The article presents clinical observations of 62 lesbians who identified themselves as either victims or perpetrators of physical and emotional aggression toward their partners. The article challenges traditional views of violent relationships by suggesting that there are more than just the two roles of perpetrator and victim. Looking exclusively at these lesbian women, the article suggests that some women are co-participants in violence and that even when one woman is victimized by another she may fail to recognize the behavior as abuse because it is perpetrated by a woman. The article describes roles of primary aggressor, primary victim, and participant, suggesting that a participant is the woman who repeatedly fights back with the intent to hurt her partner. The lesbian defined as a participant does not initiate violence and does not consistently inflict on her partner the same level of injuries that she sustained herself. The article suggests the need for additional research into what differentiates a self-defending victim from a mutual combatant, in both heterosexual and lesbian relationships. References