Transitioning Times

Domestic violence and sexual assault are difficult topics to discuss. In today's society, there seems to be a stigma that goes along with these two issues, a stigma that unfortunately incorporates victim blaming.  Victim blaming is when the victim of a crime is held solely or partially responsible for the wrongful act done upon them. A recent example of victim blaming happened in the People v. Turner case. Brock Turner blamed college party culture and consumption of alcohol for a sexual assault he initiated rather than taking responsibility for the horrendous crime he committed. Turner, a former Stanford University student-athlete, sexually assaulted an intoxicated, unconscious woman behind a dumpster, whom he met at a house party. Turners’ defense attorney contributed to the victim-blaming when his way of defending this case was to point the finger at the victim and fixate on how much she drank on the evening of the sexual assault. Victims of sexual assault, more times t...

LGBTQ individuals face a lot of adversity from their families and society.  The June 12, 2016 mass shooting at the Orlando nightclub, Pulse, reminded us that hate of the LGBTQ community often manifests itself as violence. LGBTQ people  often have difficulty coming out or being open to their families and in society because of a lack of acceptance, aggression, and misinformation. Additionally, many in the LGBTQ community face the trauma of domestic violence. LGBTQ individuals experience domestic violence within their relationships at about the same rate as heterosexual people. According to Amy Caffrey, LMFT, Training Materials for Next Door, Solutions to Domestic Violence 10/01, “Domestic violence is a serious issue in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) relationships. Domestic violence occurs in same-gender relationships at the same rate as heterosexual relationships (about 1 in 4).”  In recent years, society seemed to show some acceptance of the L...