Domestic Violence and Sexuality

Book excerpt: This book provides the first detailed discussion of domestic violence and abuse in same-sex relationships, offering a unique comparison between same-sex and heterosexual contexts. Catherine Donovan and Marianne Hester examine how experiences of domestic violence and abuse are shaped by gender, sexuality, and age, seeking to understand what factors drive victims to seek--or not seek--help. Employing a methodology that includes both quantitative and qualitative research, they provide a new framework of analysis--what they call "practices of love"--that challenges heteronormative models of engaging domestic violence in research, policy, and practice.