Refuge's Tech Safety Newsletter June 2025
Taking Pride in Securing Freedom from Economic Abuse
This month’s newsletter marks Pride month, often a time of celebration for all those who make up the incredibly vibrant LGBT+ community. Whilst Pride month can be a time to reflect on how far we have come in protecting LGBT+ rights, it also remains a protest. LGBT+ survivors experience the same abuses of power and control that all survivors face, but they can also be impacted by different forms of abuse which seek to target their identity. They also face additional barriers in seeking support, and it is the responsibility of us all to work to dismantle these.
In order to facilitate understanding about the experiences of LGBT+ survivors, we’ve invited Galop, the UK’s LGBT+ anti-abuse and violence charity to help us spotlight this less understood but deeply impactful issue. Both our team and Galop work directly with survivors of economic abuse, and we want to draw on the learnings from our practice in order to keep survivors at the heart of our work. Understanding these experiences is one step you can take towards further inclusion for all survivors of abuse and violence.
LGBT+ experiences of economic abuse and financial control.
At Galop we’ve supported LGBT+ survivors for over 40 years. We know that economic abuse for LGBT+ people isn’t only control over our money – it's control over our ability to be ourselves. Limiting access to money can control a person’s gender expression, our identity and our access to community.
Whether you’re cisgender, heterosexual, or LGBT+, all abuse is about power and control.
Where experiences differ for cisgender, heterosexul or LGBT+ people is how abusers target LGBT+ people’s sexual or romantic orientation and gender identity to seek power and control over them. Other people’s anti-LGBT+ prejudice may also be a tool to that’s purposefully used make LGBT+ survivors feel less in control and afraid.
What can LGBT+ experiences of economic abuse look like?Reducing someone’s financial access to gender-affirming tools such as clothing, makeup, or private medical support.
-Limiting someone’s financial literacy to reduce opportunities for independence where they could freely be themselves.
-Using financial control to pressure someone to undergo so-called ‘conversion therapy’.
- Facilitating anti-LGBT+ hate against a survivor, reducing their ability to attend work, or university and altering their career trajectory.
- Using extortion-based tactics which threaten to disclose someone’s gender identity or sexuality, often in the form of blackmail. This form of abuse can be particularly relevant for survivors with multiple perpetrators.
“When asked [a Galop client] what she can do for self-care that day, after going through a traumatic court hearing, the client replied that she’s ‘going to put the heating on for an hour’”
Economic impacts of anti-LGBT+ hate.
Alongside targeted financial abuse, LGBT+ people experience distinct economic impacts of other forms of abuse and violence. This is further exacerbated by the ever-growing level of anti-LGBT+ hate incidents in the UK.
Between 2023 – 2024, Galop has seen a 100% increase in LGBT+ people accessing help for hate.
Common economic impacts of anti-LGBT+ hate can be:
- Having your education delayed or disrupted entirely
- Losing access to transport due to increased fear or targeting
- Loss of safe housing
- Loss of employment or obstruction of employment opportunities
- Losing access to well-being and care resources
Remember, we're here to help.
You don’t have to face it alone, both Galop and the Refuge’s Tech and Economic Abuse Team are here to support your understanding of economic abuse and expand your inclusion for LGBT+ survivors of all forms of gender-based violence.
Here are four more ways you can learn more about LGBT+ experiences of abuse this Pride season:
-Access LGBT+ specialist training with Galop
-Support Galops ‘Hate Hurts All Of Us’ Campaign
-Learn more about meaningful collaboration with specialist services here - 4 Best Practices for Effective Collaboration with Specialist Charities
-Learn more about economic abuse and keep applying it to diverse experiences - What is economic abuse? - Refuge
Logging Off: The Human Cost of the Digital World
The incredible Adele Zeynep Walton has released her book 'Logging Off: The Human Cost of the Digital World'. Adele is both a talented writer and campaigner, her story is shaped by a personal loss. The book is an essential read, not just for those that work in the sector but parents and caregivers as well.
The book examines how our lives are shaped by the digital landscape with a call for action to improve the tech sector to protect the most vulnerable members of society. Available for purchase here on Amazon.