What could they need that we don't provide? Seeking social justice for lesbian survivors of intimate partner violence in traditional domestic violence shelters

Services for victims of domestic violence were born out of the second wave of the women's movement, and were developed by local groups of concerned citizens. These services focused on the needs of white, middle-class women. Unfortunately, this marginalized women, such as lesbians and women of color, who did not fit this identity. While there are no national studies to determine the rate of lesbian intimate partner violence, the rates found in smaller studies showed that they were comparable to heterosexual domestic violence. Recent studies suggest between 41% and 68% of all lesbians may have experienced some kind of domestic violence in their intimate relationships. Of the approximately 1500 domestic violence shelters nationwide, only two percent of shelters have lesbian focused programs within their organization and there is no lesbian exclusive shelter located in the U.S. The purpose of this study was to examine the policies, procedures and overall attitudes of traditional domestic violence agencies regarding lesbian survivors' intimate partner violence. The main findings of this study revealed that domestic violence agencies were at best naïve of the negative impact their practices could potentially have on lesbian survivors. The three areas of concern found were the dependence on and use of gender, the reproduction of heteronormative ideologies, the lack of services addressing lesbian IPV and the absence of outreach to this community. The status of lesbians in our society and the institutional discrimination that occurs in domestic violence agencies support the continued social injustice of a marginalized group of survivors.