A recent report reveals shocking statistics about the prevalence of same-sex domestic violence and homophobic sexual assaults in the state.

The California Coalition Against Sexual Assault’s (CALCASA) 2005 report acts as a compendium of diverse research about rape, sexual assault and violence, including that directed to and experienced within the GLBT community.

Data collected by the CALCASA report and San Francisco Women Against Rape found that one in three lesbians have been sexually assaulted by a woman, and one in four have experienced violence within a lesbian relationship.

CALCASA found that lesbian and bisexual women are particularly at risk because woman-to-woman sexual assault is often discounted due to the widely-believed definition of sexual assault as penile penetration, and because “homophobia and heterosexism set the stage for many forms of violence, including sexual violence” perpetrated by men.

Lesbian and bisexual women also face a double-bind of fear in reporting same-sex rape, according to Tisha Martz, volunteer coordinator for the Rape Crisis Center at CCS.

“There is the fear that if a lesbian reports [same-sex] rape, that betrays the LGBT community, that the community already has enough to deal with,” Martz said. “Then there’s a fear that if you say a woman assaults, it will undo some of the hard work we’ve put in to dispel the myth that women are responsible or to blame for rape.”

Martz, whose organization collaborated with CALCASA on the report, added that in some cases, the use of butch and femme lesbian roles further antagonizes the process of reporting domestic sexual abuse because aggressor/recipient stereotypes may reinforce beliefs that butch women are never raped, and that femme women never rape.

“This makes it more difficult for victims to come forward, and silences people who have been hurt and need help,” Martz said. “It seems the information from this community is getting better and that’s encouraging. We need to stimulate debate on a topic that many people find uncomfortable to talk about.”

The GLBT statistics are derived from over 20 anti-violence organizations, although the report estimates that only 14 percent of anti-GLBT violence is reported to the police each year, as victims believe disclosure of their sexual orientation will lead to further persecution.

Between 16 and 30 percent of the GLBT community reported being victimized by the police, and a 2002 study found that in almost 20 percent of cases, law enforcement decided not to continue the investigation and prosecute.

Thirty-seven percent of gay men reported experiencing what is legally defined as sexual abuse or assault, usually before the age of 17 – a rate much higher than that among heterosexual men.

A Massachusetts study in the Journal of School Social Work discovered young lesbian and bisexual females were four times more likely to have experienced their own peers “attempt[ing] to hurt them in a sexual way (i.e attempted rape or rape),” than heterosexual girls.

Seventy-two percent of the lesbian and bisexual females in the Massachusetts study reported being called sexually offensive names by their peers, and over half of those interviewed had been grabbed or had their clothing pulled in a sexual way.

The study also found that young lesbian and bisexual females were “significantly more likely to be touched, brushed up against or cornered in a sexual way” than their heterosexual counterparts.

Gay, lesbian and bisexual university students are almost twice as likely to be forced to have sex against their will than straight students, with female students at greatest risk.

A national representative survey of children aged 12-17 revealed that more than three-quarters of gay children, or those perceived to be gay, were teased and bullied at school or within their communities.

Four percent admitted to participating in the bullying, and 5 percent said they tried to defend gay pupils from bullies or harassment. Seventy-eight percent reported reacting “unfavorably” to anti-gay bias and teasing.

Carolyn Laub, founder and executive director of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network in California, said, “This data is extremely disturbing but unfortunately it doesn’t surprise me because [it supports] what my own organization hears anecdotally each day, including the sexual assaults. I’m saddened to hear that this continues to be the trend on our schools.”

The Gay-Straight Alliance Network helps students to create gay-straight clubs in their school and universities. Once established, the organization furnishes the clubs with tools and resources to foster integrated student support, create a safe school environment, educate the school community about homophobia, gender identity and sexual orientation issues and fight violence and discrimination in schools.