Protest Father-Bashing Domestic Violence Ads

Several hundred Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) buses feature misleading, father-bashing ads purporting to address the serious issue of domestic violence. One ad depicts a happy little girl with the message "One day my husband will kill me."

Another shows a smiling boy with the message "When I grow up, I will beat my wife."

The message of the DART ads is clear—kids need to be afraid of fathers. Boys need to be afraid to grow up to be like dad, and girls need to fear marrying a man like dad.

To depict only males as perpetrators of domestic violence, and only females as victims, is a severe distortion. DV research clearly establishes that men account for half of all DV victims and incur a third of DV–related injuries, as women often employ the element of surprise and weapons to compensate for men’s strength.

Working with Fathers and Families, we asked our supporters to call and write DART and the Dallas City Council to remove these anti-father ads.

Why This Campaign

In earlier years, it was common to see crime stories presented as if only African–Americans and Latinos were perps, and whites their only victims. We now recognize that these distortions are bigoted. DART’s ads are the same kind of distortions, only the "perps" are now dads.

Dads–as–Monsters ads such as these influence our popular culture, our news media, our legislators, and , most damaging of all, our family law courts.

There are three ads in this series—the two mentioned above and also one apparently gender–neutral ad which discusses the issue of domestic violence and teen suicide. We have no problem with the teen suicide prevention ad.

We abhor domestic violence and child abuse in all forms, and give credit to agencies like The Family Place which help victims. However, by failing (or refusing) to recognize male victims of domestic violence, the domestic violence establishment and The Family Place harm male victims and their children.

Society once swept domestic violence under the rug, marginalizing abused women and their children. As California’s Third District Court of Appeal recognized in a recent decision, today male victims and their children are marginalized. These DART ads are part of that marginalization.

Internationally-recognized domestic violence expert John Hamel, LCSW, a court-certified batterer treatment provider and author of the book Gender–Inclusive Treatment of Intimate Partner Abuse, explains:

Men account for half of all DV victims and incur a third of DV–related injuries. Ignoring female-on-male violence inhibits our efforts to combat domestic violence."

The most recent large–scale study of domestic violence was published in the American Journal of Public Health last year. The researchers analyzed data concerning 11,370 respondents. According to the researchers, —[H]alf of [violent relationships] were reciprocally violent. In nonreciprocally violent relationships, women were the perpetrators in more than 70% of the cases."

A quarter of the women surveyed admitted perpetrating violence, and when the violence involved both parties, women were more likely to have been the first to strike.

Such findings are consistent with decades of domestic violence research. The National Institute of Mental Health funded and oversaw two of the largest studies of domestic violence ever conducted, both of which found equal rates of abuse between husbands and wives.

California State Long Beach University professor Martin Fiebert maintains an online bibliography summarizing 219 scholarly investigations, with an aggregate sample size exceeding 220,000, which concludes "women are as physically aggressive, or more aggressive, than men in their relationships with their spouses or male partners."

Nor is this violence trivial. A meta–analytic review of 552 domestic violence studies published in the Psychological Bulletin found that 38% of the physical injuries in heterosexual domestic assaults are suffered by men.

Dr. Jennifer Langhinrichsen–Rohling of the University of South Alabama says that as she and other researchers grappled with this research, "Every time we tried to say that women’s intimate partner abuse is different than men’s, the evidence did not support it."

According to Dr. Donald Dutton, author of Rethinking Domestic Violence, research shows that domestic violence is actually more common in lesbian relationships than in heterosexual relationships. For example, one study of 1,100 lesbian or bisexual women who are in abusive lesbian relationships found that the women were more likely to have experienced violence in their previous relationships with women than in their previous relationships with men.

Domestic violence service sometimes providers justify their exclusion of male victims by citing crime and/or crime survey statistics which show that most reports of domestic violence are by women. Dr. Dutton explains:

"Domestic violence ’research’ has been misleading, in that data has been extracted from crime reports and/or crime victim surveys—in which men underreport more than women—and have been publicized as indicating domestic violence is a gender issue.

