ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on intersections of gender and sexuality in the context of intimate partner violence in lesbian relationships. It discusses discourse of domestic violence based on feminist theory with its emphases on the gendered context of domestic violence and the system of male domination. Much feminist theory has established gender as the central concept through which we can understand violence in intimate relationships, thus pointing out the systemic inequalities that lead to the discrimination of women as group, and creating a strong argument in criticism of patriarchy. The chapter reflects upon the limits of the gender-based approach towards domestic violence based on gender inequality and power imbalance in heterosexual relationships, and points to the heteronormativity of the domestic violence discourse. It argues that the assumption of male perpetrator and female victim universalizes heterosexual experience and binary categories and excludes people who have experienced abuse in a non-heterosexual relationship, as well as those who do not fit into these categories.
