Gregory M. Herek

Last updated
Gregory M. Herek
Born1954 (age 69–70)
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Alma mater University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of California, Davis
Occupation(s)Psychologist, academic

Gregory M. Herek (born 1954 in Omaha, Nebraska) is a researcher, author, and professor of psychology at the University of California at Davis (UCD). He has conducted extensive research on prejudice against sexual minorities, [1] and coined the term sexual prejudice as a replacement for homophobia to describe this phenomenon. Herek argued that using the term homophobia incorrectly assumes that negative responses to lesbian, gay, and bisexual people are founded in pathological, irrational fear (a phobia), whereas psychological research indicates they are more accurately regarded as a form of prejudice. [2] Herek is an openly and prominent gay psychologist. [3] [4] [5] Herek is considered one of the most influential scholars of sexual minorities. [6]

Contents

Biography

Herek was born in 1954, the youngest of four children. He briefly attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha, but dropped out to devote himself to political activism. [7] He later received his B.A. degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Yale University, followed by a year of teaching at Yale. He then joined the faculty at the City University of New York Graduate Center. In 1989, he returned to UC Davis, first as a research psychologist and then, since 1999, as a tenured professor. [7]

Career

Two principal foci of his original empirical research program are societal stigma based on sexual orientation and the social psychology of heterosexuals' attitudes towards lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals. He has published at least 108 papers and chapters in scholarly journals and books, most of them related to sexual orientation, HIV/AIDS, or attitudes and prejudice. [8] He also has edited or coedited five books and two special issues of academic journals on these topics, and he has made more than 85 presentations at professional conferences and meetings. He has received numerous federal and state grants for his research with combined budgets totaling more than $5 million.

Over the 25 years, he has reviewed manuscripts on topics related to sexual orientation for a large number of scientific and professional journals spanning a variety of disciplines, including psychology, sociology, political science, sexuality studies, gender studies, and public health. He currently serves on the editorial boards of nine professional journals and he is frequently invited to serve as an ad hoc peer reviewer for others. He is also the Executive Editor Emeritus of Contemporary Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Psychology, a book series dedicated to scientific and professional works on sexual orientation and related topics, which is published by the American Psychological Association. He reviewed book proposals and edited manuscripts that addressed research on a variety of topics related to sexuality and sexual orientation.

As a member of a peer review panel for the National Institute of Mental Health from 1992 to 1995, and as an ad hoc reviewer for NIMH and the National Science Foundation on multiple occasions since then, he has reviewed proposals requesting federal funding for projects addressing an array of research questions related to sexuality. From 1995 to 2007, he served as chairperson of the Scientific Review Committee of the American Psychological Foundation's Wayne F. Placek Award competition, which funded empirical research in the behavioral and social sciences related to sexual minorities and sexual orientation.

He oversaw the review of more than 200 research proposals from a large number of academic disciplines. At UC Davis, he regularly teach an upper-division undergraduate course on sexual orientation and has also taught graduate seminars on this and related topics. [9]

Herek was an early advocate for scientific research on hate crimes based on sexual orientation, testifying in 1986 on behalf of the American Psychological Association (APA) for the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee's hearings on anti-gay violence. [10] He served as PhD advisor to graduate student Karen Franklin who also studied the psychology of violence.

In 1993, he testified before the House Armed Services Committee on behalf of the American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Counseling Association, the American Nursing Association, and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. Herek summarized the results of an extensive review of the relevant published research from the social and behavioral sciences that the research data show that there is nothing about lesbians and gay men that makes them inherently unfit for military service, and there is nothing about heterosexuals that makes them inherently unable to work and live with gay people in close quarters. [11]

He concluded that heterosexual personnel can overcome their prejudices and adapt to living and working in close quarters with lesbians and gay men and that lesbians and gay men are not inherently less capable of military service than are heterosexual women and men. "The assumption that heterosexuals cannot overcome their prejudices toward gay people is a mistaken one," said Herek. [12]

In the 1990s, he conducted the first federally funded scientific study to compare gay and lesbian hate crime victims with gay men and lesbians who were victimized in crimes of comparable severity that were not related to their sexual orientation. He found that hate crime survivors had significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, compared to the other crime victims. [13]

In recognition of this work, Herek was invited to participate in President Clinton's 1997 White House Conference on Hate Crimes, the only behavioral science researcher to be included among the invitees. [14]

Herek's research on antigay employment discrimination was cited in 2007 congressional testimony on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). [15] His policy paper reviewing social science research relevant to the debate surrounding legal recognition of same-sex couples [16] was cited by the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court in her 2006 written opinion in Lewis v. Harris (ruling on the constitutionality of New Jersey’s marriage law). [17]

In 1993, he testified on behalf of the APA, the American Psychiatric Association, and four other national professional associations for the House Armed Services Committee's hearings on gays and the US military. [18] He also assisted the APA in preparing amicus briefs in precedent-setting gay rights cases, such as Romer v. Evans [19] and Lawrence v. Texas , [20] and state court cases challenging current marriage laws. [21] He testified in Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial.

