Voices from the margin: a case study of a rural lesbian's experience with woman-to-woman sexual violence.

The purpose of this case study is to understand how a lesbian survivor coped with traumatic stress resulting from woman-to-woman sexual violence in a rural context. This research was grounded on the feminist paradigm, and the case study approach was used for data collection and analysis. The results indicate that the lesbian survivor encountered numerous obstacles to admitting the rape and seeking help. A number of these perceived challenges were associated with the rural sociocultural context (e.g., conservative culture, religious fundamentalism, low levels of anonymity, small gay/lesbian communities, and geographical isolation), myths of lesbian utopia, a heterosexist legal system, and a lack of lesbian-friendly helping resources. Despite being confronted with numerous challenges, the survivor demonstrated her resilience through the use of a variety of strategies to cope with the rape aftermath and detrimental social reactions. Positive social support from her gay and lesbian friends also facilitated her recovery. The findings highlight the importance of considering the intersection of trauma and cultural oppression in understanding lesbian survivors' experiences with same-sex sexual assault.