Holly Robinson stands in the corner, rubbing away the mascara-saturated tears streaming down her face. She looks at her girlfriend who lies a couple feet away, bent over with her back leaning against the refrigerator. After bouts of chaotic cursing, bottles breaking, and bodies colliding, the only sounds remaining are heavy breaths and sniffling cries. All Robinson wants is a clean house and a clear
conscience, but instead her girlfriend gives her bruises and insults. When she pushed her, Robinson didn’t expect her to lash back with her fists...

There are fixed misconceptions about intimate partner abuse, one being that it occurs only between dominant men and subservient women. Under-researched and kept quiet in marginalized communities, lesbian intimate partner violence is ignored by the larger public, even though it is as prevalent as heterosexual abuse. Multiple variables contribute to the absence of awareness, such as the lack of public services, the fear of being “outed,” and the gender constructions that define women to be docile.

The difference between Robinson’s situation and most heterosexual altercations is the likelihood of abuse turning into an all out fight between equally matched partners. Robinson thought that there was no reason not to fight back – she and her partner were the same size.

The Community United Against Violence (CUAV) in San Francisco has multiple services, including counseling, legal advise, and emergency assistance for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQQ) community facing violence. They also helped the National Coalition of Anti-Violence compile the 2003 domestic violence annual report that found 388 cases of LGBT partner abuse in San Francisco (an increase of 8.4 percent from 2002.)

“The issue that gravely affects us is that we expect that there are just several more cases that never seek help from CUAV,” said Andy Ywong, the Director of Development and Communication.

A nationwide study is being conducted to revise the Danger Assessment-2, a survey that is used by social workers and law enforcement to assist women in determining the level of abuse in their lesbian relationships. Researchers are seeking 200 women who are or were in an abusive relationship with another woman. For more information, please contact Emily Gardner toll free at 877-897-7741 or emilyg@bradleyangle.org.