking that women have enough services or that services for women can't be developed, better resourced or improved on? There should be an accessible service for anyone who needs it . In the case of your friend, I think there's huge discrepancies between the approaches taken by dv services, social services and the courts and that needs to be completely overhauled so that all 3 systems are working with a better understanding of dv and the nuances that go with it. Your friends experience sounds like a key example of this.

I agree. I hope the immensely rich backers of the trans movement and the well-funded trans charities will put money into the new refuge, and into other trans support services. And I hope they are successful.

JK Rowling has been immensely generous to women, as well as numerous other good causes. I'm just sending her my love and thanks, not asking her to do yet more.

These are very valid points.

But I think trans/nonbinary refuges could be useful in specialising in this group's particular mental health problems, which in some (not all) cases may have contributed to their plight.

It's not the same as women, who are victimised because they are female and have no way of identifying out of that. Trans people are followers of an ideology and a lifestyle that can create certain problems. When they are in difficulties (whether related to their trans identity or not), they need the help of experienced specialist professionals.

Also, the existence of trans/nonbinary refuges would support the continuation of women-only services, which are essential.

I also agree with Datun on this important point:

I'm another one who hopes they segregate by sex, but the nature of it means they probably won't. I can see a situation with sexually aggressive AGPs, rocking up for validation and arousal, in the same space as young, impressionable teenage girls who identify as non-binary.

I really hope that it works. I can see that there may be challenges but if those are overcome then this must be a good thing.

#provisionfortheneedbytheneed

I agree but equally, womens only refuges aren't without their problems either, often women will fake dv in order to gain access to refuge because they're trying to reach another woman and manipulate her into going home, either with them I'm a same sex relationship, or as extended family or in small communities. It happens all the time and is so damaging. Equally men using their professional status to try and gain access which is so dangerous and it can be very convincing when someone has legitimate credentials they're exploiting. Ultimately it'll be up to the staff to ensure they're providing a quality service that's protecting people when they're at their most vulnerable. Protecting women from incidents like this comes down to skill and intuition on the part of the staff so hopefully this is something that's put into practice within mixed gender facilities. I imagine the layout of the refuges will be important in helping staff effectively safeguard. For example less shared spaces and more independent flats for example.

I agree but equally, womens only refuges aren't without their problems either, often women will fake dv in order to gain access to refuge because they're trying to reach another woman and manipulate her into going home, either with them I'm a same sex relationship, or as extended family or in small communities. It happens all the time and is so damaging.

Id like to see the evidence for this

Same. I've worked in three different refuges and am aware of this happening only once - a mum of a perpetrator tried to get admitted into the refuge to persuade her son's partner to return to him. She was quickly clocked and removed. I've known women who already know each other be in at the same time, but that's because DV is extremely common, not for any ulterior motives.

It doesn't look like the trans and non-binary refuge "Loving Me" needs any donations. It is not asking for any and, according to Pink News:

"Purchased by The Emily Davison Centre not-for-profit group, the refuge is set to open in Lancashire, but will house trans people aged 18 or over from across the UK. The service will be run by trans people, for trans people.

In association with Lancashire County Council, and with support from The Rank Foundation, Loving Me is now open for referrals, which will be assessed by experts."

https://archive.is/9Veam

"The EDC is the first Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) HUB in the U.K. It is a 7000 square foot new build and is currently home to 5 specialist charities.

The concept is simple, when a women or girl experiences violence, abuse and/or exploitation, many areas of their lives can be negatively impacted. It makes sense then to have all services under one roof, where individuals can access support when they need it, reducing the risk of escalation and serious harm."

(It doesn't say what the 5 charities are. Definitely the best approach IMHO, having worked in a similar set-up for a different demographic.)

https://emilydavisoncentre.com/

"In 2022 The EDC received funding from the Ministry of Justice and Comic Relief to provide online support to Trans and Non Binary victim of domestic abuse living in England. For more information please visit the website at www.lovingme.uk"

https://emilydavisoncentre.com/lgbtqia-lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-queer-intersex-and-asexual/

"In 2017 Five national and regional EVAWG charities came together, worked in partnership and identified the resources to drive the ambition forward.
Our ambition is the same as it was 25 years ago, our priority is to ensure Women and Girls are safe, supported and enabled to recover from abuse, exploitation and/or violence.

