The California
assembly judiciary committee passed a bill Tuesday that
would fund the development and ongoing support of
initiatives aimed at helping gay victims of domestic
violence. The Equality in Prevention and Services for
Domestic Abuse Fund would require couples registering as
domestic partners to pay a small fee that would go toward
financing LGBT-specific training for law enforcement
and domestic-violence service providers, among other programs.
"Domestic violence affects an estimated 25% of
all relationships in California, and this crime is not
discriminatory based on race, gender, or sexual
orientation," the bill's author, Democratic assemblywoman
Rebecca Cohn, said in a statement. "I introduced [this bill]
to support LGBT victim services because the needs of
this underserved and underrepresented community are
unique when it comes to domestic abuse."
The bill would also subsidize shelters that
support LGBT victims of domestic violence as well as
an educational brochure on the topic that would be
given out with domestic-partnership certificates. (The
Advocate)