Lesbian Domestic Violence

Myths: Violence is a male biological trait. When women fight, no one gets seriously hurt. Lesbians don’t abuse their spouses.
The truth revealed in Janice Ristock’s groundbreaking book is that lesbian relationships sometimes do turn violent. Based on interviews with more than one hundred lesbians who have suffered abuse and seventy-five case workers, No More Secrets is the first in-depth account of this startling phenomenon.
Although one in four gay and lesbian couples are affected by domestic violence, the problem has remained hidden for several reasons. First is the fear of homophobic backlash should lesbian violence be acknowledged. More significantly, Ristock argues, the lesbian feminist culture has readily adopted the idea that men are more violent than women in order to validate lesbian relationships. Recognizing abuse among lesbians would undermine the cemented belief that domestic abuse is an expression of patriarchy and gender bias.
The definitive book on the subject, No More Secrets combines extensive research on the nature of lesbian battering with close-up analysis that will change our understanding of crimes of intimacy in heterosexual and homosexual couples alike. By giving voice to the victims, Ristock helps women to address violence by breaking silences, sharing secrets, and naming the forms of abuse.

No More Secrets: Violence in Lesbian Relationships

Myths: Violence is a male biological trait. When women fight, no one gets seriously hurt. Lesbians don’t abuse their spouses.
The truth revealed in Janice Ristock’s groundbreaking book is that lesbian relationships sometimes do turn violent. Based on interviews with more than one hundred lesbians who have suffered abuse and seventy-five case workers, No More Secrets is the first in-depth account of this startling phenomenon.
Although one in four gay and lesbian couples are affected by domestic violence, the problem has remained hidden for several reasons. First is the fear of homophobic backlash should lesbian violence be acknowledged. More significantly, Ristock argues, the lesbian feminist culture has readily adopted the idea that men are more violent than women in order to validate lesbian relationships. Recognizing abuse among lesbians would undermine the cemented belief that domestic abuse is an expression of patriarchy and gender bias.
The definitive book on the subject, No More Secrets combines extensive research on the nature of lesbian battering with close-up analysis that will change our understanding of crimes of intimacy in heterosexual and homosexual couples alike. By giving voice to the victims, Ristock helps women to address violence by breaking silences, sharing secrets, and naming the forms of abuse.

No More Secrets: Violence in Lesbian Relationships

It is difficult to accept how many wives go home with their husbands to ongoing physical & emotional abuse in Jewish homes. Here is a compelling investigation of the Jewish community’s reaction — or non-reaction — to domestic violence. Concerned with the sins of the community more than the sins of the abuser, Kaufman finds that rabbis & community leaders are not doing enough & are not informed enough to help the abused women in their congregations get the support, protection, & guidance they need. Through her interviews with survivors of abuse, rabbis, & lay community leaders, Kaufman takes a hard look at the Jewish community, its rules, reg’s., & followers, & discovers the ways in which it helps & hinders victims of abuse.

Sins Of Omission: The Jewish Community’s Reaction To Domestic Violence