DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS.   Term Paper ID:28593 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Reviews studies on battering of Lesbians by their partners; lack of resources, incl. Shelters; societal issues.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Reviews studies on battering of Lesbians by their partners; lack of resources, incl. Shelters; societal issues. Paper Introduction: Domestic violence is widespread in America, and is usually thought of in terms of violence by men against women, though some women do batter men. Child abuse is also very common, and can involve violence against children of either sex by adults of either sex, even to the degree that it is not uncommon for children to be murdered by relatives. A hidden side of domestic violence is that between partners in same sex-relationships. It occurs between gay men and between lesbians. It has been estimated that more than six million women are victims of domestic violence every year in the United States, and this violence ranges from simple hassling in the street to rape and incest, to physical and psychological abuse, all of which are very destructive on the physical and mental health of a woman (Bernhard, 2000). While some woman-to-woman abuse takes place Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. The results of this study differ somewhat from most other studies inwhich lesbian women have been found to suffer from domestic violence at thesame rate as heterosexual women. Domestic violence is widespread in America, and is usually thought ofin terms of violence by men against women, though some women do batter men. A. Depression appeared to be related to thedegree of physical abuse reported, and self-esteem was found to bepredictable by the level of nonphysical abuse, but not by the level ofphysical abuse. Nealon, P. Even though the domestic abuse actwas extended in 199 to apply to same-sex relationships, Leventhal knows ofcases where courts have refused to issue restraining orders requested bylesbians. Lesbian womenwere more likely than heterosexual women to do nothing, both groups mostcommonly told someone they trusted, and heterosexual women were more likelyto call the police. In any case, the study highlights thefact that both heterosexual and lesbian women both suffer depression andloss of self-esteem as a result of partner abuse, and the need for furtherstudies to define the particular needs of lesbian women in a domesticviolence situation. They arealready made to feel inferior by many heterosexuals because of theirpreference for women, and if they are then rejected and abused by the womenthey love and who share their sexual preferences, this can be a verydevastating situation which can rob them of their self-esteem entirely.This paper will review some of the literature on domestic violence betweenwomen. Coleman found domestic violence among lesbians very similar to thatamong heterosexuals in terms of intimidation, the abuse of power andcontrol, but the tactics vary. He believes the problem lies in the fact thatdomestic violence laws at the state level do not cover same-sex situations,and while these couples are protected by law against assault, the laws arenot adequate in domestic violence situations where both the victim and theabuser live under the same roof. Insight on the News, 16, p. Gays, lesbians also feel domestic violence. Leventhal believes the same societalforces that keep many lesbians closeted also keep their violentrelationships from public view. Nearly half the lesbians reported violenceby male perpetrators, but more than one third reported violence perpetratedby females. 16. Most lesbians werein a committed relationship and most heterosexual women were married, andwere all well-educated. Elvin, J. References Bernhard, L. The results taken overall suggest that both groups of women suffered asignificant amount of violence, and the difference was that lesbian womenexperienced more violence from women than did heterosexual women. Self-esteem and depression inbattered women: A comparison of lesbian and heterosexual survivors.Violence Against Women, 4, pp. D., & Russell, R. If civil unions turn sour, it sure isn't justicefor all. Lesbian women appear to suffer as much from domestic partner violenceas do heterosexual women, and yet the resources to help them are lacking.They are not welcome at shelters established for battered women, and areoften afraid to report abuse because of the social consequences of havingtheir sexual preferences disclosed to friends, neighbors, coworkers etc.This leaves them in a very vulnerable position, and resources need to bedeveloped to provide a place for victims of abuse by other women where theycan receive counseling and other support services. There is also the fear among lesbian couples that theircomplaints will not be taken seriously by the authorities. This problem of the hidden victims of domestic violence is animportant one because it means that thousands of women are suffering insilence, with no where to turn, and no one to listen to them and offerhelp. Bernhard used a sample of 136 lesbian and 79heterosexual women from a midwest urban area in her study. Violence Against Women, 6, pp. A hidden side ofdomestic violence is that between partners in same sex-relationships. 68-79. Lesbian batterers often use homophobic ormysogynistic abuse, threatening to reveal the victim's relationship, andtelling her she is worthless because she is a lesbian. The study consisted of answers to a 35 partquestionnaire concerning personal health history, use of health services,health practices, mental health, sexual and physical abuse, suicide,relationships and demographics. Child abuse is also very common, and can involve violence against childrenof either sex by adults of either sex, even to the degree that it is notuncommon for children to be murdered by relatives. Only five heterosexual women reported violence from women. Lesbians like to think thatthey have more loving, caring relationships than heterosexual couples, saysColeman. New York Times, p. Tuel, B. Women were given different questionnairesdepending on whether they were battered by male or female perpetrators. (1999, October). These results are verysimilar to earlier studies, which show that even with the wider acceptancetoday of alternative lifestyles and the decrease in homophobia, lesbianwomen who suffer violence at the hands of women partners behave exactly theway heterosexual women do for the most part: they do not report it. (1998). Garcia points out that lesbians face additional problems because ofthe homophobic nature of society which ignores or minimizes two womenfighting as opposed to a man hitting a woman. Because so many people still do not recognize same-sexrelationships as legitimate, they do not view domestic violence in lesbiancouples in the same way as they do in heterosexual couples, though many ofthe features are the same. Theyrepresent the hidden minority of abused women in that their problems arerarely talked about, and the resources available to them are extremelylimited. (2 ). While some woman-to-woman abusetakes place within families and between female gang members, the majorityof woman-to-woman domestic violence takes place between lesbians. He quotes JoAnn Miller, an associateprofessor of sociology, a specialist in these matters, who says that suchvictims are often not welcome at shelters for the abused, and indeed, someof these shelters in smaller communities would be closed down if theyadmitted people in same-sex relationships. 