Another Closet Analysis

Out of the shadows and into the limelight, the once hidden crime of domestic violence has recently emerged within the Australian community as a widespread criminal issue. This abuse of power occurs in a relationship when one partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate and control the other. Inflicting physical harm upon another human being is undoubtedly a breach of the criminal law, yet the Australian legal system takes little measures to protect the wider community from this type of violence. According to Family Lawyer Richard Ingleby, domestic violence has often been condoned by the legal system due to the fact that assaults occur in the ‘private’ realm of the home where legal measures are regarded as inappropriate, and interventionist. However, by overlooking domestic violence as a criminal offence, does the Australian legal system fail to adequately protect the family unit from this form of violence? Recent studies from the Australian Bureau of Statics have revealed that 23% of women who have ever been married or engaged in a de facto relationship have experienced violence by a partner at some time during the relationship. Due to the secrecy that once surrounded this kind of abuse, victims often feel unable to speak out and seek help, therefore even large surveys cannot provide accurate estimates of the extend of domestic violence within the Australia community (Domestic Violence and Incest Resource Centre, 1998). Despite the high incidence rate of

As stated by Jones (2013) Violence within the home has become commonly known as domestic violence in Britain. However feminists argue that this suggests that the private traits of this type of violence holds more importance than its gendered nature, because of this domestic violence can also be referred to as ‘intimate

Dorothy L. Martin’s book, Battered Wives (1976, 1981) was chosen to help understand abuse from the perspective of the victim and perpetrator in the context of advocacy. The heart and mind of an effective advocate can feel what others believe their hiding. Martin, who was commonly known as Del; was married and the couple had one daughter, she divorce her husband and married once more; to a woman. Martin and partner Phyllis; both lesbian activist were married in San Francisco, California. The couple continued in marriage until Martin’s death in 2008; she was 87 (CNN, 2008).

Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and HIV victims (LGBTQH) encounter many difficult moments in the world’s different society settings. Many beliefs and norms are against them, and those looking after their well-being are very few. According to the article, released on 29th of May this year, the rates of violence among these groups are on the rise, even though campaigns against the act have been intensified. The violence is sometimes severe as it sometime lead to deaths, more so to the lesbians and gays. Many efforts and anti-violence campaigns are in place, but few survivors report these types of violence to the police, and in case they reports, they face police hostility. This has made the fight against

Most closets consist of clothes, and only clothes, but not Remy Starr’s closet. When Remy was only two years of age her father, the musician, died right after writing a song about her. Since then Remy has vowed to never date a musician, but then she meets Dexter and everything changes. Remy may be a very organized person, but she must dig through everything to find her tape of her father’s song called This Lullaby, her pictures of Dexter, emergency liquor and cigarette stashes, and her bets on how long her mother’s marriages will last.

After 31 deaths recorded over the previous year, the legislature has enacted $572 million towards the issue of domestic violence. The daily Telegraph opinion piece, entitled 'demonising men won't stop domestic violence', distributed by Miranda Devine on the 27th of September infers a blunt and ridiculing tone. The author attempts to prove to the intended interest group - the stakeholders and readers of the daily Telegraph - that placing money on this issue will not stop abusive behaviour at home, but in order to alleviate the problem of family abuse, the reliance on welfare - in the lower class of society - should stop.

Marital rape, or spousal rape, had been an exceedingly controversial and touchy subject in the United States since the first feminist movement in the 1960s. In this paper, marital rape and spousal rape will be used interchangeably. One of the many challenges in addressing the topic of marital rape, is defining what behaviors should be considered rape. Rape is defined as the unlawful compelling of a person through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse (Dictionary.com). The legal definition of marital rape, however, differs within the United States. Nevertheless, marital rape can generally be defined as any non-consensual interaction or penetration (vaginal, anal, and/or oral) obtained by force, violence, duress, menace, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury on the person or another (Cal Pen Code § 262). Most research having to do with marital rape has included couples who are legally married, separated, divorced or cohabiting with the understanding that the dynamics of sexual violence in a long-term cohabiting relationship are similar to those of a married couple (Mahoney and Williams, 1998). Currently, there has been no study of marital rape that has included married or cohabiting gay or lesbian couples. The reason there is a lack of representation of gay and lesbian couples on

When thinking of domestic violence, majority of people believe that it means the most obvious kinds of abuse such as murder, rape, physical abuse and sexual abuse. However, the definition of domestic abuse is much broader than that. It also includes being controlled and threatened, unequal gene roles, sexist comments and jokes, sexualisation (of women particularly) and also the use of degrading languages. Unfortunately however, society tends to seem blind to the fact that all of these actions play a critically negative part in domestic abuse. This then considerably affects interpersonal relationships as the thought of supremacy can be seen as ‘normal’.

