Gay Men Often Victims of Domestic Violence

CHICAGO, IL --  A new study conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago suggests that domestic violence is a major problem in the gay community and that almost as many gay men have been abused in a same sex relationship as women in opposite sex relationships.

In the study, which was published in the most recent edition of the Journal of Urban Health, associate professor of psychology David McKirnan and graduate student Eric Houston found that 1 out of every 3 men in a same sex relationship has been abused. This is similar to what studies of battered women have found.

"If you project that out to the entire gay community in the country, that's a lot of guys," said McKirnan.

McKirnan and Houston studied surveys filled out by 817 men through the Howard Brown Health Center, which primarily serves Chicago's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community from its North Side location, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

More than 32 percent of the men reported experiencing verbal, physical or sexual abuse in an intimate relationship. Just under 20 percent said they were physically or sexually abused.