In January [1985], the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian and Gay Issues officially became Division 44 of the American Psychological Association. This is indeed an historical event.
In February, the Executive Committee met in Los Angeles to begin organizing our new division. It was clear from the outset that much work needed to be done. The Executive Committee greeted the task with enthusiasm.
Clearly the primary emphasis in our first months of operation has been on assuring a quality convention program. The division has been assigned 17 hours of convention programming which you will find outlined in this newsletter. Doug Kimmel and his committee are to be congratulated on a very fine job. We will be working cooperatively with the Association of Lesbian and Gay Psychologists to assure that the convention programming of Division 44 complements the programming in the ALGP suite.
One of the major goals of this year will be to increase membership in the division. We are currently one of the smallest divisions of the Association, although growth in the next year appears to be a reasonable goal. Susan Gore and the membership committee have undertaken a project to recruit additional members. We thank them for their efforts.
The Division received very good news with regard to council representation. In the APA allocation ballots, Division 44 received 1.47% of the allocations. This means that the division will have one council representative beginning in 1986. Had we received a share of 1.50% we would have been eligible for two council seats. This balloting indicates that the relative strength of interest in Division 44 is much greater than would be suggested by the number of members in the division. We are pleased to begin the process of having an official voice in APA governance.
Much of Division 44’s energy this year will focus on our relationship with other existing organizations. We are particularly concerned about our relationship with the Association of Lesbian and Gay Psychologists (ALGP) and the Committee on Gay Concerns (COGC). The nature of our different roles and functions will be discussed at a conversation hour to be held at the annual APA convention sponsored by COGC. I encourage you to attend this conversation hour as well as the Division 44 business meeting.
In anticipation of the many logistical problems that will arise in the first year of operating a division, I have appointed a Task Force on Future Directions of Division 44. Kris Hancock has agreed to chair the task force. Hopefully, this group will be able to hear suggestions from members with regard to ways in which the division can be more responsive to the needs and interests of its members. The task force will also have a conversation hour at the August convention in order to hear input from members. The group will then meet to recommend changes in the Division’s bylaws or actions to be taken by the Executive Committee in response to the concerns of members.
Twelve years ago, I was actively involved in the formation of ALGP. It is with the same sense of history that I greet the evolution of Division 44. Much of what we have accomplished is summarized in the title of an invited symposium at the convention – From “mental illness” to an APA division: Homosexuality and Psychology. I hope to see you there.
DIVISION 44 EXECUTIVE BOARD 1985
President: Stephen F. Morin, PhD, San Francisco, CA 94114
Secretary/Treasurer: Martin Rochlin, PhD, West Hollywood, CA 90046
Executive Committee:
Joyce Brotsky, PhD, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Kristin Hancock, PhD, Berkeley, CA 94704
Harold Kooden, PhD, New York, NY 10036
Alan Malyon, PhD, Los Angeles, CA 90068
Allan T. Pinka, PhD, Los Angeies, CA 90068
Adrienne J. Smith, PhD, Chicago, IL 60613
Chair Membership Committee: Susan Gore, PhD, Oakland, CA 94602
Chair Program Committee: Douglas Kimmel, PhD, New York, NY 10128
Chair Fellows Committee: Leticia Anne Peplau, PhD, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
[Editor's note: read Alan Malyon's letter of welcome from the APA COGC, reprinted in the full issue of the Division 44 Newsletter (PDF, 893KB)opens in new window]
Members and friends of Division 44's Executive Committee, February 23, 1985, Los Angeles: Front row, from left to right: Christine Browning (Chair of ALGP), Susan Gore, Kristin Hancock, Stephen Morin, Martin Rochlin, Hanah Lehrman (Division 35), Joyce Brotsky. Second row from left to right: Harold Kooden, Arnold Kahn (Administrative Officer of the Committee for Social and Ethical Responsibility, APA), Bronwyn Anthony, Anne Peplau, Douglas Kimmel, Allan Pinka and Alan Malyon. Photo credit: Allen Chivens