Lesbian Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: Provider Perspectives on Barriers to Accessing Services

Service barriers of lesbian domestic violence survivors were identified from the perspectives of six service providers using qualitative interviews. Constant comparative methods identified service barriers including: Systemic barriers (laws and policies of criminal/justice system, social and cultural attitudes, and theories regarding domestic violence dynamics), institutional barriers (ambiguous and inconsistent policy, assigning lesbian clients to specific staff members, lack of commitment to serving lesbians, and using heterosexist language), and individual barriers (attitudes/actions of lesbian survivors, heterosexual female clients, staff members, and police/court officers). Participants expressed motivation to serve lesbian survivors and indicated the potential to influence institutional policies and practices. (C) 2005 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.