I came across her website long time ago, but I have not checked it back in a long time among other things because I only go through websites that have Rss or Atom feeds. This time it caught my attention her parallel blog on domestic violence (DV) and her own experiences with the issue some 20 years ago. As always her positions are not the traditional feminist positions, and are more geared toward individualistic feminism. She cites also George Rolph expert on DV against males and the gender bias that currently exists on the issue towards taking only into account the violence against women and not against men. McElroy tries to draw paralalells to her own experiences and how she thinks Rolph's insights are non-gender specific.
I've got even more on the subject here:
ReplyDeletehttp://desertlightjournal.blog-city.com/
This is the e-mail I send out:
There are many reasons why domestic violence services in the US have made such little progress in the 30 years since they have been established. Chief among the reasons is the insistence by shelter advocates that only women are victims, only men are abusers. Unfortunately this myopic, and essentially discriminatory attitude keeps understanding of the problem at a minimum. There can be no solutions or better services for the community as a whole until full awareness of domestic violence is achieved.
Current programs tend to be highly politicized and this severely restricts their ability to serve the community
There has never been a better time to contact your local media and government officials and have your voice heard! Communities all over the country have begun to question their domestic violence programs, laws, and procedures. It’s time for you to speak up and be a force for change! You can have the most impact at the local level, which is where the changes are beginning. District attorneys, law enforcement administrators, public officials of all kinds will soon be involved in re-visiting old policies that no longer serve their communities.