Lesbian intimate partner violence

Gay Lesbian Domestic Violence : Keeping the Skeleton in Closet

Introduction

Domestic violence in every intimate connection is basically about the issue of control and power . It is a systematic exercise of illegitimate supremacy and coercion of domestic partner regardless of gender preference (Stark , 2007 ,

. 169 . No matter what gender is involve , the same thing as of controlling thoughts , conduct , beliefs or merely giving punishment for resisting over the other half 's control is considered as domestic violence

Abuse and violence happens everyday and it does affects lives of people

of all kinds . It does not recognize what culture or race or how much wealth you have . Anybody at any age can be a victim of domestic violence

There are numerous types of intimate partner violence including sexual verbal , physical , financial , psychological and emotional . Domestic violence is a crime and it is a major gender issue which initially falls into a human rights violation

Although the majority of sexual and physical abuses are committed by men , in reality it can also be done by women . There are numerous cases of women who are sexually assaulted by other women and these cases are not widely known or discussed . Keeping their silence makes it hard to gather support from their community . Battered women need proper health care and strong support from different service providers such as group of educators , survivors , and media (Lemcke , 2003 ,

. 105

In legal terms , sexual assault and rape has different degrees from state to state . Some state considers rape from opposite gender alone but some define sexual assault regardless of gender and it ranges from penetration by finger , object and sexual organ

Denial and ignorance surrounding sexual assault of women by women is an issue globally but because of different level of shock experience by the victim , they are more likely reluctant in seeking help . The victim may also be hesitant believing that no one will believe them . If the victim is not also a lesbian or bisexual , there will be fear that people will also perceive her as the same

Those persons who are raped by a partner or acquaintance are more reluctant to use the court system (Appelbaum , Uyehara and Elin , 1997 ,

br 430 . Fear of being publicly dragged and thoughts of people may judge the victim perhaps keep many lesbian , gay , bisexual or transgendered individuals not to seek legal redress

Women who are abused by women have gone through the same occurrence of short-term and long-term emotional battle experience by women assaulted by men . Post-traumatic stress symptoms may be present in no time Symptoms such as dissociation , nightmares , anxiety , sexual problems fear and trouble in sleeping can be observed to a person who experience extreme violence . Needing time off from work , difficulty in trusting others , inability to concentrate and manifestation of other stress-related consequences are some of a more serious problem after an assault incident

Most of the society globally does not understand the crisis of an assaulted victim especially if the victim is...