Book review: Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, and Sexual Assault: Challenging the Myths
| Author | James Pickles |
| Published date | 01 January 2020 |
| Date | 01 January 2020 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0269758019884812 |
The human rights frame creates a positive responsibility to protect citizens; Goodmark illustrates
this with international examples, also noting the limits of this responsibility. Applying interna-
tional human rights norms within the U.S. would require the U.S. to adopt the concept of ‘due
diligence’, necessitating expansion of the current U.S. focus on prosecution and punishment
to a broader obligation that also prevents and protects against IPV and provides redress
for victims. The human rights framework also encourages an intersectional understanding
of IPV, engages communities in dialogue via human rights tribunals, and requires policymakers
to respond to the root causes of violence.
It is difficult to argue with Goodmark’s call for a more balanced policy approach. The U.S.
would do well to reduce its reliance on the CJS and to increase the spectrum of options available
to respond to IPV. However, Goodmark ultimately remains restricted by the CJS framework,
acknowledging that serious repeat offenders should be prosecuted and incarcerated. Goodmark’s
biggest contribution to the IPV literature is her call for a victim-focused approach, which runs
through each of the alternative lenses she describes. This is not a new idea; indeed, Goodmark
advocates a return to ‘feminist first principles’ of consciousness-raising, using victims’ voices
to guide lobbying efforts (p. 154). Concentrating on victims’ needs and desires requires policy-
makers to understand the complexity of IPV and the multifaceted and intersecting identities
of those who are affected by it. Additionally, a focus on victimisation requires
the acknowledgement that perpetrators of IPV may also have been victimised. Critically evaluating
the victim/offender binary is essential if we are to move beyond a solely reactive strategy
and incorporate prevention. Whilst the book focuses on the U.S., readers from other jurisdictions
will also find much of interest within it. Decriminalising Domestic Violence should be considered
essential reading for anyone with an interest in legal and policy responses to IPV or gendered
violence more broadly.
Reference
Marmot M (2005) Social determinants of health inequalities. The Lancet 365(9464): 1099–1104.
Corina Schulze, Sarah Koon-Magnin and Valerie Bryan, with Foreword by Amber Pope
Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, and Sexual Assault: Challenging the Myths
Lynne Rienner Publishers: London, UK, 2019; xviþ235 pp.; ISBN 9781626377783 (hardback)
Reviewed by: James Pickles, Sheffield Hallam University, UK
DOI: 10.1177/0269758019884812
In their comprehensive book, Schulze, Koon-Magnin and Bryan unpick and scrutinise sexual
assault using an inclusive scope that covers all instances of sexual violence, from a queer perspec-
tive. The main premise addressed in the book can be surmised with its opening sentence: ‘No other
violent crime is as saturated by gendered societal biases regarding victims and offenders as is
sexual assault’ (p.1). Theoretically rich and empirically laden, this book offers criminologists,
sociologists, and victimologists new ground to pursue the study of sexual violence.
Demarcated into seven chapters, the authors pursue and unpack the myths surrounding sexual
assault and rape through the lens of identity, focusing specifically on gender and sexuality. Written
Book reviews137
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