Pride, partnership, and progress: Improving responses to domestic abuse within LGBT+ communities
30th June 2025
Pride, held annually in June, is both a time of celebration and activism. Since the first march over five decades ago, Pride has represented joy, resistance, and solidarity for LGBT+ communities. The first Pride marches took place in June 1970 across four US cities, marking the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Two years later, the UK held its first official Pride march in London, with 2,000 people attending. Since then, Pride has grown into a nationwide movement, with LGBT+ communities across the country gathering each June to march together, raise their voices, and continue in the fight for equality. Today, there are more than 200 Pride events held annually across the UK and Ireland, and in 2024 alone, over 1.5 million people took to the streets of London to mark the occasion. While Pride is a celebration of love, identity, and resilience, it also remains an important act of ongoing protest against inequality.
Domestic abuse and LGBT+ communities
Whilst domestic abuse affects people of all genders and sexualities, the experiences of LGBT+ individuals are still too often overlooked, misunderstood, or dismissed. 2018 research from Galop, the UK’s leading national helpline for LGBT+ victims and survivors of abuse and violence, reported that “11% of LGBT+ people had experienced domestic abuse from a partner within the last year. This figure increased to 17% for Black, Asian and minority ethnic LGBT+ people.” Despite these levels of abuse, responses to both victim-survivors and those who cause harm within LGBT+ communities have historically been inconsistent and fragmented.
In 2021, the Drive Partnership began work to identify and address systemic gaps in the response to domestic abuse within LGBT+ communities, starting with a scoping exercise to map existing services and identify unmet needs. Following this, co-design groups involving professionals with lived experience and by-and-for organisations worked together to design and develop a specialist response to domestic abuse within LGBT+ communities. This work culminated in the recent launch of the LEVEL programme – a 22-week, one-to-one specialist intervention for LGBT+ people who cause harm within their relationships. The tailored intervention is delivered by WomenCentre and The Brunswick Centre, and supports those living in Calderdale and Kirklees.
The LEVEL programme
This Pride, we spoke to Steph Mallas, Deputy Chief Executive at WomenCentre – an organisation that has been supporting and empowering women across Calderdale for over four decades, and John Mckernaghan, Chief Officer at The Brunswick Centre – which supports LGBT+ communities through health and wellbeing programmes, about their new LEVEL programme. They shared why specialist, tailored responses to domestic abuse are so important, and their hopes for a safer, more inclusive future.
“LEVEL is a bold and much-needed initiative. Domestic abuse services have traditionally been built around heterosexual, cisgender relationships – and that leaves many LGBTQ+ people feeling invisible or misunderstood. LEVEL recognises that abuse can happen in all relationships, and that support must be relevant and inclusive. It’s rooted in accountability and change but delivered in a way that is compassionate and reflective. That’s what makes it so relevant – it meets people where they are, while not shying away from the need for change,” said Steph.
Both victim-survivors and those who cause harm within LGBT+ relationships often face additional barriers to accessing help. Tailored, inclusive responses that have both been designed and delivered by and for LGBT+ communities are a pivotal step towards responding to domestic abuse effectively and safely.
As John outlines, “tailoring our responses is essential to be truly effective. Abuse is complex, and we know that people’s identities – including their gender, sexuality and past experiences – shape how they understand and respond to it. The LEVEL programme isn’t just about delivering a project; it’s about building trust, challenging stigma, and creating safer communities. That only happens when people feel they’re being seen and heard.”
“Lived experience matters. LGBTQ+ people often face additional barriers – whether it’s fear of being outed, previous experiences of discrimination, or simply not feeling understood by mainstream services. Tailored responses like LEVEL ensure that people don’t fall through the cracks. They create spaces where people can be honest, feel safe and begin to explore change with the right kind of support,” added Steph.
Whilst Pride is often a time that is marked by colour, joy and unity, its roots run much deeper. Pride is grounded in protest, survival and demand for a more just world where everybody is free to live with dignity and without fear of violence or persecution.
For John, “LEVEL speaks to the heart of what Pride is about – equity, dignity and the right to live free from harm. It’s about supporting people to take responsibility for their actions, to learn and grow, and to be part of creating positive change. Pride isn’t just a celebration – it’s also a reminder of how far we’ve come and how much work there still is to do. Pride started as a protest that led to significant societal change. Projects like LEVEL are part of that ongoing journey.”
“Pride is a time to celebrate whilst also a time to highlight both the resilience and the challenges of LGBTQ+ communities. LEVEL does that by addressing a difficult but important issue – domestic abuse – in a way that’s inclusive, respectful and forward-looking. It reflects the values of Pride by showing that everyone deserves support, that change is possible, and that no one should be left behind,” Steph added.
The work to address domestic abuse and those who cause harm within LGBT+ relationships is often challenging, but it is necessary and lifesaving. It is work laying a path towards support, safety, and change.
Looking ahead to the future, Steph said: “We’d love to see LEVEL continue to grow and evolve. It’s a trial for now, and we are just at the start, but the early signs are encouraging. The more we listen, learn and adapt, the more potential there is to make this a long-term, embedded offer across Calderdale and Kirklees. We want to learn from what works, and what doesn’t work, and to use this to expand and develop LEVEL well into the future.”
Addressing domestic abuse in LGBT+ relationships is complex, and requires approaches that are inclusive, community informed, and rooted in victim-survivor safety. As Pride outlines, everyone deserves to be happy, free and safe from harm, which is at the core of this important development in responses to domestic abuse across LGBT+ communities.
“Whether you’ve been harmed or have caused harm, there is a way forward, and people who will support you to take the first step. Pride is a celebration, but also a call to action – and we all have a role in making sure that safety, equality and justice are for everyone, not just some”, said John.
For more information, please visit the LEVEL programme’s website.