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Showing posts from September, 2019

Sexual Violence in Intimate Partner Relationships: It's Not Always What You Think

Photo: Blackdoctors.org When we think about sexual violence, we typically think about cases we've seen in the news. It is not unusual to recall blatant violations that involved bold acts of complete disregard. However, when sexual violence happens in some intimate partner relationships, the bold acts that are involved are not always easily identified. Lundy Bancroft states "When people think about forced sex, they picture sexual assault. So when [abusive people force] sex through pressure or manipulation or sleep deprivation, [manipulated partners don't always] know what to call it..." ( Why Does He Do That, p. 173). It is rare for people who have not committed a brash act of sexual violence to even consider that they have been sexually abusive toward their partners. Yet, when we ponder the more subtle ways in which sexual boundaries are violated, our answers concerning whether we have violated the sexual boundaries of others may go from a definite &qu