Violence in the “double closet”: female same-sex intimate partner violence and minority stress in China

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been identified as a public health issue among both heterosexual and lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) populations. While attention has often been paid to IPV among heterosexual couples, there is limited research on the causes of and interventions for IPV confronting same-sex couples, especially those in non-Euro-American contexts. This article highlights the “double closet” nature of same-sex IPV, and, in particular, the triply marginalized position of lesbian victims of IPV due to their gender, sexuality, and experiences of violence in China. Extending ongoing discussions about minority stress faced by sexual minority people, it reveals how the daily stressors associated with identity concealment, coupled with relational selfhood and heteronormative institutional constraints, complicate lesbian relationships and violence in China. Focusing on the family-centered context provides an important window into the ways in which the perceived need to stay in the closet (hide one’s sexual identity) and rejection from the family of origin and the state influence lesbians’ experiences of IPV and inhibit many of them from disclosing violence. This article builds a dialogue between discussions of the closet and existing literature on IPV. It concludes by drawing attention to the need to break the silence around IPV and build alliances for developing culturally sensitive interventions aimed at addressing IPV.

Keywords:

• Coming out
• intimate partner violence
• lesbian
• minority stress
• relational self

Disclosure of interest statement

The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Additional information

Funding

This study received no funding.

Notes on contributors

Iris Po Yee Lo

Iris Po Yee Lo is Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Social Sciences at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She holds a PhD from the University of Oxford, where she was a Light Senior Scholar based at St Catherine’s College. Her research interests include family, gender, sexuality, and social policy. She has published articles in several journals, including Archives of Sexual Behavior, Sociology, British Journal of Sociology, Journal of Sociology, Fertility and Sterility, and International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy.