Domestic Violence and Sexuality: What's Love Got to Do with It?

Description

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence This book provides the first detailed discussion of domestic violence and abuse in same sex relationships, offering a unique comparison between this and domestic violence and abuse experienced by heterosexual women and men. It examines how experiences of domestic violence and abuse may be shaped by gender, sexuality and age, including whether and how victims/survivors seek help, and asks, what's love got to do with it? A pioneering methodology, using both quantitative and qualitative research, provides a reliable and valid approach that challenges the heteronormative model in domestic violence research, policy and practice. The authors develops a new framework of analysis - practices of love - to explore empirical data. Outlining the implications of the research for practice and service development, the book will be of interest to policy makers and practitioners in the field of domestic violence, especially those who provide services for sexual minorities, as well as students and academics interested in issues of domestic and interpersonal violence.

Catherine Donovan is Professor of Social Relations at the University of Sunderland, UK, where she has been for sixteen years. She has extensive experience of conducting research on same sex intimacy, parenting and families. Marianne Hester is Professor of Gender, Violence and International Policy at the University of Bristol, UK, and heads the Centre for Gender and Violence Research. She has extensive experience of researching domestic violence and abuse.

"Domestic violence and sexuality changes the public story about domestic violence. The heart of the book is the rich trove of interviews in which female and male identified survivors reflect on their experience. Respectful, often heart-breaking and always instructive, this work sets a gold standard for how we understand domestic abuse in same sex relationships." Evan Stark, Professor Emeritus, Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration.