Rape survivors, for example, often feel guilty and responsible for the crime which was committed against them. No one knows for sure, largely because anti-lesbian violence itself has remained a wholly neglected phenomenon until recently. This article, based on interviews with women who counsel lesbian victims and on the scant amount of literature available, is an initial inquiry into the common reactions of the lesbian violence victim, as distinguished from the straight female victim or the gay man. It is intended as an initial discussion of issues which may be present in and specific to the lives of lesbians in general, and the lesbian violence victim in particular. In addition, however, lesbians have specific practical problems that other adult crime victims might not have.
Pregnancy is a factor which many lesbian women have deliberately excluded from their lives.
Many lesbians are unsure when they had their last period, or when they are at greatest risk to become pregnant. If they are pregnant, the issue of whether or not to have an abortion may cause substantial additional trauma. Since lesbians are the lowest risk group in the adult sexually active population for all forms of VD and STDs, many lesbians are unfamiliar with these diseases. Thus, it is particularly important that follow-up care for lesbian rape victims include counseling about VD and information on when to get testing. For those lesbians who have never had sexual relations with a man, the act of vaginal or anal penetration itself may be particularly traumatic, medically as well as emotionally.