"In fact, when larger surveys with representative samples are examined, perpetration of domestic violence perpetration is slightly more common for females…"

We also oppose the ads because they send the message that kids must fear dads, when most child abuse and parental murder of children is committed by mothers, not fathers. The child victims of male violence depicted in the DART ads are, in fact, more likely to be abused by a woman than a man.

According to the most recent data available from the US Department of Health and Human Services, mothers are more likely to commit physical child abuse, emotional maltreatment, and neglect than fathers. The only form of child abuse fathers are more likely to commit is the one that’s the most infrequent—child sexual abuse.

According to Child Maltreatment 2006, a report by the Federal Administration for Children & Families, leaving aside killings by nonparents or by mothers and fathers acting together, mothers committed almost three–quarters of the parental murders of children. If one looks only at murders committed by mothers and fathers acting alone, the ratio is over 2 to 1 committed by mothers.

Leaving aside child abuse by nonparents or by mothers and fathers acting together, mothers committed almost three–quarters of child abuse.

If one looks only at child abuse committed by mothers and fathers acting alone, the ratio is 2.3 to 1 committed by mothers.

The data cited here are raw statistics, and all raw statistics are subject to various biases and influences. However, they do very much contradict the DART ads’ de facto claim that it’s fathers and only fathers who are a threat to their children.

DART Ads Are…

Two major billboard companies—Clear Channel Outdoor and CBS Outdoor—rejected the ads, as Jodi Senese of CBS labeled the ads "misleading and disturbing." Many media figures weighed in, usually condemning the DART ads:

• "Really offensive"—Instapundit Glenn Reynolds, author, TV commentator
• "An unfair and inaccurate stereotype of fathers."—Nationally–syndicated radio host Mike Gallagher
• "Ugly, Toxic, and Wrong"—Nationally–syndicated newspaper advice columnist Amy Alkon
• "Shocking and biased"—Dallas Morning News columnist James Ragland
• "Outright lies"—Canadian National Post columnist Barbara Kay
• "[C]aus[ing] an international backlash."—Dallas Morning News
• "Terrible. I'm livid that children are being used this way."—KHHT FM Morning Show Host Josefa Salinas (Los Angeles)
• "Horrific…I am appalled that this critical subject is being so distorted."—Claudia Dias, MSC, Domestic Violence Intervention Facilitator
• [C]ausing a total uproar…[Dallas] bus riders [find] the ads cringe–worthy…"—CNN’s Jane Velez–Mitchell
• "Terrible disparagement of fathers"—Radio host Mitch Henck, AM 1310 WIBA
• "Highly unfortunate"—Bill Stephney, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, NJSAC
• "Simply False"—Al Rantel, KABC Radio
• "A rough message"—Dallas Morning News editorial board
• "Very disturbing hate speech against husbands, fathers and even boys"—Dr. Helen Smith, Journalist/Author/PJTV commentator
• "Way beyond the pale"—Reid Mullins, Morning Show Host, KTOK AM 1000
• "Offensive and damaging…shame on you for exploiting young children this way."—Curtis Wright, Radio Host, WNTB FM 106.3
• "a bad example for children."—Kathryn Zox, radio host, WMET in Washington DC

Dozens of domestic violence authorities, medical & mental health professionals, educators, family law attorneys & prominent citizens endorsed our campaign:

"The undersigned believe that DART's domestic violence ads 'One day my husband will kill me' and 'When I grow up, I will beat my wife' provide a distorted and counterproductive view of fathers, children, and domestic violence. We respectfully request that DART remove these ill–advised ads as soon as possible."

