Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them: Battered Gay Men and Domestic Violence

this book, although dated, is an excellent resource that discusses an issue in the gay community that is just short of being ignored. while domestic violence in lesbian relationships and heterosexual relationships are discussed, researched, and written about to great lengths, violence in gay men's relationships is still a taboo subject. this book was vital in my own personal healing after leaving an abusive relationship and is a cornerstone for my current research for my master's thesis on transformative learning theory and glbt victims of domestic violence. i would highly recommend this book to anyone who is curious on the subject and would recommend it as a MUST READ for any victim who is either in the middle of their violent relationship, fighting against it, healing from it, or healed. i look forward to the day i can add to the small (but growing) number of books and research on this vitally important topic to the gay community.

The reviewer from Western Australia has either not read the book or has just scanned it. The authors do not link domestic violence with mental illness on the perpetrators side, encouraging the perpetrator not to accept responsibility. In fact, they state exactly the opposite, that assault and battering is a choice batterers make, and the authors repeat this over and over, almost in every page. In addition, the authors do concentrate on the power and control issues, as main motivators for the violence. You have to admit, however, that there is nothing 'sane' about someone hitting their spouses. In fact, this is criminal behavior. The reviewer from Western Australia makes a statement that this book reminds you issues from the '60's. This is innacurate. In the '60's there was very little, if any, mention of domestic violence both in the psychological community/trade papers and in the penal code. This book was written in the early '90's, and most research quoted is from a few years before that. In addition, the issues of social/financial control and sexual agression are reviewed and properly addressed in the appropriate context of one opressor and one victim. The book descriptions of the whole dynamics and overall process are very accurate, and, as an ex-battered domestic violence survivor I wish I had the chance to read this book when it was hapening to me, and not after. This book gives specific actions a victim should take in order to get away from a perpetrator and very insightfully explains why some people stay in unhealthy relationships and decide that they can best cope with an agressor more by staying in the relationship than by leaving, as many of us do. Lastly, this book helps you in identifying prospective batterers in new people you may be dating, with specific red flags to look for. If you are reading this, you are probably a victim, batterers do not seek help unless the courts orders it, and they are not interested in reading about this because they think they are right in hurting you (and that it is their right to do so). You have to take action now, dont wait until you are hit again because, as the authors rightfully say, it will happen again, regardless of you making up or your wishful thinking or the amount of time that passed since you were last battered. This book will tell you how to get out and stay out.