At a glance

• The House of Lords Select Committee on the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 is conducting an inquiry into the Act’s impact and effectiveness

• Galop gave oral and written evidence to the Committee about experiences of LGBT+ victims and survivors

• We made five key recommendations for change

Overview

Earlier this year, Galop provided oral and written evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee for its inquiry into the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. We support thousands of LGBT+ victims and survivors of domestic abuse, and we know myths, stereotypes and poor knowledge about domestic abuse experienced by LGBT+ people leads to high levels of underreporting and inadequate support.  

Galop’s 2023 research found that 55% of LGBT+ adults surveyed had been subjected to one or more abusive behaviours by a family member and/or partner/ex-partner. Around 6 in 10 did not seek support from services following a particular instance of abuse by a family member or a partner/ex-partner. This inquiry was as a crucial opportunity to advocate for changes to the law and policy frameworks to improve access to support.

What we told the inquiry about LGBT+ people’s experience of domestic abuse

At a hearing in Parliament, our Director of Services, Bridget Symonds, explained that services still really struggle to identify abuse in LGBT+ relationships. For example, there’s a lack of understanding of how two men might be in an abusive relationship because we are so conditioned to view domestic abuse through a heterosexual, cisgender lens. We also shared how our specialist LGBT+ advocates often report that statutory and non-specialist services:

• Fail to recognise specific forms abuse that can be directed towards LGBT+ people. This could look like withholding medically prescribed gender-affirming medication from a trans+ person or threatening to ‘out’ an LGBT+ person.

• Incorrectly regard abuse in family settings as “strict parenting”

• Struggle to properly risk assess or identify the perpetrator in LGBT+ relationships. This could look like downplaying or dismissing risk of violence in same-sex relationships.

We also informed the Committee about the ways in which conversion practices can intersect with domestic abuse for LGBT+ people, particularly abuse from family members.  

Throughout our evidence, Galop also advocated for greater access to safe accommodation for LGBT+ victims and survivors fleeing abuse, especially trans+ survivors who are facing serious challenges because of the fear and confusion that services are facing following the Supreme Court ruling in 2025 and subsequent guidance issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). We regularly support trans+ people fleeing domestic abuse who are refused access to refuge. With no safe alternatives, these victims and survivors remain housed with their abusers or homeless.

Why Galop’s voice matters

Every year, our services support thousands of LGBT+ victims and survivors of domestic abuse. The evidence we shared with the Committee comes directly from what we learn working with our clients. By combining our frontline expertise with research, we hope to push for change that improves outcomes for all LGBT+ victims and survivors of abuse and violence.

Galop’s recommendations

We highlighted five priorities for change:  

1. Long-term, sustainable and ring-fenced funding for by-and-for services supporting LGBT+ survivors of domestic abuse.  

2. Dedicated funding for specialist LGBT+ services providing safe accommodation for trans+ survivors.  

3. The UK government must urgently ban conversion practices.  

4. Further guidance, developed in partnership with LGBT+ specialist organisations, to improve frontline responses to LGBT+ survivors of domestic abuse.  

5. Broadening the Act’s definition of ‘personally connected’ to cover abuse perpetrated by carers and others living in a non-‘traditional’ family or household structure (e.g. housemates and polyamorous relationships).  

What happens next?

The Committee is due to publish its report by 30 November 2026.  

We’ll continue working with government and decision-makers to make changes that improve safety and support for LGBT+ victims and survivors of domestic abuse.