Abstract
LGBTQ Intimate Partner Violence: Lessons for Policy, Practice, and Research is a much needed consolidation and review of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans-gender, Questioning/Queer (LGBTQ) intimate partner violence (IPV). The work pulls not only academic research, but article op-eds and policies together to illustrate flaws and gaps in the research, and also illustrates how our current knowledge can contribute to bettering how we handle LGBTQ IPV. This is an important work that fills in a much needed overall gap in this area of research, and because it was written with many audiences in mind, it is a tool for learning and change as well.
This is the first book that comprehensively reviews all academic research that surrounds LGBTQ IPV; the author intends to bring all existing research together not only to identify important gaps but to use this research in implications and suggestions for policies and practitioners in the field. The author then identifies core areas of research where it is both lacking and where existing research can inform policy and practice in important and profound ways. The author also addresses an important question throughout the book that ties into illustrating the difficulties with both researching LGBTQ IPV and adequately addressing it in nonacademic realms: Should we use a one-size-fits-all approach to IPV or do we need to differentiate LGBTQ IPV from heterosexual IPV? The author, with pages and pages of research, argues that not only is LGBTQ IPV markedly different from heterosexual IPV but that it should be treated both in policy and in practice in different ways that allow for the complexities of sexual and gender identities.
The author brings many years of expertise to this publication as well; as an academic researcher and professor at Illinois University, the author has published over 11 articles since 2012 about IPV and the LGBT community. Additionally, the author is involved in several ongoing multicity projects focused on LGBTQ help-seeking behaviors and prevention strategies. The authors’ previous works that focus on the LGBTQ community, crime and IPV, and pedagogy indicate a clear familiarity and authority on the many subjects included in this book and add to its legitimacy within the larger academic field.
The book begins with an introduction to the invisible nature of LGBTQ IPV and a short illustration of why this type of IPV should be treated differently than heterosexual IPV. This is followed by a general methodology review; the author uses existing LGBTQ research to illustrate methodological strengths and weaknesses in addition to introducing terminology that will be used throughout the work. The book then moves to the subject LGBTQ IPV—what we currently know about it and what we do not know about it, including why it happens, what makes it different from heterosexual IPV, and how different countries are treating the issue on a policy level. The author uses all of this research to then take an in-depth look at both governmental and nongovernmental responses LGBTQ IPV and how we can improve both types of responses on a policy and practitioner level to better serve victims of IPV. The book ends with a short review of the major topics covered and moves to look toward future policies and practices that will improve the way that we handle LGBTQ IPV and victims in general.
The most notable strength of this work is that the author had multiple audiences in mind when writing—researchers, students, policy makers/influencers, and practitioners. This means that this book can be useful in a variety of ways and will appeal, in one part or another, to a variety of individuals. Because this work is speaking to multiple types of readers, the writing style itself is easy to read and digest. Another strength of this work is the sheer amount of research that has gone into it: LGBTQ IPV has not been researched extensively, with many important gaps needing to be filled as the author notes, and yet the author brings over 600 articles and books into this review that adds legitimacy and authority to the work as a whole. The recommendations made by the author were informative as well and always illustrated by the research noted in the chapter; the most notable recommendations were those in which concrete examples were given to practitioners about tailoring their screening tools, questions, assistance, and workspace to be accepting of LGBTQ victims.
While there is hardly anything in the way of large weaknesses in this work, there were occasions in which there was a dramatic departure from the overall tone and cadence of the book that came across as jarring. The shifts in tone were usually meant to convey humor via overly sarcastic channels, but because the overall tone of the book is informative and academic, these paragraphs tended to stick out and overshadow the more important points contained within that section.
In short, this publication is a much needed addition to limited research around LGBTQ IPV. This book presents the reader with a wealth of information including the important gaps in the current literature, the ongoing academic debates about how we should treat LGBTQ IPV, how this literature fits into the broader IPV research, and how policy makers and practitioners can make the best of this research to improve processes to make LGBTQ victims feel respected and included in various protections offered to IPV victims. This is a book for multiple types of audiences, and while there will be certain parts of this that are more useful than others depending on the reader, the book as a whole is delivered in a way that is easy to digest and learn from.