Re: Please VETO AB 2051

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger,

I am writing to urge you to veto AB 2051.

AB 2051 will perpetuate the state’s harmful policy of excluding men and their children from receiving state-funded domestic violence services. Under AB 2051, only “battered women” are eligible for the shelters, hotel vouchers, counseling and legal services that state provides victims for domestic violence.

AB 2051 is based on the discredited premise that men are rarely the victims of intimate partner abuse. However, more than 50 domestic violence researchers and treatment providers have signed an opposition letter to the Legislature in which they state:

“The data is without question – domestic violence affects both men and women. The politicization of this issue must stop and services must be provided to all children and their parent victims.”

Court-certified batterer intervention provider John Hamel, LCSW, author of Gender-Inclusive Treatment of Intimate Partner Abuse: A Comprehensive Approach, asserts that research shows that a third of domestic violence-related injuries are incurred by heterosexual males.

According to domestic violence researcher Richard Gelles, co‑author of the groundbreaking 1980 book Behind Closed Doors: Violence in American Families, it is very difficult for fathers who are being abused by their wives or significant others to protect themselves and their children. They can't leave because this would leave their children unprotected in the hands of an abuser. If they take their children they can be arrested for kidnapping. If they divorce or separate, they'd probably lose custody of their children in the divorce, again leaving their children in harm's way.

Tens of thousands of California children are being denied needed domestic violence services solely because their victimized parent is male. By ignoring the needs of these children, we are increasing the risk that they will continue the cycle of violence when they become adults.

AB 2051 was originally introduced for the purpose of addressing domestic violence within the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender communities. We have no problem with this. However, while the bill's original language was gender-neutral, the author later amended the bill back to gender-specific, discriminatory language.

By vetoing AB 2051, you can make it clear that it’s time to end the state’s discriminatory policies. Your veto will return the issue to the Legislature next year, so that a solution can be crafted to serve the needs of all victims of domestic violence--including men and their children.

Sincerely,

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