Anthony Ambrosio, Ph.D.
Educational Psychologist
Director of Assessment
Emporia, KS

Arden J. Morley
Family Law Attorney
Houston, TX

Dr. Arthur Kranz, MD
Dallas, TX

Ashish Sharma, MD
Boston, MA

Barbara Kay
Columnist
Canadian National Post

Ben Robinson
Director, Just Life Productions
New York, NY

Benjamin T. Taylor, CPA, MAcc
Managing Partner
Miller Taylor Miller LLP
Marietta, GA

Bernal Ojeda
Family Law Attorney
Los Angeles, CA

Bill Stephney
Media consultant
Member, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights––NJSAC
Summit, NJ

Brett W. Martin, Esq.
Family Law Attorney
Westminster, CO

Brian Reschly, MBA
Senior Business Analyst, The Stanley Works
Indianapolis, IN

Dr. Charles Dull
Campus President
Remington College
Cleveland, OH

Daniel J. King
Woodland Hills, CA

David C. Stone, Esq.
Family Law Attorney
Orange County, CA

David L Brooks
President/CEO
Brooks Internet Software, Inc.
Idaho Falls, ID

Denise Placencio
Family Law Attorney
Los Angeles, CA

Donald C. Hubin
Professor & Chair
Department of Philosophy
Ohio State University
Columbus, OH

Dr. Charles Sullivan, DO
Oakland, ME

Chris Hough
Vice President, Madison American International
Ashburn, VA

Christian Conrad
Family Law Attorney
Laguna Hills, CA

Christoph Michel DMD
Somers Point, NJ

Christopher Spade
President
Kitchen Kraft Inc.
Columbus, OH

Claudia Dias, MSC
Domestic Violence Intervention Facilitator
Family Law Mediator
Attorney at Law
Sacramento, CA

Craig Candelore
Family Law Attorney
San Diego, CA

Clifford G. "Kip" Brockmyre, III
President, LFI Inc.
Smithfield, RI

Curtis J. Patton
Family Law Attorney
Pittsburgh, PA

Dr. David A. Klein
Glenwood Landing, NY

David Perry Davis, Esq.
Family Law Attorney
Pennington, NJ

David Pisarra, Esq.
Family Law Attorney
Los Angeles, CA

David Sibley, Esq.
Family Law Attorney
Gregory, TX

Dr. David M. Schwartz, DPM, RPh
Rockwall, TX

David D. Vandenberg, Ph.D., M.Ac.
Bethesda, MD

Dawn Bowie
Family Law Attorney
Rockville, MD

Don Ray
Investigative Journalist and Documentary Producer
Burbank, CA

Dr. Donald Dutton
Professor of Psychology
University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, BC

Douglas Slain, Esq.
Criminal Defense
Oakland, CA

Edward H. Lee
Family Law Attorney
Springfield, NJ

Edwin M Saginar
Family Law Attorney
Atlanta, GA

Erin Pizzey
British family care activist, Author
Founder of first modern battered women's shelter in 1971
London, U.K.

Frank DeGregorio, M.D.
Los Angeles, CA

Frederic H. Schwartz, MD
Worcester, MA

Gabriel Pelino
Author, American Daddy
Los Angeles, CA

Gene C. Colman
Family Law Attorney
Ontario, Canada

George Zadorozny, Esq.
New Port Richey, FL

Greg Miller
Owner, Dallas Camera
Dallas TX

Guillermo Auad, Ph.D.
San Diego, CA

Dr. Helen Smith
Forensic psychologist
Knoxville, TN

Hector T. Hoyos
Chairman, President & CEO
The Hoyos Group
New York, NY

Henry A. Tenenbaum, PH.D.
Psychologist
Sarasota, FL

Ilene Dillon, M.S.W.
El Sobrante, CA

J. Michael Bone, PhD
JMB Consulting, PA
Winter Park, FL

J. Pearce Hurley, M.D.
Psychiatrist
Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Berkeley, California

Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D.
Educator
Seattle, WA

Jacqueline R Mark, Esq.
Family Law Attorney
Reading, PA

James Gibson III, L.C.S.W.
Hacienda Heights, CA

James J Stagliano, Ph.D.
Atlanta, GA

Jan Brown
Founder and Executive
Director Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men and Women
Harmony, ME

Jay Essif, M.S.
Licensed Psychologist
Lancaster, PA

Jayne A. Major, Ph.D.
Breakthrough Parenting Services, Inc.
Los Angeles, CA

Dr. Jeffrey J. Betman, MD, DPM
Burr–Ridge, IL

Jeffrey L. Buehrer, M.D.
Toledo, OH

John C. Buckley III, Esq.
Colorado Springs, CO

John Hamel, LCSW
Author, Gender–Inclusive Treatment of Intimate Partner Abuse
Marin, CA

