Summer 2017
President Kimberly Balsam noted that: “my presidency spanned the 2016 election and a very challenging time in our history for LGBT people, people of color and other diverse communities. The challenges and threats we face are real but so is our strength, our resilience and our courage. ... My hope is that we will continue to do the hard work of promoting diversity and inclusion within Division 44 and continue to use the tools of our profession to promote justice and healing for diverse LGBT people in our broader communities.”
Theodore R. Burns and Konjit V. Page offered a continuing education workshop to enhance psychologists' awareness, critical thinking and knowledge of clinical considerations when working with LGBTQ people of color at the APA Convention in Washington, D.C.
The Division 44 Bisexual Issues Committee celebrated Bisexual Health Awareness Month by asking bi+ psychologists, trainees and allied professionals to briefly share what social health means to them via an anonymous survey.
Heath Schechinger wrote an article that described what you need to know about consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships and noted that Division 44 will consider adopting a CNM task force to improve the quality of mental health care by creating comprehensive CNM treatment guidelines, while confronting anti-CNM biases that persist in society and our field.
Summer 2012
President Mark Pope noted that “it’s been a strong year preparing the blueprint (the strategic plan) for the next leaders of our Division, refocusing our role in our profession (the revised mission statement), and adding to our arsenal of professional tools with our new journal and Facebook page. But there is so much more to do. And so, I ask each of you to think about what you can do to lead this next year, to put yourself forward to make a difference in Division 44. We only need a few good people, but the more we have, the more we can accomplish, sooner.
Bert Cohler, a renowned psychologist, devoted member of Division 44, and professor at the University of Chicago for over 40 years, passed away on May 9. He was 73. Cohler’s work on sexual identity was notable for its emphasis on personal narrative and the life course. He argued that gay men and lesbians construct life stories that provide a sense of purpose and coherence in the face of adversity,
David Pantalone, Program Chair, wrote, “We are truly excited and proud of the Division 44 Program this year at the 120th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association in Orlando, Florida. This year we will showcase 78 posters (in two poster sessions, one Thursday and one Sunday) and 12 symposia and conversation hours.”
The speech by Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, delivered in Geneva December 2011, was excerpted in the Newsletter: “The women and men who advocate for human rights for the LGBT community in hostile places, some of whom are here today with us, are brave and dedicated, and deserve all the help we can give them. We know the road ahead will not be easy. A great deal of work lies before us. But many of us have seen firsthand how quickly change can come. In our lifetimes, attitudes toward gay people in many places have been transformed. … Those who advocate for expanding the circle of human rights were and are on the right side of history, and history honors them. Those who tried to constrict human rights were wrong, and history reflects that as well.”
Summer 2007
President Christopher R. Martell drew a metaphor between running his first half-marathon and the fits and starts of progress in LGBT rights in the U.S. and within APA. He noted that Washington State legislature just passed a statewide domestic partner bill after its supreme court ruled that the state’s Defense of Marriage Act was constitutional in 2006.
Robert-Jay Green will give the invited address to profile the rise of antigay groups and describe the beginnings of a nationwide effort to confront their false claims and to educate the American public about the realities of LGBT life.
Julia Tomassilli, winner of the division’s Bisexual Foundation Scholarship Award, reported on her research, which found generally positive attitudes about bisexual women and men in a sample of lesbians and gay men; they were higher than in a similar study 10 years earlier.
Douglas Kimmel wrote the first article in a series sponsored by the Division 44 Task Force on Aging about pioneers in the field. He described his wedding to Ron Schwizer in 1969, attending the organizing meeting of the Association of Gay Psychologists in 1973, meeting Evelyn Hooker at APA in 1977, and giving a Master Lecture at APA with Linda Garnets on sexual orientation in 1991.
Summer 2002
President Sari H. Dworkin discussed the new APA Convention format and thanked Randy Georgemiller, Kate Kominars, and Doug Haldeman for arranging the program and Rob Mapou and Armand Cerbone for finding the restaurant for the division dinner in Chicago.
Becky J. Liddle, newsletter editor, announced the fall newsletter theme: “Child molestation and homosexuality,” reflecting the misinformation following the cases of priests molesting children in their care.
The student representatives, Kimberly Balsam and Cisco Sánchez, invited attendance at the mentoring workshop with a panel of LGBT psychologists, a workshop on getting into leadership in Division 44, and the annual student party co-sponsored by the APAGS-CLGBTC Committee.
Summer 1997
President Doug Haldeman pointed out the tradition of Native tribes and non-Native settlers in Washington Territory to hold an annual gathering ritual called a rendezvous for a week of games, contests, socializing, and exchanging information. Our own annual Convention is similar. This year it will include a special remembrance in honor of Evelyn Hooker, PhD.
Barry Chung announced his appointment as editor of the Division 44 newsletter. He thanked Phil Levinson for his service as editor and Ariel Shidlo, who was features editor. Becky Liddle has agreed to serve as associate editor for features articles.
By an overwhelming margin, Division 44 members voted to include “Bisexuality” in the name and mission of the division (93%). The change becomes effective immediately and the newsletter masthead reflected the new name.
Sari H. Dworkin described her experience in Ivanovo, Russia, teaching students to do therapy, training psychologists and psychiatrists, and seeing both private clients and severely disturbed psychiatric patients.
August 1992
The National Association of Lesbian and Gay Psychologists (NALGP) is holding an Empowerment Conference one day before the APA Convention, including presentations by major political organizations and lobbying legislators’ Capitol Hill offices.
President Connie Chan thanked Barbara Slater and Joan Rabin for organizing the Division 44 program at the APA Convention in Washington, D.C. Division 44 was included in the Public Interest mini-convention focusing on the intersection of ethnicity and sexual orientation.
Clinton Anderson reported on efforts by the APA Committee on Lesbian and Gay Concerns (CLGC) to disseminate the task force report, “Bias in Psychotherapy with Lesbians and Gay Men.” The APA Public Interest Directorate has established an advisory group with regard to the U.S. Department of Defense policy on sexual orientation.
A policy statement on lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths has been developed by CLGC and the APA Committee on Children, Youth, and Families.
July 1987
Linda Garnets, Division 44 program chair, announced two invited addresses for the APA Convention. Carolyn Payton will chair an invited symposium titled “Teaching on Gay and Lesbian Issues.” Adrienne Smith will chair a symposium on “Issues of Lesbians at Mid-Life.” Douglas Kimmel’s presidential address will be “Lesbians and Gays Also Grow Old.” Royce Scrivner, Lawrence A. Kurdek, and Bianca Cody Murphy are leading a Division 44 continuing education workshop titled “Family Therapy: Lesbian and Gay Issues.”
Alan K. Malyon reported that the Committee on Lesbian and Gay Concerns (CLGC) Task Force to Develop Psychotherapy Guidelines for Lesbians and Gay Men received over 2,000 completed questionnaires from a survey sample of APA members. These are the first data systematically collected on psychotherapy with lesbians and gay men and will be used to develop a set of guidelines.
Gregory M. Herek testified October 9, 1986, before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Criminal Justice on the subject of violence against lesbians and gay men; he spoke on behalf of the American Psychological Association.