For example, when evaluating GBV programming that specifically targets the problem of violence against women and girls in terms of its gender--‐responsiveness, the focus of a gender analysis will be on the extent to which these programs include an understanding of the gender--‐based inequalities that make women and girls vulnerable to specific types of violence, and that inform women’s and girls’ ability to access violence--‐related services as well as their ability to be free from violence. When evaluating ‘GBV’ programming for LGBTI individuals and groups, the focus of a gender analysis will be on how these programmes understand and link problems of violence to homophobia and social norms related to sexuality and sexual identity

I am kind of sorry for almost locking Morgan in a dark closet for many reasons such as her being afraid of the dark and enclosed places. I shouldn't have almost locked her in the closet but at least I didn't do the unspeakable thing that Stekla did.

King (cited in Australian Marriage Equality, 2015) stated “When any society says that I cannot marry a certain person, that society has cut off a segment of my freedom”. This quote from Martin Luther King Jr is as applicable today to legalising same-sex marriage as it was to the civil rights movement and inter-racial marriage over half a century ago. Marriage is a right that most Australians take for granted. Studies have shown that having the freedom of choice to marry, regardless of sexual orientation, enriches the lives of those couples and that marriage enhances their health and wellbeing. The following essay will outline an argument in support of same-sex marriage by discussing some of the advantages from the standpoint of a couple and from the perspective of children being raised in that family dynamic, it will also outline an argument in support of gay marriage in Australia. The argument posed will be based on human rights and social inclusion policies.

Domestic Violence is something that occurs in every type of relationship, but non-traditional cases (e.g. gay male, lesbian) are often overlooked. Domestic Violence affects over one million people every year in the United States (Rennison & Welchans, 2000) and it occurs in any close relationship. The research shows that between 25 and 33% of traditional (heterosexual) couple’s experience some form of Domestic Violence (Koss, 1990; Mahony). The prevalence of domestic violence in lesbian and gay male couples has been the more difficult information to access; however, experts estimate rates comparable to heterosexual couples (Seelau S.M., Seelau E.P. 2005).

There has not been a significant amount of research done on domestic violence occurring in same-sex relationship due to the generalization that it does not occur, when in actuality, 1 in 4 homosexual partners will experience domestic violence in their lifetime (Lehmann). As a result of this generalization, gays and lesbians are less likely to seek help in domestic violence situations. 62% of 1,024 survivors reported they knew their perpetrator (Kemp 331). Acknowledging abuse among sexual minorities is the first step in spreading awareness that the LGBT community experiences domestic violence just like others.

The abstract of the study is connected to the title of the paper which is “The Social Sanctioning of Partner Abuse: Perpetuating the Message that Partner Abuse is Acceptable in New Zealand”. Although the abstract is in line

For numerous years, violence against children and women has not only been accepted and tolerated as an ordinary practice, but it has as well been encouraged. Patriarchal societies across the world view children and women as being submissive members of a family while men hold dominant roles. Laws and the society have often promoted a man's rights to manipulate and control his family, even through violence, from the olden days to the present world. Domestic violence refers to aggression or violence perpetrated within the perspective of a momentous interpersonal relationship such as marriage, family and dating (Karmen, 2010). It includes violence between a wife and a husband, children and their parents, boyfriend and a girlfriend, or lesbian and gay partners. In present, world cases of domestic violence have risen with more children, women and men dying out of this violence. Although, domestic violence receives less attention, it is widespread and most cases of domestic violence remain unreported. Domestic violence leads to death, separation, poverty, physical injuries, and emotional and psychological torture among other societal problems. Although aspects that are a bit more nuanced and composite than canonical story of male violence compel domestic violence, domestic violence is a significant issue and a serious public health and social problem.