News
October 12, 2022In Our Own Voices Supports National Coming Out Day
October 11 is National Coming Out Day, which also occurs during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month! We at In Our Own Voices (IOOV) realize that coming out can be, on its own, a situation fraught with stress and anxiety due to real and/or anticipated societal barriers. We also recognize that the LGBTQ+ BI POC community can face added complexities and challenges around coming out; especially when domestic violence is involved. There are dynamics, cultural differences and struggles that are unique to our communities, which makes it even more important for us to bring these issues to the forefront during these national conversations.
Abusers aim to take survivors’ power away by stripping them of resources and their community. They will often threaten to forcibly out people as a way of maintaining power and control over who interacts with the survivor. For those who are “out”, there is an understandable fear of having to come out to a first responder or service provider when seeking safety and support. Additionally, and more specifically to LGBTQ+ BI POC communities, we’re told to keep our family issues at home, and to not ask outside folk for help since certain individuals and institutions already see us as a problem. This is why it’s so important for us (not just during October or on Coming Out Day) to create safe spaces for people to feel empowered to not only come out, but to also come forward around their survivorship and victimization.
At IOOV, we address domestic violence in multiple ways. First, by working directly with our communities/survivors through counseling, accompanying survivors to hospitals, police stations, courthouses, and other appointments, as well as providing support groups to ensure that survivors aren’t left isolated and through our LGBTQ+ Supportline (518-432-4341). Secondly, by providing training and technical assistance to providers who serve survivors of domestic and sexual violence. We build relationships with our community partners to provide safe, accessible and knowledgeable resources for survivors to tap into. And lastly, by providing advocacy on the systems level to ensure that policies, laws, and protocols are inclusive and affirming to LGBTQ+/BI POC survivors. Our community knows better than anyone how terrifying isolation (or the threat of it) can be; we at IOOV strive to ensure that LGBTQ+ BI POC survivors of domestic violence coming forward around their abuse don’t have to be alone when they do it.
For more information about IOOV and our Anti-Violence Services, please visit www.ioov.org or call us at (518) 432-4188.
