Domestic violence takes many different forms. There are men abusing women, women abusing men, women abusing women, and men abusing men. The most common is men abusing women. The populations of gay and lesbian relationships are increasing and so is the awareness of domestic violence. Police officers tend to look at same sex abuse differently. They seem to think that a man would have an unfair advantage over a woman but if a woman is abused by another woman it is more of a fair fight. Even though society tends to think this way it is still illegal and emotionally detrimental.
A large percentage of law enforcement officers still hold the belief that homosexuality is immoral, and those officers responding to domestic violence calls may not ascribe validity to couples in a same-sex relationship (Tesch, 2010) . Currently there is not a specific law that caters to same sex domestic violence. Since there is no legislation that governs this police handle the situations on a case by case basis. Given that police officers enforce the legislation set by federal and local lawmakers, it is important to see just how the pre-existing laws impact those in a SSDV (same sex domestic violence) situation. Currently, there are only two pieces of federal legislation which address domestic violence: the Domestic Violence Prevention Act of 1985 (this authorized the creation and funding of state domestic violence organizations, shelters and hotlines for women in abusive situations across the US); and the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (which created stronger legal measures with which to punish abusers while safeguarding women’s right to be protected from violence). Critically, neither of these legislative acts provides protection from SSDV (Tesch, 2010) .
Apart from these two pieces of federal legislation, most domestic violence legislation in the United States can be found in local State statutes. This can also be problematic for those in relationships with SSDV. Most States have phrased their domestic violence statutes using gender-neutral language, which allows jurisdictions to prosecute on a case-by-case basis and take into account the severity of the charges. However, this has led to ambiguous and inadequate protection for SSDV. As there is no overriding legal definition of the crime of domestic violence nor a prescribed punishment, law enforcement officers become confused as to how they can best advise victims of SSDV (Tesch, 2010) ?
It is hard to break the cycle of domestic violence with same sex partners. Children are always taught that men are not suppose to hit women but women hitting women or men hitting men seems to be alright with society. Men are less likely to report physical abuse than women. Men feel that they are supposed to be providers and protectors and feel weak when admitting they are a victim.
Whether domestic violence is same sex or not it still have an effect on the children involved. The person who is being abused has the same emotional and physical scars. Same sex domestic violence is reported more because of more men and women are coming out about their sexuality. In predominantly gay and lesbian communities the police are trained in same sex domestic violence so that they can be better prepared to handle the cause. Police officers are trained to recognize defensive wounds to determine who the attacker is (Tesch, 2010) . Laws need to be updated to accommodate the changes in society so that everyone can receive fair treatment in a court of law regardless of sexual orientation.
Tesch, B. (2010). Same-sex domestic violence: why victims are more at risk.International Journal of Police Science & Management , 12. Retreived April 22,2011 from Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost.
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