The centre was named after Emily Wilding Davison, the decision to do so was based on Emily’s philosophy of ‘deeds not words’. More than ever ACTION is required to champion the rights of Women and Girls who experience discrimination, oppression and violation as a result of their gender. We also understand the intersectional nature of discrimination and prioritise the development of services for Women and Girls who are further marginalised by gender, sexuality, race, class and disability."

(It doesn't say what the 5 charities are. "Women and Girls", three times in two paragraphs, but . . . )

https://emilydavisoncentre.com/our-herstory/

Ooo! I think I might have found those 5 charities - and Amanda Elwen. First glance at this impressive bio I thought she might be a member of the fabled "Powerful International Lesbian Syndicate" but she goes by "Mx" and calls herself a "queer person", so possibly not.

Chair and Founder – Amanda Elwen

I am currently the business manager for Paladin National Stalking Advocacy Service, HARV Domestic Abuse Services, HARV Housing CIC and Safer Together EVAWG consortia. I am also very proud to be the current chair of the Emily Davison Centre CIO.

I have worked in the charitable sector for 25 years. In 2020 I became a board member and trustee for Women’s Aid National.

I am committed to ending violence against women and girls and I campaign nationally to ensure the EVAWG specialists have a voice in policy, legislation and the procurement of services.

For a long time I have been frustrated with the lack of infrastructure for specialist services and inadequate support for victims of abuse. The Emily Davison Centre not only provides a safe accessible space for women and girls to access support and start the road to recovery, but it also provides an environment where specialists can share expertise, knowledge and skills that will inevitably not only strengthen the sector but will have direct benefits for the entire community.

Qualifications include undergraduate degree in Youth and Community Work, Safeguarding Children postgraduate diploma, IDVA qualification, PG in Voluntary Sector Management and Masters in Business Administration (MBA).

As a queer person, I am keen to ensure that services are inclusive, responsive and accessible to LGBTIQ+ individuals suffering from abuse.

https://emilydavisoncentre.com/about-us/

Effective grant-getter for the EDC and it's services for "women and girls":

https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/5063643/financial-history

(The Charity Commission page for the EDC's Accounts and Annual Returns has a problem and will not display. Having seen the Financial History I was hoping to have a peek.)

In her spare time (!) Amanda manages a Hebden Bridge Under-15's Football Team:
https://www.hbsaints.com/teams/Under-15s-Hurricanes

I got a bit distracted looking for the five charities and then marvelling at Amanda's vision, energy and achievements. She really does sound bloody fantastic!

"Loving Me" is part of the Emily Davison Centre charity rather than a stand-alone service. It cites it's Charity Number as 1163951 - which is the EDC.

"Loving Me is the only domestic and sexual abuse service in the United Kingdom specifically by and for transgender, non-binary and gender queer people. We asked them to tell us about the service they offer. . . .

With thanks to Comic Relief, Ministry of Justice, Rank Foundation, Lancashire Police Crime Commissioners Office, Lancashire County Council.*”

*1 Garthe et al., 2018

https://domesticabusecommissioner.uk/blogs/loving-me/

I think Garthe et al, 2018 probably refers to this:

"Young transgender women survivors of intimate partner violence: A latent class analysis of protective processes"
https://escholarship.org/content/qt1r3035jr/qt1r3035jr.pdf?t=rzqdqf

So it would appear that "Loving Me" has been set up for (rather than by) trans and non-binary people, with grants and funding secured by Amanda Elwen.

However, it is run "by and for" trans and non-binary people.

The CEO is Moss Ferry:
https://domesticabusecommissioner.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/D4-Trans-Inclusion-Galop-Loving-Me-My-CWA.pdf

Previously Mr Moss Ferry, Assistant Professor at the University of Bradford, Faculty/Dept/School: School of Social Sciences.

Moss is female: https://archive.ph/F5aq6

Moss does not think that there should be female-only support services for women who are victims of domestic violence:
https://archive.ph/d11sU

Moss is the trans CEO of a mixed-sex support service dedicated to trans and non-binary people who are victims of domestic violence.

Knowing what female detransitioners have disclosed about their experiences in mixed-sex trans and non-binary groups, I wonder what Moss will prioritise? Safeguarding females who use the refuge or ideological purity?

Mx Amanda is female, a lesbian but she prefers "queer person".

Amanda is an absolute powerhouse who has raised loads of money to help people who have been subjected to domestic violence, prioritising funding a refuge specifically for only trans and non-binary people.

I wonder, if someone offered Amanda loads of money to set up a single-sex service for women who have been subjected to domestic violence, would she accept it on those terms? She seems an extraordinarily caring person and I suspect that she would, whatever Moss might think.

Fab research!

So there you go. Run by trans people means it definitely won't be segregated by sex. And, the men, AGP or not, will dominate.

Call me cynical, but this has got dodgy running through it like a stick of rock.

less shared spaces and more independent flats for example.

That would greatly reduce the number of women they were able to offer help to, though.

I guess it's only me who finds "Loving Me" a bit masturbatey?

I can't give you evidence other than my years of experience working in women's refuges. I've unfortunately found it to be common in certain tight knit communities where it would be extremely frowned upon for a woman to leave an abusive husband. Other women and their children in tow from the same community would self refer in within a day or two and the woman will be told she's to go home. If she refuses the other family will leave and her husband turns up looking for her with his mates in tow. We regularly had to move women very quickly because of this. I've no doubt those women who come looking for someone are also in difficult circumstances themselves but it is what they do. It's very difficult for staff because you can't turn away women who may be legitimate.

This is very true, but I guess it has to be done correctly to meet the needs of people using the service though. A lot of womens refuges in this area are moving to the layout of independent flats now. Tbh I think it removes a lot of the support women provide each other in refuge but it has to work for the people who will be living there at the end of the day. Services will always be limited by that and I don't think that's always a bad thing. It's what helps maintain living conditions, health and safety, risk management etc which are all crucial when housing lots of people who've been through an awful time.

I’ve unfortunately found it to be common in certain tight knit communities where it would be extremely frowned upon for a woman to leave an abusive husband.

common in certain communities is not the same as common though. Your original post implied that women “often” faked DV to get into refuges to put pressure on women to come home which isn’t the same thing at all as it happening only in certain very specific communities

I hope detailed statistics will be kept on this set up.

It will inform future decisions about similar set ups.

Cynically I can see a massive problem. Some TW may well still demand to use single sex services as that’s the only way they can be validated.

Exactly this. Transwomen seem to truly believe they are women so why would they use a space for trans people? It would be underlining the fact that they aren't really women after all.
Same VV for men, but it's less of an issue that way round.

And this is also why trans women will never use gender neutral toilets if there's also a women only toilet available.

Having only worked in the area I live in, it's a "common" issue here because we have a large number of those particular communities. Perhaps mainland UK doesn't have the same community makeup although I'm surprised at that. It was an issue that came up every month or so, so I personally would describe that as common. I can't speak for the experience of refuge workers across the whole of the uk I did say it was my personal experience. It was also an issue within same sex relationships and women who were homeless who for whatever reason didn't want to access hostel accommodation. Understandable in that case, but not an appropriate use of the service. Refuge referrals were also misused by professional bodies who didn't understand the nuances of trafficking for example.

My point is simply that staff always need to be vigilant as to who is accessing refuge and why so that residents are protected from anyone with mal-intent, and that the service is reserved for those in genuine need. A mixed sex refuge will need to do the same and that will come down to the skill and vigilance of staff.