Research Catalog

Title

No more secrets : violence in lesbian relationships / Janice L. Ristock.

Author

Ristock, Janice L. (Janice Lynn)

Publication

New York : Routledge, 2002.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xiv, 242 pages; 24 cm

Summary

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 a comprehensive 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.

Subject

• Lesbian partner abuse
• Abused lesbians
• Abusive lesbian partners
• Lesbian couples
• Family violence
• Spousal abuse
• Marital violence
• Spouse Abuse
• Spousal abuse
• Marital violence
• Family violence
• Abused lesbians
• Abusive lesbian partners
• Lesbian couples
• Lesbian partner abuse
• Lesbiennes
• Partnerrelaties
• Geweld
• Mishandeling

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. [195]-228) and index.

Contents

The emergence of lesbian partner abuse: creating a new category -- Troubling tales: telling stories, exposing language, raising questions -- A material tale: telling stories. What the body remembers: lesbians' experiences of relationship violence -- An innocence lost: responses to violence -- A discursive tale: exposing language. What's written on the body -- The politics of responding to violence in lesbian relationships -- A reflexive tale: raising questions. Looking forward.

ISBN

• 0415929458
• 9780415929455
• 0415929466
• 9780415929462
• 9780203800799
• 0203800796

LCCN

2001041840

OCLC

• ocm47237700
• 47237700
• SCSB-14692268

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library