Laura Holder | 07.08.2024

Since June, demonstrations have been taking place to mark Christopher Street Day. This year, some of the events came under massive threat from right-wing extremists. What's causing this violence or at least is making it possible is the marginalization of the LGBTQIA+ community. For our work, we once again are reminded to constantly consider queer realities of life. That is why we'd like to create space for LesMigraS, which offers LGBTQIA+ and BIPoC counseling in the field of anti-violence a.o. 

How would you describe your work in relation to gender-based intimate partner violence?

"We are department of the Lesbenberatung Berlin e.V. and we are open to all sexual orientations and identities on the queer spectrum. We believe that a person's gender and pronouns cannot be read from their appearance, voice, other external characteristics or name. We work with people of different genders who use no or different pronouns and different self-definitions.

We have an empowerment project, a project for refugees and an anti-discrimination and anti-violence project.

We work in an intersectional, empowering, multidimensional and discrimination-sensitive way. We place multiple discrimination at the center of our work. We focus on queer and trans* people of color and Black queer and trans* people. We understand racism, trans* discrimination and homophobia as inextricably intertwined. That is why we are always anti-racist AND queerfeminist. Furthermore, our work is community-based. This means that we want to raise awareness of violence and discrimination within the queer communities and support them in building a loving and responsible coexistence.

With regard to violence in relationships, we work with an intersectional understanding of violence. For us, this means that interpersonal violence always takes place in the context of structural violence. This violence is often characterized by the context in which it occurs."

Website LesMigraS
What are the main reasons for consulting LesMigras? What are the consultations about?

"We are consulted for very different reasons. Our consultations are primarily about discrimination and violence against queer and racialized people."

What types of advice do you offer?

"We offer anti-discrimination advice and refer people to lawyers and other advice centers. We also offer anti-violence counseling and refer people to other anti-violence counseling centers."

To which specialized advice centers do you refer people to who come to you for advice?

"In urgent cases, we refer people to the BIG Hotline if they need refuge and legal support. If the issue is sexualized violence and the person needs legal advice and support, we refer them to LARA.

We work closely with the FAMAD advice centre of the ADNB (Anti-Discrimination Network Berlin), of which we are also a member, on discrimination issues. FAMAD offers advice on employment law issues relating to discrimination and violence in the workplace.

ReachOut e.V is another advice center that we often refer people to. It offers services for victims of right-wing and racist violence and threats in Berlin. ReachOut also advises victims of racial profiling and racist police violence.

For asylum procedures, residence issues and impending deportation, we refer people to KuB e.V., as we only have limited capacity for legal advice.

We work closely with Asap e.V. to find accommodation for people who have experienced violence, as we do not offer accommodation ourselves.

We refer people to EOTO e.V. for advice on anti-Black racism, support and group activities.

On the subject of sex work, we refer you to Hydra e.V.

LesMigraS is part of various networks. These networks include ADNB, ADVD and bff. There are also cooperation partnerships with various organizations."

What are questions that should be asked in order to recognize intimate partner violence?
  • Does your partner prevent you from having contact with your friends or family?
  • Do you not tell your friends the whole truth or tell lies about your relationship?
  • Do you try to fulfill all of your partner's wishes? Do you control your behavior out of fear of punishment?
  • Do you only do things that your partner says yes to? Do you feel incapable of making decisions on your own?
  • Are you confused about your feelings?
  • Are you ashamed of being in the relationship? Has your self-confidence decreased since you've been in the relationship?
  • Do you try to gauge your partner's mood?
  • Do you have trouble sleeping?
  • Does your partner hurt you physically? Do you try to hide these injuries? Do you make up other stories about it?
Do people affected by intimate partner violence speak of what happens to them as violence?

"We work with people with different experiences and realities of life. Sometimes the issue of violence is raised very specifically by the person concerned during the initial contact or initial meeting and they want advice on how to deal with violence, on options for action and support, on their own boundaries and also on responsibility for themselves. In some cases, the person's own perception of their experiences of violence is questioned and they need support in order to categorize and clearly name their own experiences of violence."

What structural barriers are there for queer victims of intimate partner violence?

"Queer people who have experienced violence have difficulties with the entire support system, especially with access to safe shelters. Unfortunately, there are very few queer or queer-open shelters. The bureaucratic barriers to being accepted into a safe shelter are even more difficult, especially for people who experience multiple discrimination, such as Black people, people of color and queer, trans*, inter* refugees.

It is particularly complicated for people who are affected by violence and have a precarious residence status to get out of violent relationships. They can be deported or have to deal with long-term and burdensome legal procedures due to the residence permits tied to the relationships. If they are financially dependent on the violent partner in their relationship, they hardly have the resources to cope with the entire process.

We encounter these challenges in counseling situations and different approaches and requirements are appropriate from case to case."