A Survey of Factors Contributing to Gay and Lesbian Domestic Violence

Gay and lesbian domestic violence is still a relatively new topic of study; work has been done in this area only since the early 1980s. Thus, little formal research has been published regarding this issue. This article presents a qualitative study of gay male and lesbian perpatrators of domestic violence. By using demographic profiles from 288 clients who had been referred for perpetrator treatment, the author sought to understand whether self-abusive behaviors, involving drugs, alcohol, food and sex are predominant among perpetrators, as well as to explore the prevalence of intergenerational abuse patterns. Analysis revealed a high incidence of personal histories of abuse experiences among gay/lesbian adult perpetrators, as well as a high incidence of secondary abusive behaviors within this sample.