When it comes to domestic violence, says Stephanie Nick, coordinator for the family violence program at Resource Center Dallas, it's all about the "power and control" exercised by one person over another.

That is true in virtually all relationships, including LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) partnerships. Nick says that domestic violence is an issue in about one in four opposite-gender couples. The same holds true in LGBT relationships.

Despite that similarity, though, there is one material difference between straight and LGBT couples concerning domestic violence: available resources. "When LGBT people face family violence," Nick states, "they don't have the resources to turn to that straight people do." For example, there is no shelter that caters exclusively to them. There is no shelter at all for gay men who are victimized by violence.

An overall scarcity in resources is driven, Nick thinks, by a reluctance of both mainstream society and the LGBT community to even acknowledge that there a problem, much less talk about it. This closeting of the issue results in not just resources being scare, but research into LGBT domestic violence being virtually non-existent as well. Until the latter develops, available resources - such as family violence programs, emergency shelters and medical attention - will continue to be underfunded and in short supply.

Family violence "is a very real issue in the LGBT community," Nick says. "Education is first and foremost what has to happen."

Related Resource: www.dallasvoice.com "RCD program offers help for domestic violence victims"