Domestic violence, also called intimate partner violence, intimate partner abuse, or domestic abuse, affects over one million people in the United States alone. It can be done in several ways, including physically, emotionally, sexually, psychologically, and/or financially. Its legal definition considers it “any assault, battery, sexual assault, sexual assault, or any criminal offense resulting in physical injury or death of a household or household member by another residing in the same dwelling unit” (Brown, 2008). In the United States it is considered a serious health problem, so much so that it was declared the number one health problem by the Surgeon General of the United States in 1992 (Peterman & Dixon, 2003). Not only is it a rapidly growing health problem, but it is also a growing social concern. Extending beyond the effect felt by victims and their families, it impacts our communities, government, law enforcement and public service entities. However, domestic violence is not a new problem in our society. For centuries, women have been considered the property of men, giving them leeway in enforcing domestic abuse laws. The public believed that, as heads of families, they had the right to discipline their wives and children as they saw fit. Eventually, women came to view this prevailing belief as truth. An inevitable result was their refusal to be victims. They simply saw him as he was and accepted him as such. Nonintervention was generally the preferred method regarding family matters. The long-standing belief that "what happened behind closed doors was no one's business but the family" governed society's attitude, Family Violence Legal Center, 20 (6), 363-363-371. doi:10.1007/s10896-005-7798-4St Pierre, M., & Senn, C. Y. (2010). External barriers to help-seeking encountered by Canadian gay and lesbian victims of intimate partner abuse: An application of the barriers model. Violence and victims, 25(4), 536-536-52. Stapel, S. (2007). Falling Apart: New York State Civil Legal Remedies Available to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Victims of Domestic Violence. New York Law School Law Review, 52(2), 247-277.Tesch, B., Bekerian, D., English, P., & Harrington, E. (2010). Same-sex domestic violence: why victims are more at risk. International Journal of Police Science and Management, 12(4), 526-535. doi:10.1350/ijps.2010.12.4.204Tully, C. T. (2001). Domestic violence: the ultimate betrayal of human rights. Journal of gay and lesbian social services, 13(1), 83-98.