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Trainings for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Agencies and other organizations
I offer five trainings:
I've written the only book devoted to the subject of woman-to-woman sexual violence:
Woman-to-Woman Sexual Violence: Does She Call it Rape? (Northeastern University Press, 2002) is based on a nationwide survey of lesbian and bisexual women who have been sexually abused by other women. The life experiences of lesbians and bisexual women are largely absent from public knowledge and dialog. I sent flyers to thousands of agencies and
organizations, to GLBT community centers, GLBT media, research centers, bookstores, and so forth. I have chapters on
homophobia (the context of our lives), the myth of the lesbian utopia, the respondents' experiences of sexual violence, issues
of revictimization, legal issues, agency services, and language (what we call this sexual violence against us). Regrettably, this
is a real problem in many of our relationships (intimate and casual) and it will remain invisible if sexual violence is only
defined in patriarchal terms of male penetration and intercourse. The sexual violence types reflected in the women's stories in the book include sexual abuse within battering relationships, acquaintance rape, co-worker harassment, abuse by professionals, and sexual abuse of minors. It is my hope that by writing this book survivors will have their experiences validated, agencies will alter their programs and outreach, laws will be challenged, and the absolute need to end homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and heterosexism will be incorporated into our social change work as we seek social justice for everyone.
To order Woman-to-Woman Sexual Violence (ISBN: 1-55553-527-5, paperback; ISBN: 1-55553-528-3, hardcover): (UPNE).
Workshop participants comment on the trainings:
Since your training, we have made important strides towards centralizing same-sex violence, towards creating signage to indicate that Project Safe is a safe place for members of the lgbt community, and towards creating literature that speaks specifically to the issue of same-sex violence....I am most happy to recommend you to other universities that are seeking an informed and highly motivated speaker to address woman to woman sexual and domestic violence.
Sandra Harrell, Coordinator of Outreach and Services, Project Safe
I enjoyed learning from your workshop style and the resulting dialogue it generated at the conference as well as later at my agency. It enabled my coworkers to talk in-depth about GLBT issues and as a result, we are now advertising in the local GLBT newspapers, offering a therapy group for the lesbian adult survivors, and for the first time, staffed a booth at the local Pride festival.
participant at the Project Safe training
Since the training you did for our staff we are now better equipped to do outreach to lesbians and bisexual women. We were impressed by your connections between services we seek to provide and how we can work toward social change in both the area of sexual violence and regarding homophobia and biphobia. We have reviewed the language we use in our materials and made some important changes, and we are reviewing our services as well....The training you did the week before for our volunteer advocates filled a gap in their knowledge and understanding about who perpetrators are and how survivors respond....Thank you again for all you do.
Sandi Rice, Executive Director, OurVOICE
The topic of woman-to-woman sexual violence is complex and is also new to many. What struck me as most impressive was that people with little knowledge of the issues as well as people with significant experience, seemed to indicate that the training met or exceeded their expectations. I appreciated your comfortable style and the creative integration of facts, research, and personal stories.
Karen L. Baker, Project Director, National Sexual Violence Resource Center
I celebrate your challenge that we as social justice advocates broadly, and violence against women activists specifically, re-examine our analysis of violence and its underpinnings. Oppression wears many faces, and violence is perhaps its most hideous tool. I support your call for a vision that incorporates all the types of oppression, not just those based on male power and privilege. I would be delighted (and feel privileged) to work with you and others to begin to articulate such an analysis.
Deb Vingle, Program Director, Helpmate
Not only are you an effective, gentle, and knowledgeable educator, but your commitment to raising awareness and affecting positive social change provides a demonstrated model for activists and organizers....Already, this community is changed for the better from your visit.
Matt Ezzell, Community Education Coordinator, Orange County Rape Crisis Center
On behalf of the Nevada Coalition Against Sexual Violence, I would like to personally thank you for your seminar on woman to woman sexual violence. It was a landmark event for NCASV, as we have never presented professional development to agencies on the sexual assault issues facing the GLBT community....Personally, I know that a special data project that we are diligently working on for next year will be altered, questions changed, and additional topics covered during the interview process. These omissions would not have been discovered, except upon my own learning experience during your presentation.
Jodi Tyson, Director, Nevada Coalition Against Sexual Violence
Other resources:
An excellent video on woman-to-woman battering is available from Casa de Esperanza, P. O. Box 75177, St. Paul MN 55175. "My Girlfriend Did It, " $150.
National Anti-Violence Project
Wingspan Anti-Violence Project
Northwest Network of Bi, Trans, Lesbian and Gay Survivors of Abuse
OutFront Minnesota
The Network/La Red: Ending Abuse in Lesbian, Bisexual Women's and Transgender Communities
- A training that focuses on woman-to-woman sexual violence. This can include information on lesbian battering. General topics covered in the training include: documenting the continuum of sexual violence; context of homophobia, biphobia, and heterosexism; issues of societal and community denial; survivor responses; emotional impact of the violence; legal heterosexism; agency program needs; outreach; and social change issues. Same-sex battering information includes research findings, similarities and differences to heterosexual battering, and programming issues.
- A training that focuses on lesbian battering. This can include information on woman-to-woman sexual abuse within abusive relationships. A focus on same-sex battering covers research findings; similarities and differences to heterosexual battering; the context of homophobia, biphobia, and heterosexism; legal issues; in-depth programming issues and agency outreach; and social change issues.
