From Our Readers

Sociologist and community activist Dr. Lori B. Girshick has begun a nationwide study on woman to woman sexual violence. The study is aimed at lesbians, bisexual women, and transgendered/ transsexual women. A focus of the study is to understand what labels women who are sexually assaulted by their female partners or dates use. Do they call the violence sexual assault, sexual coercion, or abuse? The words women use to describe their experiences influence the actions they take to deal with their abuse.

Women interested in participating in the study can request a copy of the study questionnaire by calling (828) 298-3325, ext. 376. The study results will contribute to the development of outreach efforts and support services of rape crisis centers and domestic violence agencies will help therapists and others who work with survivors of sexual violence, and will hopefully aid in challenging existing laws.

Dr. Girshick teaches sociology and women's studies at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC. She has worked with battered women, including battered lesbians, for nine years. Author of two books, her latest is No Safe Haven: Stories of Women in Prison (Northeastern University Press).