Still, battering is a serious crime and abusers need to recognize that and work to change. I've seen gay men completely turn it around. Machado says he is taking his Tuesday night group to the Town Hall meeting. In a gay situation, it's not always the less butch of the two men who can be the victim. The same is true for lesbian battering.
Sexual abuse is something that can happen in gay male or in lesbian relationships.
As a result, many women do not seek services to help deal with their isolation, trust violation, anxiety and guilt. Fear of not being believed that her perpetrator is a woman keeps many women from coming forward. Girshick hopes her work will contribute to the development of outreach efforts and support services of rape crisis and domestic violence agencies, and will help therapists and others who work with survivors of sexual violence. While many are interested in the issue of same-gender partner abuse, others fear that to delve into it will cast a bad light on an already beleaguered community. Our confronting the issue is the sane and healthy thing to do.