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Deborah L. Tolman is a developmental psychologist and the co-founder of SPARK: Sexualization Protest: Action, Resistance, Knowledge. [1] She is the author of Dilemmas of Desire: Teenage Girls Talk about Sexuality, which was awarded the 2003 Distinguished Book Award from the Association for Women in Psychology. [2]
Tolman received her Ed.D from Harvard University in 1992. She is the former director of the Center for Research on Gender and Sexuality, and professor of human sexuality studies at San Francisco State University. [3] Before moving to San Francisco, she was "the senior research scientist and director of the Gender and Sexuality Project, and then an associate director of the Center for Research on Women, both at Wellesley College." [4]
Tolman is currently a professor of Women and Gender Studies at the Hunter College School of Social Work, and professor of Critical Social Psychology at the Graduate Center of CUNY. [5]
Her research on adolescent sexuality, gender development, gender equity and research methods has been funded by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, [6] the Department of Health and Human Services, [7] the Ford Foundation, [6] and the Spencer Foundation. [8]
In October 2010, Tolman co-founded SPARK (Sexualization Protest: Action, Resistance, Knowledge), an intergenerational "girl-fueled" movement building organization (with Lyn Mikel Brown) dedicated to challenging the sexualization of girls by engaging girls to be activists and working with partner organizations around the country. SPARK links academia to activism and suggests an alternative to the divisive "wave metaphor" [9] regarding feminism.
In 2018 Tolman founded SexGenLab, a sexuality and gender educational tool and research collective, in partnership with Graduate Center CUNY students. [10]
Tolman was president of the Society of Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology (SQIP), a section of APA Division 5, and worked on the advancement of qualitative methodology. SQIP is responsible for producing the Qualitative Psychology Journal. [11]
Tolman is a commentator in the 2023 Hulu documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields . The documentary follows the life and career of actress and model Brooke Shields from her exploitation as a child star to her work as an adult. [12]
In 2003 Tolman's book on adolescent girls' sexuality, Dilemmas of Desire: Teenage Girls Talk about Sexuality, [13] was awarded the 2003 Distinguished Book Award from the Association for Women in Psychology. Her collaboration with Carol Gilligan led to the creation of “The Listening Guide” methodology, a research method used to interpret subject interview transcripts with an emphasis on vocal communication cues. [14]
Tolman was Editor-in-Chief alongside psychologist Lisa M. Diamond of the APA Handbook of Sexuality and Psychology [15] published by American Psychological Association in 2013.
Tolman has written 60+ articles and book chapters on adolescent girls' and boys' sexuality and research methods. Tolman's work and commentary on adolescent sexuality and challenging sexualization has appeared in The New York Times , [16] The Huffington Post, and multiple radio, television and online venues, including New York City's Joan Hamburg radio show [17] and Brian Lehrer Show.
Tolman is married to Luis Ubiñas. They live in New York City and have two sons. [18]
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Sexual behaviors in children are common and may range from normal and developmentally appropriate to abusive. These behaviors may include self-stimulation, interest in sex, curiosity towards sex and the opposite gender, exhibitionism, voyeurism, gender role behaviors and engagement in interpersonal sexual acts.
Carol Gilligan is an American feminist, ethicist, and psychologist, best known for her work on ethical community and ethical relationships.
A rainbow party is a supposed group sex event featured in an urban legend spread since the early 2000s. A variant of other sex party urban myths, the stories claim that at these events, allegedly increasingly popular among adolescents, girls wearing various shades of lipstick take turns fellating boys in sequence, leaving multiple colors on their penises.
Sexualization is the emphasis of the sexual nature of a behavior or person. Sexualization is linked to sexual objectification, treating a person solely as an object of sexual desire. According to the American Psychological Association, sexualization occurs when "individuals are regarded as sex objects and evaluated in terms of their physical characteristics and sexiness." "In study after study, findings have indicated that women more often than men are portrayed in a sexual manner and are objectified. In addition, a narrow standard of physical beauty is heavily emphasized. These are the models of femininity presented for young girls to study and emulate."
The relationship between nudity and sexuality can be complicated. When people are nude, this often leads to sexual arousal, which is why indecent exposure is often considered a crime. There are also social movements to promote a greater degree of nudity, such as the topfreedom movement to promote female toplessness, as well as the movement to promote breastfeeding in public. Furthermore, some psychiatric disorders that can lead to greater nudity include exhibitionistic disorder, voyeuristic disorder, and gymnophobia.
Adolescent sexuality is a stage of human development in which adolescents experience and explore sexual feelings. Interest in sexuality intensifies during the onset of puberty, and sexuality is often a vital aspect of teenagers' lives. Sexual interest may be expressed in a number of ways, such as flirting, kissing, masturbation, or having sex with a partner. Sexual interest among adolescents, as among adults, can vary greatly, and is influenced by cultural norms and mores, sex education, as well as comprehensive sexuality education provided, sexual orientation, and social controls such as age-of-consent laws.