Herek has also conducted research documenting the prevalence of stigma directed at people with HIV/AIDS in the United States, which has been widely cited by public health experts [22] and legal advocates. [23] [24]

Herek is a Fellow of the APA and the Association for Psychological Science (APS). [7] He was the recipient of the 2006 Kurt Lewin Memorial Award for "outstanding contributions to the development and integration of psychological research and social action," presented by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (APA Division 9). [25] In 1996, he received the APA Early Career Award for Contribution to Psychology in the Public Interest. [7] His other honors include the 1999 and 1989 awards for Distinguished Scientific Contributions from APA Division 44, and the 1992 Outstanding Achievement Award from the APA Committee on Lesbian and Gay Concerns. [14]

Selected works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual orientation</span> Pattern of romantic or sexual attraction

Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns are generally categorized under heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality, while asexuality is sometimes identified as the fourth category.

Heterosexism is a system of attitudes, bias, and discrimination in favor of heterosexuality and heterosexual relationships. According to Elizabeth Cramer, it can include the belief that all people are or should be heterosexual and that heterosexual relationships are the only norm and therefore superior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homosexuality and psychology</span> Homosexuality as studied by the field of psychology

The field of psychology has extensively studied homosexuality as a human sexual orientation. The American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality in the DSM-I in 1952, but that classification came under scrutiny in research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. That research and subsequent studies consistently failed to produce any empirical or scientific basis for regarding homosexuality as anything other than a natural and normal sexual orientation that is a healthy and positive expression of human sexuality. As a result of this scientific research, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from the DSM-II in 1973. Upon a thorough review of the scientific data, the American Psychological Association followed in 1975 and also called on all mental health professionals to take the lead in "removing the stigma of mental illness that has long been associated" with homosexuality. In 1993, the National Association of Social Workers adopted the same position as the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association, in recognition of scientific evidence. The World Health Organization, which listed homosexuality in the ICD-9 in 1977, removed homosexuality from the ICD-10 which was endorsed by the 43rd World Health Assembly on 17 May 1990.

The ex-gay movement consists of people and organizations that encourage people to refrain from entering or pursuing same-sex relationships, to eliminate homosexual desires and to develop heterosexual desires, or to enter into a heterosexual relationship. Beginning with the founding of Love In Action and Exodus International in the mid-1970s, the movement saw rapid growth in the 1980s and 1990s before declining in the 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Societal attitudes toward homosexuality</span> How societies view, stigmatize or value homosexuality

Societal attitudes toward homosexuality vary greatly across different cultures and historical periods, as do attitudes toward sexual desire, activity and relationships in general. All cultures have their own values regarding appropriate and inappropriate sexuality; some sanction same-sex love and sexuality, while others may disapprove of such activities in part. As with heterosexual behaviour, different sets of prescriptions and proscriptions may be given to individuals according to their gender, age, social status or social class.

Self-hatred is personal self-loathing or low self-esteem which may lead to self-harm.

The Family Research Institute (FRI), originally known as the Institute for the Scientific Investigation of Sexuality (ISIS), is an American socially conservative non-profit organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado which states that it has "...one overriding mission: to generate empirical research on issues that threaten the traditional family, particularly homosexuality, AIDS, sexual social policy, and drug abuse". The FRI is part of a sociopolitical movement of socially conservative Christian organizations which seek to influence the political debate in the United States. They seek "...to restore a world where marriage is upheld and honored, where children are nurtured and protected, and where homosexuality is not taught and accepted, but instead is discouraged and rejected at every level." The Boston Globe reported that the FRI's 2005 budget was less than $200,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Cameron</span> American psychologist and extremist (born 1939)

Paul Drummond Cameron is an American psychologist. While employed at various institutions, including the University of Nebraska, he conducted research on passive smoking, but he is best known today for his claims about homosexuality. After a successful 1982 campaign against a gay rights proposal in Lincoln, Nebraska, he established the Institute for the Scientific Investigation of Sexuality (ISIS), now known as the Family Research Institute (FRI). As FRI's chairman, Cameron has written contentious papers asserting unproven associations between homosexuality and the perpetration of child sexual abuse and reduced life expectancy. These have been heavily criticized and frequently discredited by others in the field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homophobia</span> Negative attitudes and discrimination toward homosexuality and LGBT people

Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, may be based on irrational fear and may sometimes be attributed to religious beliefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homosexuality</span> Sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender

Homosexuality is a sexual attraction, romantic attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exclusively to people of the same sex or gender. It "also refers to a person's sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those attractions."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ego-dystonic sexual orientation</span> Psychiatric diagnosis

Ego-dystonic sexual orientation is a highly controversial mental health diagnosis that was included in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) from 1980 to 1987 and in the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Classification of Diseases (ICD) from 1990 to 2019. Individuals could be diagnosed with ego-dystonic sexual orientation if their sexual orientation or attractions were at odds with their idealized self-image, causing anxiety and a desire to change their orientation or become more comfortable with it. It describes not innate sexual orientation itself, but a conflict between the sexual orientation a person wishes to have and their actual sexual orientation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Same-sex parenting</span> Parenting of children by same-sex couples

Same-sex parenting is the parenting of children by same-sex couples generally consisting of gays or lesbians who are often in civil partnerships, domestic partnerships, civil unions, or same-sex marriages.

Gay affirmative psychotherapy is a form of psychotherapy for non-heterosexual people, specifically gay and lesbian clients, which focuses on client comfort in working towards authenticity and self-acceptance regarding sexual orientation, and does not attempt to "change" them to heterosexual, or to "eliminate or diminish" same-sex "desires and behaviors". The American Psychological Association (APA) offers guidelines and materials for gay affirmative psychotherapy. Affirmative psychotherapy affirms that homosexuality or bisexuality is not a mental disorder, in accordance with global scientific consensus. In fact, embracing and affirming gay identity can be a key component to recovery from other mental illnesses or substance abuse. Clients whose religious beliefs are interpreted as teaching against homosexual behavior may require some other method of integration of their possibly conflicting religious and sexual selves.

Homosexuality, as a phenomenon and as a behavior, has existed throughout all eras in human societies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual stigma</span> Form of social stigma

Sexual stigma is a form of social stigma against people who are perceived to be non-heterosexual because of their beliefs, identities or behaviors. Privileged individuals, or the majority group members, are the main contributors of placing sexual stigmas on individuals and their minority group. It is those who hold a higher status that determine within a society which groups are deemed unworthy of a higher status by labeling their specific actions or beliefs. Stereotypes are then produced which further the debilitating effects of the label(s) placed on group members with non-heterosexual beliefs or practices.

Minority stress describes high levels of stress faced by members of stigmatized minority groups. It may be caused by a number of factors, including poor social support and low socioeconomic status; well understood causes of minority stress are interpersonal prejudice and discrimination. Indeed, numerous scientific studies have shown that when minority individuals experience a high degree of prejudice, this can cause stress responses that accrue over time, eventually leading to poor mental and physical health. Minority stress theory summarizes these scientific studies to explain how difficult social situations lead to chronic stress and poor health among minority individuals.

Ilan H. Meyer is an American psychiatric epidemiologist, author, professor, and a senior scholar for public policy and sexual orientation law at the Williams Institute of UCLA. He has conducted extensive research on minority identities related to sexual orientation, gender, race and ethnicity, drawing conclusions on the impact of social stresses on their mental health. Meyer was an expert witness for the plaintiffs in Perry v. Schwarzenegger (2010), the federal case that overturned California Proposition 8.

Anthony Raymond D'Augelli is Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Outreach, as well as Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, at Pennsylvania State University. He is best known for his LGB identity development theory, as well as his research on LGB youth, rural LGB populations, and the impact of anti-gay victimization on LGB mental health.

LGBT psychology is a field of psychology of surrounding the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals, in the particular the diverse range of psychological perspectives and experiences of these individuals. It covers different aspects such as identity development including the coming out process, parenting and family practices and support for LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as issues of prejudice and discrimination involving the LGBT community.

Many health organizations around the world have denounced and criticized sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts. National health organizations in the United States have announced that there has been no scientific demonstration of conversion therapy's efficacy in the last forty years. They find that conversion therapy is ineffective, risky and can be harmful. Anecdotal claims of cures are counterbalanced by assertions of harm, and the American Psychiatric Association, for example, cautions ethical practitioners under the Hippocratic oath to do no harm and to refrain from attempts at conversion therapy.

