With her girlfriend’s hands wrapped around her throat, she knew it was time to leave.
“The choking — that was it,” Allison (not her real name) said. “It was like, ok, that was scary enough for me to say I can’t do this anymore.”
While it was the most violent encounter, it wasn’t the first experience of abuse between Allison and her girlfriend. Just three months into dating, she noticed wild mood swings that would escalate quickly into verbal abuse. It would continue for another two years.