John Koulouris, Esq.
Laval, Canada

John Reilly LCSW, BCD
Chicago, IL

John R. Stoutimore, Esq.
Family Law Attorney
Ft. Worth, TX

Jonathan Dugan, PhD
CEO, Matson Systems, Inc.
San Francisco, CA

Jose David Cohen
Doctor of Clinical Psychology
North Hollywood, CA

Dr. Jose Gabriel Maldonado
Principal, Columbia Secondary School
New York, NY

Josefa Salinas
Morning Show, KHHT FM 92.3
Los Angeles, CA

Judi Cochran
Custody Consultant
Columbus, OH

Karen Jones
Author, Relationship Coach
South Lawrence, MA

Keith Moak
CMO, Omega Strategy, Inc.
Miami, FL

Kenneth Senkel, Esq.
Dallas, TX

Dr. Kevin P. Maguire
Anchorage, AK

Kevin G. Shortt, M.D.
Attending Cardiac Surgeon
Bassett Heart Care Institute
Medical Director Special Care Unit
Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery, Columbia University
Binghamton, NY

Pastor Ken Deemer
Founder and Director Shattered Men
Marion, Indiana

Kevin Polis
Family Law Attorney
San Diego, CA

Kimberly W. Lague
Guardian Ad Litem
Palm Beach County, FL

Dr. Larry D. Pyeatt
Abilene, TX

Les Veskrna, MD
Lincoln, NE

Lisa S. Ebert
Director of Sponsored Programs and Research
Acting Director of Diversity and Compliance
College of Staten Island
Staten Island, NY

Lisa Scott
Family Law Attorney
Seattle, WA

Lloyd Axelrod, M.D.
Mass. General Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA

Marc E. Angelucci, Esq.
Men's Legal Center
San Diego, CA

Mark K. Jowett, Ph.D.
Professor
Panama City, FL

Mark T. Davis, Esq.
Family Law Attorney
El Paso, TX

Dr. Marlene Wust–Smith, MD, Pediatrics
Port Allegany, PA

Michael L. Oddenino
Family Law Attorney
Arcadia, CA

Michael F. Roe, PC
Family Law Attorney
Lisle, IL

Professor Nathan Alexander
Troy University
Troy, AL

Neil Leavitt
Attorney at Law
Hollywood, Florida

Nicholas Palermo, Esq.
Family Law Attorney
Boston, MA

Norman L. Moline Jr. CPA
Arcadia, CA

Dr. Norman Dale Norris
University Professor/ Author
New Orleans, LA

Dr. P. D. Roy, Jr.
Birmingham, Alabama

Patricia Overberg, MSW
Former Director, Valley Oasis
Domestic Violence Shelter
Lancaster, CA

Patricia V. Ward LCSW, BCD
Chicago, IL

Patsy B Cipolloni, MD
Arlington, MA

Paul J. Greiner
Clinical Therapist, Retired
Franklinville, NY

Dr. Paul C. Robbins
Lakewood, CO

Paul Stuckle
Criminal Defense Attorney
Plano, TX

Peter J. Dimatteo MD, FACEP
Duxbury, MA

Dr. Peter J. Tarkoy
Sherborn, MA

Peter Logan, Esq.
Attorney
San Francisco, CA

Philip J Balestrieri, MA, MD
Charlottesville, VA

Philip Dyk
Partner, private infrastructure
investment firm
New York, NY

Rachel Alexander, Esq.
Deputy County Attorney
Maricopa County, AZ

Rafael M Cespedes, M.D.
Baltimore, MD

Ray Lopez, President/CFO
Heartland Distributors
Long Island, NY

Raymond A. Cavicchio, Ph.D.
Experimental Psychology/Medical Engineering
Stoneham, MA

Richard M. Green, M.D.
Kaiser Permanente Regional Director of Neuro–oncology
Beverly Hills, CA

Richard Smith
Family Law Attorney
Plymouth, MA

Reena Sommer Ph.D.
Custody Strategist & Trial Consultant
Houston, TX

Rich Wodka, MD, FAAFP, M.Div.
Health Services Administrator
Marana, AZ

Rita M. Boyd
Family Law Attorney
Dallas, TX

Dr. Roland Heidenhofer, MD
Dallas, TX

Sally Broessel
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
Campbellsville, KY

Scarlette McCallum
Author, Toxic Mates
Portland, OR

Scott Haltzman, M.D.
Psychiatrist, Author
Barrington, RI

Dr. Scott Loeliger, MD, MS
Martinez, CA

Seth A. Radow
UBS Financial Services
Senior Vice President – Investments
Los Angeles, CA

Shari Schreiber, M.A.
Counselor/Author
Los Angeles, CA

Dr. Stephen R. Blake
San Diego, CA

Stephen A. Gershman, CFLS
Certified Specialist in Family Law
Sherman Oaks, California

Stephen D. Finstein, LCSW, LMFT, LSOTP
Mental Health Consultant
Dallas, TX

Stephen J. Johnson, Ph.D.,
LMFT, CRC
Director, The Men's Center Los Angeles
Woodland Hills, CA

Stephen King, Esq.
Boston, MA

Stephen Levine, Esq.
Attorney at Law
Certified Specialist by the State Bar of California
Criminal Law
San Bernardino, CA

Steve S. Sommer, MD, PhD
Pasadena, CA

Steven Carlson, The Custody Coachâ„¢
Child Custody Coach
Orange County, CA

Steven D. Johnson
Appleton, WI

Dr. Steven Mark Sachs, Ed.D.
Professor of Psychology
Valley Glen, CA

Susan Connolly, Esq.
Child Advocate/Attorney
New London, CT

Terence A. Robinson, CPA
Katy, TX

Timothy Murray, Esq.
Co–Author, Biannual Supplements to Corbin on Contracts
Pittsburgh, PA

Timothy R. Maher, Esq.
Criminal Defense Attorney
Minneapolis, MN

Thomas D. Hathaway, Esq.
Family Law Attorney
Brentwood, CA

Thomas A. Martin
Family Law Attorney
Houston, TX

Tom Whelan
Author, The Dakapa Handbook
Union, NJ

Tracy Nightingale
Family Law Attorney
St. Louis Park, MN

Victor Clark Cohen
Attorney, Divorce Mediator
Board Member, Breakthrough
Parenting Services, Inc.
Los Angeles, CA

Virginia J. Morrow
Family Law Attorney
Saranac Lake, NY

Wendy McElroy
Author
Ontario, Canada

Adam M. Sacks, Esq.
Family Law Attorney
Beverly Hills, CA

Al Rava, Esq.
Civil Rights Attorney
San Diego, CA

>

Media Attention

Our campaign was covered by the Associated Press and a wide variety of media outlets and prominent media commentators, and Glenn Sacks debated the campaign on CNN. These include:

Prominent media commentators, including:

• CNN host Jane Velez-Mitchell
• TV commentator/author/columnist Michelle Malkin
• Canadian National Post columnist Barbara Kay
Previously, the position was held by Erica C. Barnett, who in 2007 was named reporter of the year by Seattle’s venerable Municipal League.
• Author/columnist/law professor/blogger Glenn Reynolds (aka "Instapundit")
• Syndicated Columnist Amy Alkon

Numerous TV and radio stations, including:

• CBS
• CNN
• Fox 4 News Dallas/KDFW-TV
• PJTV
• KABC AM 790 in Los Angeles
• KFI AM 640 in Los Angeles
• FM 106.3 in Wilmington, NC
• WMET AM 1160 in Washington DC
• WNTB FM 93.7 in North Carolina
• News/Talk AM 1310 WIBA in Madison, WI
• KTOK AM 1000 in Oklahoma City
• AM 660 KSKY in Dallas
• KHHT FM 92.3 in Los Angeles
• KLIF AM 570 in Dallas
• WAKR AM 1590 in Ohio

Newspapers covering the controversy included:

Dallas Morning News

Village Voice

The Stranger [Seattle]

Dallas Observer

Kansas City Star

Response to Critics

Our campaign was criticized by feminist bloggers as well as by Family Place Executive Director Paige Flink, who placed the ads on the buses. Out of this criticism several myths have arisen—they are corrected below.

