We work to transform harm with and for LGBTQ+ Vermonters
If you or someone you know has experienced violence, threats, or intimidation, we can work with you to address your safety and provide the support you need.
Survivor Support Line: (802) 863-0003
Please reach out to our Support Line Monday-Thursday 10am-6pm, and Friday 10am-2pm.
Or use our use our secure chat line at www.safespacevt.org/get-help
Through direct service advocacy, education, and community support, we provide comprehensive services to support LGBTQ+ survivors of hate, bias, harassment, discrimination, abuse, intimate partner violence, stalking, trafficking, sexual assault, and other systemic and community harms.
Programs & Services
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SafeSpace advocates provide free and confidential emotional support, advocacy, and resources for LGBTQ+ survivors of violence and discrimination.
Our SafeSpace advocates can support you with:
Creating a safety plan
Accompaniment (court hearings, discrimination meetings with landlords or employers, Title IX meetings, etc.)
Referral to low- or pro-bono legal support
Referrals to other relevant, local resources
Our program currently does not have the capacity to:
Provide 1:1 case management
Facilitate mediation between couples, employee/employers, etc.
Provide housing
Provide long-term therapy or counseling
Offer in-house legal support goes
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SafeSpace strives to be present in statewide and national conversations having systemic implications for LGBTQ+ survivors in Vermont.
Committee participation is prioritized based on advocate availability and capacity. If you know of a statewide or national opportunity for supporting LGBTQ+ survivors that you feel we should be a part of, please email safespacevt@gmail.com.
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SafeSpace provides workshops & trainings on interrupting bias in a variety of settings to support LGBTQ+ survivors and those impacted by violence and abuse.
If you want support in creating more gender affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ people impacted by violence, please email safespacevt@gmail.com and an advocate will respond to your request as staff capacity allows.
About Us
In the early 2000s several Chittenden County-based Domestic Violence & Sexual Violence (DV/SV) organizations determined that it was important to have a program in Vermont which addressed the specific needs of LGBTQ+ survivors of violence.
To better serve the needs of Vermont LGBTQ+ survivors, local LGBTQ+ activists applied for a Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant and secured funding for the first iteration of the SafeSpace Anti-Violence Program.
SafeSpace started and operated as its own, independent non-profit for several years. In 2007, SafeSpace merged with the Pride Center of Vermont (formerly RU12?). Until 2025, the SafeSpace Anti-Violence Program was an integral part of the Pride Center of Vermont and provided direct services, trainings, and systems advocacy for LGBTQ+ survivors of violence statewide.
Today, the SafeSpace team operates under the umbrella of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
Why LGBTQ+ Specific Support?
Many domestic and sexual violence organizations in Vermont serve the LGBTQ+ community. However, SafeSpace is the only program in the state with the sole focus on supporting LGBTQ+ survivors of violence and/or discrimination.
Due to higher rates of violence, additional barriers, and harm specific to the community, it is important that SafeSpace exists to provide culturally specific support to LGBTQ+ Vermonters.
LGBTQ+ People Experience Violence at Higher Rates
LGBTQ+ people experience violence (sexual, domestic, family) at disproportionately higher rates than cisgender, heterosexual people. According to a compilation of studies, 25-33% of LGBTQ+ people experience partner abuse in their lifetime.
Harms Specific to the LGBTQ+ Community
There are harms that are specific to the LGBTQ+ community. People who cause harm in LGBTQ+ relationships can use tactics that are specific to isolating and invalidating LGBTQ+ survivors. For example:
Transmisogny & transphobia
– Withholding hormones
– Refusing to use the survivor’s chosen name & pronouns
Homophobia & biphobia
– Shaming and/or questioning the validity of someone’s identity
– “You can’t leave me because no one else will accept you”
Outing
– “If you break up with me, I will tell your parents/boss/friends you’re gay”
To learn more, check out this version of the LGBTQ+ power & control wheel.
LGBTQ+ People Need Additional Support
Most agencies do not support survivors of discrimination or bias. At SafeSpace, we understand discrimination and bias play a role in the violence that LGBTQ+ individuals experience. That is why our services are inclusive of supporting survivors of employment, housing, and medical discrimination.
LGBTQ+ People Additional Barriers
LGBTQ+ survivors experienced additional barriers when trying to access survivor support services. One of the main barriers is being denied services due to biased or discriminatory service providers.
According an NCAVP study, 85% of advocates surveyed by the NCAVP reported having worked with an LGBTQ+ survivor who was denied services because of their gender and/or sexual identities.
Not all service providers are as LGBTQ+ affirming as they should be. Actions such as assuming pronouns or assuming the identities can be a barrier to LGBTQ+ people accessing those services.
Additionally, if the language or images used by an SV/DV agency isn’t inclusive of LGBTQ+ people and relationships, there is an understanding/expectation that that agency won’t appropriately service LGBTQ+ survivors. It is therefore not surprising that, according to one study, 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ survivors of intimate partner or sexual violence get help from service providers.