The sexuality of US adolescents includes their feelings, behaviors and development, and the place adolescent sexuality has in American society, including the response of the government, educators, parents, and other interested groups.
Sexual fluidity is one or more changes in sexuality or sexual identity. Sexual orientation is stable and unchanging for the vast majority of people, but some research indicates that some people may experience change in their sexual orientation, and this is slightly more likely for women than for men. There is no scientific evidence that sexual orientation can be changed through psychotherapy. Sexual identity can change throughout an individual's life, and does not have to align with biological sex, sexual behavior, or actual sexual orientation.
Anke A. Ehrhardt is a researcher in the field of sexual and gender development of children, adolescents, and adults. Her research has included a wide range of studies on determinants of sexual risk behavior among children, adolescents, heterosexual women and men, and the gay population, and on comprehensive approaches to preventing HIV and STD infection. Ehrhardt is the Founding Director of the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, where she has had a particular focus on research and advocacy for female-controlled methods of HIV prevention.
Slut-shaming is the practice of criticizing people, especially women and girls, who are perceived to violate expectations of behavior and appearance regarding issues related to sexuality. The term is used to reclaim the word slut and empower women and girls to have agency over their own sexuality. Gender-based violence can be a result of slut-shaming primarily affecting women. It may also be used in reference to gay men, who may face disapproval for promiscuous sexual behaviors. Slut-shaming rarely happens to heterosexual men.
Hookup culture is one that accepts and encourages casual sex encounters, including one-night stands and other related activity, without necessarily including emotional intimacy, bonding or a committed relationship. It is generally associated with Western late adolescent sexuality and, in particular, United States college culture. The term hookup has an ambiguous definition because it can indicate kissing or any form of physical sexual activity between sexual partners. The term has been widely used in the U.S. since at least 2000. It has also been called nonrelationship sex, or sex without dating.
Sharon Lamb, is an American professor in the Department of Counseling and School Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston's, College of Education and Human Development, and a fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA). She also sits on the editorial board of the academic journals Feminism & Psychology, and Sexualization, Media, and Society.
Lisa M. Diamond is an American psychologist and feminist. She is a professor of developmental psychology, health psychology and gender studies at the University of Utah. Her research focuses on sexual orientation development, sexual identity, and bonding.
Lyn Mikel Brown is an American academic, author, feminist, and community activist. She is Professor of Education Emerit at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Her research interests include girls' development, youth activism, and the impact of media and marketing on youth. She is a co-founder of the research-driven nonprofit, Hardy Girls Healthy Women, and SPARK, a girl-fueled anti-racist gender justice movement. She has authored seven books, many peer-reviewed articles, general media essays, and book chapters. She was inducted into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame in 2013.
Jeffrey T. Parsons is an American psychologist, researcher, and educator; he was a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Hunter College and The Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) and was the Director of Hunter College's Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies & Training, which he founded in 1996. Parsons was trained as a developmental psychologist and applied this training to understand health, with a particular emphasis on HIV prevention and treatment. He was known for his research on HIV risk behaviors of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM), HIV-related syndemics, and sexual compulsivity. He resigned his positions at CUNY on July 3, 2019, following a year-long university investigation of misconduct allegations against him. In 2023, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced that he was required to pay a $375,000 settlement for engaging in fraud against the federal government for many years.
Terry M. McGovern is the Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs at CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy in New York City. McGovern is also Professor of Health Policy and Management.
Sharon Horne is a scientist known for conducting research on LGBTQ issues, mental health and college student development, and international psychology concerns. Horne is Professor of Counseling Psychology and the Director of Training for the American Psychological Association Accredited Counseling Psychology Ph.D. Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She is a representative to the APA International Psychology Network for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Issues (IPsyNet), and chaired the policy committee that drafted the IpsyNet Statement and Commitment on LGBTI Concerns.
Judith Peschya Worell is a licensed clinical psychologist whose work has focused on developing a feminist model for counseling and psychotherapy. She is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Kentucky.
Scyatta A. Wallace is a developmental psychologist who studies how gender, race, and culture impact health outcomes of urban Black youth. In her community-based research and practice, Wallace emphasizes the importance of cultural competence and the need to diversify the workforce in health and mental health professions to better serve ethnic-minority communities. Wallace is an associate professor of psychology with tenure at St. John's University.
Margaret Rosario is a health psychologist who studies the development of sexual identity and health disparities associated with sexual orientation. Rosario was President of the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 44, the Society for Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, from 2017-2018. Rosario received the APA Division 44 Award for Distinguished Contributions to Ethnic Minority Issues in 2008 and the Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions in 2012, as well as the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award in 2021.