344-362. The most frequent perpetrators for both groups werefamily members or sex partners. According to Nealon (1992), though large number of lesbians, as manyas 1 , a year, are battered by their partners annually, the lesbiancommunity has been very slow to acknowledge this violence and to set up anetwork to deal with it. Physical and sexual violence experienced bylesbian and heterosexual women. Shelters are fairly widespread now for female victims of domesticviolence by their spouse or intimate partner, but most of these do notcater to lesbians, yet it has been estimated that between 5 , and1 , lesbians are believed to be battered by their partners each year(Nealon, 1992). Many lesbians are insecure because of their sexual orientation, andif they are abused by their partner, they are made even more so. K. 31. It is importantbecause under California law, felony domestic violence charges can be filedif violence takes place between members of the opposite sex, but onlymisdemeanor charges if the domestic abuse occurs between members of thesame sex. The abusing partner can use thisas a threat to keep the victim quiet. Tuel and Russell (1998) studied depression and self-esteem in 23lesbians and 17 heterosexual women who had experienced violence in intimaterelationships. The researchers note this difference andpoint to several methodological problems which may have led to theirdiffering results: the selection of participants, the type of surveys used,which were developed for heterosexual women, the different conceptsattached to the meaning of the emotions reported - fear, betrayal, anger,shame, anxiety, confusion, grief, isolation, and denial. Lesbian women have also been shown in otherstudies to be less likely to report domestic violence, and this reluctancemay have affected their answers. Heterosexual women were more likely to report being threatened witha weapon. Overall, 45 percent of the women (51 percent lesbian, 33 percentheterosexual) experienced nonsexual physical violence, and lesbians weresignificantly more likely to report nonsexual violence than heterosexualwomen. They both represent an expression of power, andthe abused partner is often intimidated by threats into not reporting it tothe authorities. No significant differences were found between the two groups for thedependent variables of depression and self-esteem, but significantdifferences were noted between the heterosexual and lesbian samples in theamount of abuse reported, with the heterosexual women reporting more bothphysical and nonphysical abuse. An index of abuse frequency and severity was obtained forpsychological and physical abuse and this and other factors were used topredict psychological symptoms. Boston Globe, p. This showed that the courts were applying the same standards tolesbian relationships as to heterosexual relationships. Miller believes domesticviolence laws need to be expanded to included everyone, "regardless ofsexual preference or living arrangements." Miller believes that whilelesbians suffer domestic abuse as frequently as heterosexual women, same-sex partners suffer more emotional abuse than straight couples. 2. (2 ). Although in California,laws have been passed to ensure that same-sex partners receive fair andequal treatment at work, in housing and at school, they are not alwaystreated fairly by the law in cases of domestic abuse. This article also points out, as do others, that lesbians oftendo not report domestic violence because they do not feel the police willrespond, or because they fear exposure of their lesbian relationship tofamily and friends. While a law in Vermont now allows marriage between couples of the samesex, this law brings problems along with it, according to John Elvin of theWashington Times (2 ). It has been estimated that more than six million women are victims ofdomestic violence every year in the United States, and this violence rangesfrom simple hassling in the street to rape and incest, to physical andpsychological abuse, all of which are very destructive on the physical andmental health of a woman (Bernhard, 2 ). (1992, June). Half of the total sample had experience sexualviolence and lesbian women were no more likely to have experience it thanheterosexual women. Nealon, a reporter for the Boston Globe, reportsthat Massachusetts has no shelters or safe houses for lesbians, and theyare often turned away from battered women's shelters. She quotes BethLeventhal, coordinator of the Network for Battered Lesbians in Boston assaying the ratio of battering in the lesbian community mirrors that ofwomen in the heterosexual population. Lesbian victims ofdomestic violence represent a hidden minority in what has become a majorproblem in the United States: domestic violence against women. There appears to be a difference between being battered by a man andbeing battered by a woman, and this has important implications for the waycounselors need to deal with women who have been battered by other women.Techniques to date have focused on women battered by male partners: withthe large number of lesbian women who are suffering domestic abuse at thehands of their female partners, this issue needs to be addressed andservices developed to serve their particular needs. Itoccurs between gay men and between lesbians. A report in the Los Angeles Times in 1991 discussed a study byVallerie Coleman, a Santa Monica psychologist, of 9 lesbian couples whichfound that 46 percent had experienced repeated violent incidents (Garcia,1991). Garcia goes on to report that in two trials, one in Los Angeles at thetime, the "battered woman syndrome" - commonly used in cases involvingheterosexuals to show the batterer made the victim feel responsible for theviolence - was successfully admitted as testimony in cases involvinglesbian victims. They also pointout that the heterosexual women may have been in relationships longer thanthe lesbian women, and so there may not have been time for violence todevelop in the lesbian group. Bernhard conducted a study to look at the differences in the violenceexperienced by lesbian and heterosexual women and in the actions used inresponse to violence (2 ). The cost of escaping domestic violencerelationships: Fear of treatment in a largely homophobic society may keeplesbian abuse victims from calling for help. The mostfrequent response to violence by both groups was very similar too: avoidingthe perpetrator and telling someone they trusted. 14. Many lesbians, she believes, are afraidthat if they go to the authorities, their relationship will be revealed toneighbors and coworkers who may not know. Coleman testified at the Los Angeles trial as an expertwitness. (1991, May). Garcia, J. Los Angeles Times, p. Gay Rights in California. The women'sages ranged from 19 to 67; 85 percent were White, 8 percent were African-American, and the remainder were other or mixed races. Most reports of violence were in the past, and only one lesbianand no heterosexuals reported violence in the last month. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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