Illusion of Inclusion: The Failure of the Gender Paradigm to Account for Intimate Partner Violence in LGBT Relationships

Abstract

This article examines the intimate partner violence (IPV) literature, particularly scholarship of the gender paradigm, for a heteronormative bias—normative expectations, constraints, and demands of heterosexuality. Beginning with a critique of the gender paradigm’s framing of IPV as an extension of patriarchy that assumes a male perpetuator and female victim, this article moves to examine research on female perpetrators to gain insight on alternative arrangements of perpetrators and victims. Next, this article analyzes heteronormative biases implicit in policy implications and intervention services of the dominant gender paradigm theoretical framework. Finally, we discuss treatment options for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender perpetrators, with suggestions for future services.