The mission of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns Office (LGBTCO) is to advance psychology as a means of improving the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, as a means of increasing understanding of gender identity and sexual orientation as aspects of human diversity, and as a means of reducing stigma, prejudice, discrimination, and violence toward LGBT people. The office provides support and guidance to all aspects of APA governance in activities related to this mission. The office provides high-quality, timely, and cost-efficient psychological products and services to the APA membership and to relevant others who look to APA for psychological resources that promote beneficial change in society for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

The APA has established the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns Office because psychology as a science and as a profession has played a central role in policy debates and public discussions both within the social movement to improve the social status of LGBT people and within the organized opposition to that movement and because the APA constituencies concerned about LGBT populations have high expectations for the organization's contributions to the important social issues related to the role and status of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in society.

During the current period, the LGBTCO provided support to the APA Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns, the International Network on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Concerns and Transgender Issues in Psychology, the Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation, the Task Force on Gender Identity and Gender Variance, and the Division 19 and Division 44 Joint Task Force on Sexual Orientation and Military Service.

The LGBTCO also maintained liaison relationships with APA divisions, especially Divisions 27, 44, and 51, and affiliated state, provincial, and territorial psychological associations that have an interest in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues. The Office provides policy analysis and staff support for APA policy development, and advocates APA policy on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender concerns in psychology. It promotes psychological knowledge development and dissemination, and provides technical assistance, information and referral, and consultation to APA members, other professionals, policy makers, the media, and the public. The LGBTCO staff includes Clinton W. Anderson, PhD, Director, and Charlene DeLong, Administrative Coordinator. The Office includes the Healthy, Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Students Project, a $1.6 million cooperative agreement with the CDC Division of Adolescent School Health. The project staff includes James F. Bogden, MPH, Director, and Jo-Anne Fournier, Administrative Coordinator. For more information about the activities of the LGBTCO, please visit the office website or email the LGBC office or telephone at (202) 336-6041. The office currently has two interns: Christine Moe, MPH, and Stephanie Liotta, JD.

Healthy Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual Students Project: The Healthy Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Students Project (HLGBSP) continues its work to strengthen the capacity of the nation's schools and youth-serving organizations to prevent health risks and promote healthy outcomes among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth. The project, which has been funded since its inception by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), began its 10th year of operation in May 2008. HLGBSP has initiated long-term partnerships with four state or local education agencies to increase their capacity to provide professional development for school counselors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers: The San Diego Unified School District, the District of Columbia Public Schools, the Massachusetts Department of Education (on behalf of Boston Public Schools), and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. To date, HLGBSP has provided more than 40 trainings at the national, regional, and state levels, reaching a combined audience of more than 1,200 school professionals who were collectively responsible for providing health and mental health services to nearly 1 million middle- and high-school students. HLGBSP, in collaboration with APA's Office on AIDS, has established linkages for building capacity between community organizations and behavioral and social scientists with expertise in HIV prevention. Learn more about HLGBSP's mission, history, and future plans.

International Network for Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual Concerns & Transgender Issues in Psychology: The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns Office provided staff support to the International Network for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Concerns and Transgender Issues in Psychology (the Network), in which the Board of Directors authorized APA participation and leadership in June 2004, as a follow up to the international conference sponsored by APA and several other national psychological associations in 2001. The Network has had two major foci: increasing programming in international psychological congresses-the European (Oslo 2009), Inter-American (Guatemala City 2009), International Congress of Applied Psychology (Melbourne 2010), and the International Congress of Psychology (Cape Town 2012); and policy advocacy. Current policy initiatives are focused on the International Union of Psychology Science anti-discrimination policy and the homosexuality-related diagnoses in the World Health Organization's ICD.

The Network is composed of national, multinational, and international psychological associations that are cooperating to achieve the following aims:

• To increase cross-cultural collaboration among psychological researchers and practitioners who are concerned about the mental health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations;
• To increase knowledge among psychologists and other mental health practitioners about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations;
• To apply psychological research and mental health practice guidelines that address the needs and concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations to international health policy;
• To increase the number of national, multinational, and international psychological associations that formally reject the mental disorder conception of homosexuality and that promote mental health practice that is affirmative of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.

APA is represented in the Network by Armand R. Cerbone and Oliva M. Espin with the oversight of the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (Kristin Hancock, PhD), Committee on International Relations in Psychology (Jeanne Marecek, PhD), Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns (Alicia Lucksted, PhD), Division 44 (Maria Cecilia Zea, PhD), and Division 52 (Gloria Gottsegen, PhD).

INET, is an electronic forum for individuals who are interested in international lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues in psychology. Individuals can join by sending an e-mail message.

Michigan Project for Informed Public Policy: The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns Office serves as a consultant to a project of the Rockway Institute/Alliant International University that is funded by a grant from the Arcus Foundation. The Michigan Project for Informed Public Policy (MPIPP) includes the Michigan Psychological Foundation as the local partner. This one-year project will organize social scientists, mental health experts, and medical professionals in Michigan to convey accurate information about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues to the public, the media, legislators, courts, and other policy makers. Learn more about MPIPP's mission, history, and future plans. This project is one way in which the LGBTCO is attempting to implement the APA Resolution on Opposing Discriminatory Legislation and Initiatives in Michigan Aimed at Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Persons (2007).

Governance Support: Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns and Other Groups: The office has also provided support for the Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns, the Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation, and the Division 19 and Division 44 Joint Task Force on Sexual Orientation and Military Service during the latter half of 2008. The LGBTCO also maintained liaison relationships with APA divisions and affiliated state, provincial, and territorial psychological associations that have an interest in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Resources:

• Transgender, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression Non-Discrimination
• APA Policy Statements on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns
• Report of the Task Force on Gender Identity and Gender Variance
• Amicus Briefs on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns
• Lesbian and Gay Parenting
• Just the Facts about Sexual Orientation and Youth: A Primer for Principals, Educators, and School Personnel
• Answers to Your Questions for a Better Understanding of Sexual Orientation & Homosexuality
• Answers to Your Questions about Individuals with Intersex Conditions