References

  1. ↑ Goleman, Daniel (July 10, 1990), "Homophobia: Scientists find clues to its roots", The New York Times , retrieved 2007-11-18
  2. ↑ Herek, Gregory M. (2000), "The psychology of sexual prejudice", Current Directions in Psychological Science , vol. 9, pp. 19–22, doi:10.1111/1467-8721.00051, S2CID   36963920
  3. ↑ Gallagher John (February 6, 1996), "Gimme shelter", The Advocate.
  4. ↑ Freiberg Peter (November 7, 1997), "At least 20 Gay activists will participate in White House Conference on Hate Crimes", Washington Blade.
  5. ↑ Bohan JS, Russell GM (1999), "Conversations about psychology and sexual orientation", New York University Press.
  6. ↑ Parrott, Dominic J. (2020). "Beyond Compare: The Extraordinary Career of Gregory Herek". Journal of Homosexuality. 67 (8): 1041–1051. doi:10.1080/00918369.2019.1601438. PMID   31021719. S2CID   133604381.
  7. 1 2 3 4 No Authorship Indicated (1997), "Awards for Distinguished Contribution to Psychology in the Public Interest", American Psychologist, vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 345–348, doi:10.1037/0003-066x.52.4.345 [ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ "author:Herek author:GM - Google Scholar" . Retrieved 2013-12-04.
  9. ↑ "DOMA Expert Affidavit of Gregory M. Herek, Ph.D." (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 28, 2010.
  10. ↑ Greer, William R. (November 23, 1986), "Violence against homosexuals rising, groups seeking wider protection say", The New York Times , retrieved 2007-11-18. See also http://web1.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/moddp/dp120303.html Archived 2007-08-12 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ Gregory M. Herek: Oral Statement of Gregory M. Herek, Ph.D to the House Armed Services Committee - Made on behalf of the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association, National Association of Social Workers, American Counseling Association, American Nursing Association, and the Sex Information and Education Council of the United States Archived 2016-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ Gregory M. Herek: Psychologist Testifies Against Military's Anti-Gay Ban - Researcher Cites Scientific Evidence That Nondiscriminatory Military Policy Can Be Implemented Archived 2010-01-30 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ Herek, Gregory M.; et al. (1999), "Psychological sequelae of hate-crime victimization among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults", Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, vol. 67, no. 6, pp. 945–951, doi:10.1037/0022-006x.67.6.945, PMID   10596515, S2CID   22535440
  14. 1 2 "Gregory M. Herek, Ph.D.: Biographical Sketch", University of California, Davis Biography, retrieved 2007-11-18
  15. ↑ Badgett, M.V.L., Testimony on HR 2015, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a federal nondiscrimination law including sexual orientation and gender identity (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-09, retrieved 2007-11-18
  16. ↑ Herek, Gregory M. (2006), "Legal recognition of same-sex relationships in the United States: A social science perspective", American Psychologist , vol. 61, no. 6, pp. 607–621, doi:10.1037/0003-066x.61.6.607, PMID   16953748, S2CID   6669364
  17. ↑ Mark Lewis and Dennis Winslow, et al. v. Gwendolyn L. Harris, etc., et al. (A-68-05), October 25, 2006, retrieved 2007-11-18
  18. ↑ "Herek Testifies Against Military's Anti-Gay Ban". Psychology.ucdavis.edu. 1993-05-05. Retrieved 2013-12-04.
  19. ↑ PsycLAW: Romer v. Evans
  20. ↑ Kersting, Karen (May 2003), "APA submits a record four Supreme Court amicus briefs", APA Monitor , p. 58, retrieved 2007-11-18
  21. ↑ Greer, Mark (February 2005), "Building a case", APA Monitor , p. 44, retrieved 2007-11-18
  22. ↑ e.g. Valdiserri, Ronald O. (2002), "Editorial: HIV/AIDS stigma: An impediment to public health", American Journal of Public Health, vol. 92, no. 3, pp. 341–342, doi:10.2105/ajph.92.3.341, PMC   1447072 , PMID   11867303
  23. ↑ "The State of HIV Stigma and Discrimination in 2007: An Evidence Based Report", Lambda Legal , February 7, 2007, retrieved 2007-11-18[ permanent dead link ]
  24. ↑ "1998 World AIDS Day Report Card on America and AIDS Discrimination", Lambda Legal , November 30, 1998, retrieved 2007-11-18[ permanent dead link ]
  25. ↑ Lewin Memorial Award Winners , retrieved 2007-11-18
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