• Myth #1: We tried to discourage people from financially contributing to The Family Place.

  Fact: We organized two dozen mothers from among our supporters who called over 50 of The Family Place’s financial contributors to express our concerns about the ads and suggest they ask The Family Place to remove the ads. Most contributors said they sympathized with us, and many told us they thought the ads and the subsequent protest were an embarrassment to The Family Place. However, we never asked nor suggested that they not continue giving to the Family Place.

• Myth #2: We asked our supporters to call or write The Family Place.

  We asked our members to call and write DART, the Dallas City Council, and local media. We urged them to be polite and respectful at all times. We never asked them to contact The Family Place itself in any way.

• Myth #3: We were outside agitators who had no roots in Texas.

  This is false—many of our supporters were from Texas, including from the Dallas-area. However, even if this were true, it wouldn’t mean much—"outside agitators" was a phrase often used by Southern states’ rights advocates who were angered over civil rights efforts, and is often used by companies trying to prevent labor organizers from organizing exploited workers. It carries little weight with us.

DV Experts Contradict Woman-as-Victim/Man-as-Perp Model

Numerous prominent domestic violence authorities contradict the discredited "Discredited the Woman-as-Victim/Man-as-Perp domestic violence Model. Below are statements from many of them.

John Hamel, LCSW, a court-certified batterer treatment provider and author of the book Gender-Inclusive Treatment of Intimate Partner Abuse:

Men account for half of all DV victims and incur a third of DV-related injuries. Ignoring female-on-male violence inhibits our efforts to combat domestic violence.

*****

Dr. Daniel J. Whitaker of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, describing a 2007 study published in the American Journal of Public Health:

[H]alf of [violent relationships] were reciprocally violent. In nonreciprocally violent relationships, women were the perpetrators in more than 70% of the cases.

*****

Dr. Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling of the University of South Alabama:


Every time we tried to say that women’s intimate partner abuse is different than men’s, the evidence did not support it.

*****

Dr. Donald Dutton, author of Rethinking Domestic Violence:

My independent research as to gender and domestic violence reveals that women use all forms of domestic violence at least as frequently as do men and with very similar effects on male victims.

*****

A meta-analytic review of 552 domestic violence studies published in the Psychological Bulletin found that 38% of the physical injuries in heterosexual domestic assaults are suffered by men.


*****

Psychology professor Marlene Moretti of Simon Fraser University:



Both boys and girls who observe their mothers engaging in violence toward her partners tend to use more violence in their romantic relationships. Moreover, such girls are more likely to be aggressive with their peers.

*****

Murray A. Straus, Professor of Sociology and Co-Director Family Research Laboratory University of New Hampshire:

I have conducted surveys of nationally representative samples of American families funded by the National Institutes of Health in 1975, 1985, and 1992.

In 2006 I conducted a study of partner violence in 32 nations. In all of these studies, the rate of men victimized by physical and psychological attacks by their partners is about the same as the rate of women victimized by male partners…


Physical attacks by women account for about a third of the injuries.

*****

Denise A. Hines, Ph.D. of the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire:

[W]hen men with children try to access domestic violence services and are turned away, we deny their children services and put them in danger. There is an unknown quantity of children…who cannot find the services they need to escape their violent mothers, and therefore, they must remain in their homes. Thus, by discriminating against male victims of domestic violence, we are also discriminating against their children and putting both the father and his children at risk. It is imperative, then, to assure that male victims and their children can get access to domestic violence services.

*****

Batterers’ Treatment Provider Claudia Ann Dias, MSC, JD:

It’s mandated that I have the Duluth Domestic Violence Power & Control Wheel prominently displayed in the office where I provide batterers’ treatment classes. I do, but with one minor modification -- I drew a circle around it and a line going through it.

[In the Duluth theoretical framework, domestic violence is caused by a patriarchal society that sanctions violence by men against their female partners. Women are assumed to be either victims or, when they are found to aggress against their male partners, to be doing so in self-defense.]

*****

John Hamel, LCSW, a court-certified batterer treatment provider and author of the book Gender-Inclusive Treatment of Intimate Partner Abuse:

A recent study [published in the journal Violence and Victims] analyzed data originally obtained through the National Violence Against Women Survey in the mid-90s…[which was] a study which was designed, conducted and analyzed by feminist researchers.

Researchers looked at 10,000 respondents who were currently married, and found that adult women are just as controlling and jealous towards their male partners as the other way around.

They also found that the relationship between use of control and jealousy and physical violence existed equally for both male and female respondents, and that ’intimate terrorists’ can be either male or female.

*****

Dr. Donald Dutton, author of Rethinking Domestic Violence:

The domestic violence establishment—of which I was once very much a part—has distorted the research to minimize and ignore female and mutual domestic violence.

*****

California State Long Beach University professor Martin Fiebert maintains an online bibliography summarizing 219 scholarly investigations, with an aggregate sample size exceeding 220,000, which concludes "women are as physically aggressive, or more aggressive, than men in their relationships with their spouses or male partners."

*****

Dr. Donald Dutton, author of Rethinking Domestic Violence:

Research shows that domestic violence is actually more common in lesbian relationships than in heterosexual relationships.

*****

John Hamel, LCSW, a court-certified batterer treatment provider and author of the book Gender-Inclusive Treatment of Intimate Partner Abuse:

According to the [female] victims themselves, the majority of these cases did indeed involve mutual abuse and, and some featured a dominant female perpetrator whose [male] partner was arrested after fighting back. This clinical data contradicted much of what I had been taught, and led me to conduct an extensive review of the research literature. What I found more than corroborated my clinical findings.

*****

New California Appeal Court Ruling: ‘Domestic Violence Is a Serious Problem for both Women and Men’

California domestic violence laws violate men’s rights because they provide state funding only for women and their children who use shelters and other programs, a state appeals court has ruled.

The decision by the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento requires the programs to be available to male as well as female victims of domestic violence…

Justice Fred Morrison said in Tuesday’s 3-0 ruling, the state acknowledges that ’domestic violence is a serious problem for both women and men.’—(San Francisco Chronicle, 10/16/08)

*****

Dr. Donald Dutton, author of Rethinking Domestic Violence:

Domestic violence ’research’ has been misleading, in that data has been extracted from crime reports and/or ’crime victim surveys—in which men underreport more than women—and have been publicized as indicating domestic violence is a gender issue (male–perpetrator/female-victims). In fact, when larger surveys with representative samples are examined, perpetration of domestic violence perpetration is slightly more common for females…"

*****

Richard James Gelles, PhD, Director for the Center for Research on Youth & Social Policy:

The real horror is the continued status of battered men as the ’missing persons’ of the problem. Male victims do not count and are not counted…"

Federal funds typically pass to a state coalition against or to a branch of a state agency designated to deal with violence against women.

Thirty years ago battered women had no place to go and no place to turn for help and assistance. Today, there are places to go—more than 1,800 shelters, and many agencies to which to turn. For men, there still is no place to go and no one to whom to turn.

*****

John Hamel, LCSW, a court-certified batterer treatment provider and author of the book Gender-Inclusive Treatment of Intimate Partner Abuse:

[U]nder current policy abused men are both denied services and told, essentially, that they don’t even exist. Ignoring male victims is not only a human rights issue, but also a public health issue. Until all perpetrators of family violence are held accountable for their actions, regardless of gender, our efforts will be limited, with serious implications for future generations.

*****

Dr. Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling of the University of South Alabama:

I interviewed women in battered women’s shelters and wondered why some were leaving in less than a week. The answer, it turned out, is that they too were engaging in violence against their partners, and in some cases had left to pick up the battle again. We weren’t helping these women because [by ignoring their role in DV] we were ignoring their paradigm.

*****

John Hamel, LCSW, a court-certified batterer treatment provider and author of the book Gender-Inclusive Treatment of Intimate Partner Abuse:

[T]he majority of mainstream researchers are now acknowledging the gender-inclusive nature of intimate partner abuse.