2009 CLGBTC Annual Report

2009 Members: Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, Chair (2007-2009); Marvin R. Goldfried (2008-2010), PhD; Alicia A. Lucksted, PhD (2007-2009); Constance R. Matthews, PhD; (2008-2010) Michael Mobley, PhD (2009-2011), and Vic Muñoz, PhD (2009-2011).

Members to begin their term of office on January 1, 2010 are Ellyn Kaschak, PhD and Kevin Nadal, PhD.

The committee presented its awards to Sari Dworkin, PhD, and Margaret S. Schneider, PhD. Their citations follow:

The American Psychological Association Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns presents its 2009 Outstanding Achievement Award to Sari H. Dworkin, PhD, in recognition of her scholarly contributions and tireless efforts to promote the understanding and stature of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people within the field of psychology, both clients and psychologists. She co-edited with Fernando Gutierrez one of the first comprehensive texts on working with gay men and lesbians. In a time when considerably more scholarship is readily available, it is easy to forget how truly groundbreaking this book was when it was published in 1992. Dr. Dworkin has been one of the most persistent and prolific scholars to address the often forgotten area of bisexuality. She has been a constant advocate for ensuring that the “B” is fully included when we address “LGBT” concerns. Likewise,  Dworkin has been a pioneer in examining “intersectionality,” thus helping to elucidate the complexity of the LGBT community. Although her scholarship alone would qualify her for this award, her work on behalf of the LGBT community has been equally remarkable. Among a long list of contributions, she has been chair of both the APA Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns and the APA Committee on Women, as well as president and now Council Representative of Division 44. She is a mentor and inspiration to those early in their careers and those long established. As one nominator said, “She represents some of the best impulses of our field.”

The American Psychological Association Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns presents its 2009 Outstanding Achievement Award to Margaret S. Schneider, PhD, in recognition of outstanding scholarship, advocacy and educational and professional leadership. Dr. Schneider’s groundbreaking research in transgender psychology and with LGBT youth has opened up new ways of thinking about psychological practice with respect and compassion for all concerned. The landmark publication of her book, Often Invisible: Gay and Lesbian Youth remains a watershed in the history of treatment of LGBT youth and their families. The edited volume, Pride and Prejudice: Working with Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth provoked a paradigm shift in practice with LGBT youths and their families. The power of her leadership is ultimately evident in her masterful chairing of the APA Task Force on Gender Identity, Gender Variance, and Transgender Issues that provided psychologists with their first report on transgender issues. Based on this report the Resolution on Transgender Issues was developed and adopted as APA policy in 2009. Schneider’s intellectual integrity and quiet courage have paved the way for better psychological care of transgender clients and increased transgender inclusion in psychology.

• Report of the APA Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation Symposium. Chair: Judith Glassgold, PsyD, Participants: A. L. Beckstead, PhD, Jack Drescher, MD, Beverly Greene, PhD, Robin I. Miller, PhD, and Roger L Worthington, PhD, Discussant: Clinton W. Anderson, PhD.

• Resiliency and Resistance among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth. Co-Chairs: Bianca D.M. Wilson, PhD, and Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, MS, Presenters: Arnold H. Grossman, PhD, Maria Valenti, MA, and Robert W. Moeller, MA, Discussant: Gary W. Harper, PhD, MPH.

• Opposing Discriminatory Legislation & Initiatives Aimed at LGB Persons symposium sponsored by Division 31. Presenters: Clinton W. Anderson, PhD, Vanessa Jensen, PsyD, Michael Ranney, and Judd Harbin, PhD, Discussants: Armand Cerbone and Dan Abrahamson.

The committee adopted the following proposed operating procedure in recognition of transgender individuals being nominated to and serving on CLGBTC. The procedure was sent to BAPPI for approval:

Add to B. Procedures, 7. Nominations to CLGBTC:

7.2 

In addition to considering the expertise of prospective members, the committee bears the onus of responsibility, to the extent possible and practicable, for maintaining diversity within its membership among an array of demographic variables. These variables include, but are not limited to, sex, gender identity and expression, transgender status, sexual orientation, ethnicity and career seniority. To that end, in making nominations to Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI) for new members, the committee attempts to achieve and maintain gender balance as well as representation from bisexual and transgender individuals, ethnic minorities and early-career psychologists.

When developing its nomination slates, the committee considers the demographics of those members whose terms will continue into the following year and selects nominees who will complement the existing membership to meet the expectation of balance and diversity. To achieve gender balance, the committee ensures that the resulting composition of the membership will include at least two members who self-identify as women, at least two members who self-identify as men, and that there are no more than three members of either sex. In this way, the committee allows for the election of up to two individuals who do not self-identify within the gender binary.

The committee engaged in a strategic planning process during the spring consolidated meetings. The discussion generated a set of key issues on which the committee will focus their work during the next few years:

1. increasing the use of LGBT psychological research by practitioners and advocacy groups;

2. encouraging quality research through advocating for the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity questions in large scale studies;

3. improving training and education around LGBT issues; and

4. developing further understanding around issues of aging for LGBT individuals.

The committee received a report from Dr. Lucksted, the CLGBTC representative to the Oversight Group for APA’s participation in the International Network on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns and Transgender Issues in Psychology. The International Network has identified two areas of programmatic activities:

1. promoting greater participation and programming in the major international psychological meetings;

2. international policy.

With regard to the first program area, the Network participated in the 2009 Inter-American Congress of Psychology (SIP) with a symposium entitled “The overflowing of desire: Psychology and homosexuality”, organized by José Toro-Alfonso, PhD, (University of Puerto Rico). One of the participants in the symposium is Ruben Ardila, PhD, (National University of Colombia), who represents the Colombian Society of Psychology in the International Network on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns, and Transgender Issues in Psychology. The Network was successful in its request that the 11th European Congress of Psychology, Oslo, 2009, add lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender concerns (Topic 32) as an index term for abstract submissions. Notably, Norman Andersen (University of Bergen) Chaired an invited symposium on LGBT issues entitled: “A social psychological inquiry into the causes of homonegativity”.

The Network worked to support the Australian Psychological Society’s representative, Damien Riggs, in coordinating the development of programming for the 2010 International Congress of Applied Psychology, which will be in Melbourne, and the Psychological Society of South Africa’s representatives, Juan Nel and Carien Lubbe, in coordinating the development of programming for the 2012 International Congress of Psychology, which will be in Cape Town.

Two areas of policy on which the Network worked in 2009 were advocating for the International Union of Psychological Science to adopt a policy on sexual orientation discrimination and making recommendations to the World Health Organization regarding revisions to the homosexuality-related diagnoses in the “mental and behavioral disorders” chapter of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health.