- A training on homophobia/biphobia/transphobia, gender identity, and sexual orientation. This training covers the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity. Covers domestic violence and sexual assault programming for folks in the LGBT communities as well as outreach and alliance building.
- An experiental anti-oppression workshop that forcuses on homophobia, heterosexism, biphobia, and transphobia.
- A training on gender identity and transgender issues, based on my book, Transgender Voices: Beyond Women and Men. This book is based on interviews with 150 trans-identified people about their lives. This workshop would give the basic information for service providers (or others) on trans issues and can be tailored to your needs.
I've written the only book devoted to the subject of woman-to-woman sexual violence:
Woman-to-Woman Sexual Violence: Does She Call it Rape? (Northeastern University Press, 2002) is based on a nationwide survey of lesbian and bisexual women who have been sexually abused by other women. The life experiences of lesbians and bisexual women are largely absent from public knowledge and dialog. I sent flyers to thousands of agencies and
organizations, to GLBT community centers, GLBT media, research centers, bookstores, and so forth. I have chapters on
homophobia (the context of our lives), the myth of the lesbian utopia, the respondents' experiences of sexual violence, issues
of revictimization, legal issues, agency services, and language (what we call this sexual violence against us). Regrettably, this
is a real problem in many of our relationships (intimate and casual) and it will remain invisible if sexual violence is only
defined in patriarchal terms of male penetration and intercourse. The sexual violence types reflected in the women's stories in the book include sexual abuse within battering relationships, acquaintance rape, co-worker harassment, abuse by professionals, and sexual abuse of minors. It is my hope that by writing this book survivors will have their experiences validated, agencies will alter their programs and outreach, laws will be challenged, and the absolute need to end homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and heterosexism will be incorporated into our social change work as we seek social justice for everyone.
To order Woman-to-Woman Sexual Violence (ISBN: 1-55553-527-5, paperback; ISBN: 1-55553-528-3, hardcover): (UPNE).
Workshop participants comment on the trainings:
Since your training, we have made important strides towards centralizing same-sex violence, towards creating signage to indicate that Project Safe is a safe place for members of the lgbt community, and towards creating literature that speaks specifically to the issue of same-sex violence....I am most happy to recommend you to other universities that are seeking an informed and highly motivated speaker to address woman to woman sexual and domestic violence.
Sandra Harrell, Coordinator of Outreach and Services, Project Safe
I enjoyed learning from your workshop style and the resulting dialogue it generated at the conference as well as later at my agency. It enabled my coworkers to talk in-depth about GLBT issues and as a result, we are now advertising in the local GLBT newspapers, offering a therapy group for the lesbian adult survivors, and for the first time, staffed a booth at the local Pride festival.
participant at the Project Safe training
Since the training you did for our staff we are now better equipped to do outreach to lesbians and bisexual women. We were impressed by your connections between services we seek to provide and how we can work toward social change in both the area of sexual violence and regarding homophobia and biphobia. We have reviewed the language we use in our materials and made some important changes, and we are reviewing our services as well....The training you did the week before for our volunteer advocates filled a gap in their knowledge and understanding about who perpetrators are and how survivors respond....Thank you again for all you do.
Sandi Rice, Executive Director, OurVOICE
The topic of woman-to-woman sexual violence is complex and is also new to many. What struck me as most impressive was that people with little knowledge of the issues as well as people with significant experience, seemed to indicate that the training met or exceeded their expectations. I appreciated your comfortable style and the creative integration of facts, research, and personal stories.
Karen L. Baker, Project Director, National Sexual Violence Resource Center
I celebrate your challenge that we as social justice advocates broadly, and violence against women activists specifically, re-examine our analysis of violence and its underpinnings. Oppression wears many faces, and violence is perhaps its most hideous tool. I support your call for a vision that incorporates all the types of oppression, not just those based on male power and privilege. I would be delighted (and feel privileged) to work with you and others to begin to articulate such an analysis.
Deb Vingle, Program Director, Helpmate
Not only are you an effective, gentle, and knowledgeable educator, but your commitment to raising awareness and affecting positive social change provides a demonstrated model for activists and organizers....Already, this community is changed for the better from your visit.
Matt Ezzell, Community Education Coordinator, Orange County Rape Crisis Center
On behalf of the Nevada Coalition Against Sexual Violence, I would like to personally thank you for your seminar on woman to woman sexual violence. It was a landmark event for NCASV, as we have never presented professional development to agencies on the sexual assault issues facing the GLBT community....Personally, I know that a special data project that we are diligently working on for next year will be altered, questions changed, and additional topics covered during the interview process. These omissions would not have been discovered, except upon my own learning experience during your presentation.
Jodi Tyson, Director, Nevada Coalition Against Sexual Violence
Other resources:
An excellent video on woman-to-woman battering is available from Casa de Esperanza, P. O. Box 75177, St. Paul MN 55175. "My Girlfriend Did It, " $150.
National Anti-Violence Project
Wingspan Anti-Violence Project
Northwest Network of Bi, Trans, Lesbian and Gay Survivors of Abuse
OutFront Minnesota
The Network/La Red: Ending Abuse in Lesbian, Bisexual Women's and Transgender Communities
