Fall 2011
President Mark Pope noted, “In all of my many cultural identities, my gay one is very important, very salient to me. I have many others because I was born a gay Cherokee boy in rural southeast Missouri. … When I was growing up, many if not all of the other parts of my identity were just accepted and part of who my family was. But that gay part was hidden and unspoken, and the messages all around me from my environment were that this gay piece of me was evil and wrong.”
Erin Deneke reported: “The Division 44 convention program was a very successful one. The highlight was the recognition of our founding members during the awards ceremony. This event was followed by the nice social hour and dinner. We had 12 symposiums and two poster sessions. ... Of particular interest this conference were the two symposiums and one suite presentation on LGBT bullying, a topic that has garnered a great deal of attention in the media this year.”
“The American Psychological Association is calling on state and federal officials to stop anti-gay legal measures and to legalize same-sex marriage. The scientific and professional organization’s guiding body voted unanimously at its annual meeting this week in Washington to declare its support for 'full marriage equality for same-sex couples'.” [CNN, August 04, 2011]
Fall 2006
President Christopher Martell thanked the retiring members of the executive committee and welcomed those newly elected. “We are real people, doing real work, having real differences of opinion and I am looking forward to this year as President of this marvelous division.”
Linda Garnets reported two new fellows, Margaret Rosario and Randy Georgemiller, and five previous APA Fellows elected to Div. 44: Rober Bakeman, Jeffrey Barnett, Kathleen Bieschke, James Croteau and Tannis MacBeth.
Charlotte Patterson’s Presidential Address, “Our Families: Building a Psychology of Lesbian and Gay Family Life,” discussed the need to reflect the ways in which these families are similar and different from other families.
Jon Mohr and Julie Konik, convention program co-chairs, reported that the division had 24 hours of substantive programming, including 87 individual presentations and 18 different events on the theme “Our Families.”
Fall 2001
President Sari H. Dworkin announced the formation of the “Committee of 9” APA Divisions committed to social justice that will result in forging new alliances; it has broadened her perspective of issues that fall under the rubric of LGBT psychology.
A nationwide LGBT mentoring program has been launched as a joint project of Div. 44 and the APAGS Committee on LGBT Concerns.
Terry Gock, in his Presidential Address, pointed out the importance of continuing to work on collaboration, inclusion and information to harness our personal commitment and communal strength to advocate on behalf of LGB concerns.
A meeting of mental health professionals from six continents on international perspectives of sexual orientation was summarized and reports from Armenia and Portugal were included. Bob Barret, in a separate article, described his experience in a Spanish language immersion program for gay men and lesbians in Mexico.
Three articles on transgender issues included a list of “FAQs about Transgender” by Nick Embaye.
November 1996
A free Listserv service has been set up though APA. A similar on-line forum for information exchange among LGB graduate students was also announced.
Allen Omoto reported that the Science Task Force has developed a survey of researchers who are GLB or who work on related issues; the survey was included.
Div. 44 Awards were given to Cynthia Gomez, Charlotte Patterson, Royce Scrivner, Barry Chung and Dorsey Green. Four new Fellows were elected.
Robin Buhrke’s Presidential Address was on her study of criminal justice personnel who are out of the closet. Most respondents believed the costs were worthwhile, but there were many roadblocks to full equality.
The third Div. 44 Annual, edited by Beverly Greene, is entitled Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Among Lesbians and Gay Men. It is included in annual dues.
December 1991
Div. 44 and the Public Interest Directorate miniconvention focused on youth, aging, families, homophobia, professional issues and identity development. Randy Shilts’s invited address was: “Conduct Unbecoming: Politics, Prejudice, and Homosexuality in the U.S. Military.”
Sari Dworkin wrote about “Bisexuality: The Debate” inviting discussion on the topic and quoting Joe Norton: “Coming out late, as I did (age 50), I have always acknowledged that ‘technically’ I am bisexual. Even though currently I have sex only with men.”
Oliva Espin reviewed the book by Barbara Sang, Joyce Warshow and Adrienne Smith, Lesbians at Midlife. She noted that: “This is a book full of love. Love for others, yes. But, above all, love for ourselves and our lives.”
Jeffrey Rehm discussed the reaction to his first invitation to a meeting of gay psychologists: “All day I kept thinking about this meeting… and how it would feel in terms of my ambivalent relationship with my ex-wife and son…. I paced back and forth and kept wondering who would see me…. Once there, I was fine…. A group of those people eventually worked together to create Division 44…. Today I am speaking to you as President of that group.”
Robert Mapou gave a summary of two meetings of the APA Committee of Lesbian and Gay Concerns. Topics included a ban on military advertising, “Guidelines for Non-Heterosexist Language,” lesbian child custody issues, bias in psychotherapy with gay men and lesbians, HIV issues, and collaboration with the APA Committee on Children, Youth and Families.
November 1986
Tim Westmoreland, Assistant Counsel, House of Representatives Subcommittee on Health and the Environment, presented a Div. 44 invited address on the political and social impact of the AIDS epidemic, noting the discrimination that threatens civil liberties of persons with AIDS.
“Lesbian and Gay Affirmative Psychotherapy” was addressed in a symposium at the APA convention by Laura Brown, Oliva Espin, Terry Gock, John Gonsiorek, Alan Malyon and Adrienne Smith; Barbara Sang was discussant.
Douglas Kimmel, president, noted the deaths of two friends of Divi. 44: James F. Staebler, PhD, and Harley Knight, the life partner of Alan Pinka, PhD. A full-page memorial to Harley was in the issue.