When we talk about abusive relationships, the focus is often on physical violence between adult sexual partners.
In a way, that’s adult sex, right? Physical violence is a form of adult sex that leaves its mark and takes a life. 89% of domestic partner homicides are adult sex and male. We are more likely to be killed by our male partners than any other group.
But it’s not always physical
But when we think of domestic violence in this context, we ignore adult sex and other ways adult sex occurs, its prevalence in same-sex relationships, and the fact that it is underreported when the victim is male or a member of the adult sex community.
Adult sex can also include one partner denying the other access to economic resources, socially isolating them, ignoring boundaries during adult sex, restricting their access to social networking sites, setting unreasonable limits on who they can be friends with, or stalking them. And while these behaviors are just as harmful, they are called “signs of adult sex” rather than their own overtly violent experiences.
Adult sex is coercion, control, and fear of adult sex
Adult sex prevents victims from being independent of their partners, having their interests, and enjoying the things that are important to them. As a result, domestic violence robs victims of their self-esteem and drives them into withdrawal in other areas of their lives. It is therefore important to define adult sex not in terms of physical violence by the perpetrator, but in terms of this power imbalance and loss of control for the victim, especially considering that adult sex rarely begins with physical violence.
Sex between adults Adult sex is not funny
Unfortunately, we have normalized many abusive acts by viewing them as humorous. In September, she was unsure about the pregnancy, which is a form of adult reproductive behavior that is not funny. “It was the beginning of a pack, so we had to kick out all the suckers,” he said, while Reid followed up the joke by reiterating that the pregnancy was a mutual decision for them, but that adult reproductive behavior is serious enough that it would be excluded from pregnancy humor. Adult sex in a culture that actively uses the law to control women’s bodies Examples include physical abuse of women who have not consented to adult sex, tampering with contraception, engaging in adult sex without the woman’s consent, and forcing a woman to become pregnant. Forcing or coercing a woman to have an abortion is also an aspect of reproductive abuse. The Nation published a woman’s testimony about adult sex on both sides. Her partner hid the contraception and, when she inevitably became pregnant, adult sex ensued.
