Chairing what became known while in the planning stages as the “super symposium” was, for me, the highlight of the 1985 APA meeting. The panel members were part of my history as a lesbian psychologist and had each shown great personal courage in confronting the psychiatric and psychological establishments. I was both honored and a bit awed. For the participants the panel was a joyful reunion of old friends, former antagonists and allies who shared with us their memories of zaps, protests and political infighting.
Del Martinopens in new window began with both a backward and a forward look, speaking about organizing demonstrations and presentations at the American Psychiatric Association meetings in the early 1970s, her recent work with battered women, and then challenging Division 44 to maintain a feminist consciousness into the future.
Charles Silversteinopens in new window recounted zapping the behavioral therapists, including panel member Gerald Davisonopens in new window, who were advocating aversive conditioning to “change” gay males’ sexual orientation. Davison, past-president of the American Behavioral Therapy Association, was “converted” by Silverstein, becoming an active proponent of homosexual rights within ABTA and APA. Judd Marmoropens in new window, past-president of the “other APA” – the American Psychiatric Association – described the difficulties and lobbying involved in eliminating homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses in DSM III. Harold Koodenopens in new window traced the intertwining history of the radical movement within APA from the Psychologists for Social Action through Division 9, AWP, Division 35, ALGP and now Division 44.
As discussants, Steven Morinopens in new window and Evelyn Hookeropens in new window added to their summations what each had contributed to the history: Morin in helping to found ALGP and Division 44 and Hooker in doing the first research, in the 1950s, on non-psychiatric populations of gay men. She ended a wonderful panel of pride and recollections by saying, “I guess I started all this.”
The overflow audience, obviously deeply touched, responded with a standing ovation. The entire symposium (plus individual interviews with some of the participants) was videotaped for our continuing history.
[Editor's note: this article was reprinted from Volume 1, issue 3 of the Division 44 Newsletter.]