Lesbian Abuse - The Process of the Lesbian Abuse Issues Network (LAIN) (From Naming the Violence, P 88-94, 1986, Kerry Lobel, ed. - See NCJ-102365)

• NCJ Number: 102367
• Author(s): A Strach; N Jervey; S J Hornstein; N Porat
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 7 pages
• Sale Source: Seal Press
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Lesbians who had experienced battering by their female lovers used an extended group process based on feminist principles to develop a questionnaire to determine the nature and extent of lesbian battering and the availability and need for victim services.

Abstract

The Lesbian Abuse Issues Network California began as a small group of lesbians who meet regularly to explore the previously invisible issue of lesbian battering. They decided that one of their group's main functions should be education. An initial survey revealed that women held many mistaken beliefs about lesbian abuse. The group then decided to conduct a more focused and detailed survey. The target population was the lesbian population in the five counties surrounding San Francisco. The group used the feminist processes of consensus decisionmaking and nonexclusive meetings to develop the questionnaire. As a result, their meetings were repetitive, arduous, and often emotionally stressful. Many questions were the subject of extensive discussions. However, the process resulted in a broader and more comprehensive questionnaire than had previously been available. Its distribution began in 1985. Initial responses show that the questionnaire is succeeding as an educational and information-gathering tool. The Western Center on Domestic Violence has additional information about the questionnaire.