Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity Outstanding Achievement Awards

M. Paz Galupo, PhD

Galupo received the award in recognition of their contributions to advancing the field of psychology at the intersection of race, gender identity, and sexual orientation through research, mentorship, and leadership centering the lived experiences of queer and trans people of color. They have published a breadth of peer-reviewed articles and books with a focus on sexual orientation and gender diversity as well as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Their contributions, from research methods to clinical applications, aid in transforming psychology to better serve sexuality and gender-diverse communities. Examples include an National Institutes of Health-funded project to develop an online training simulation allowing therapists to practice gender-affirming therapy skills without harming trans and nonbinary clients, as well as research on social negotiation of identities that has informed clinical training on the subject. Galupo also educates, mentors, and advocates for queer and trans BIPOC students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. They demonstrate leadership in service, currently serving as editor for Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, and the Journal of Bisexuality and GLBT Family Studies and associate editor for International Journal of Transgender Health. Galupo has had a broad impact across many realms of psychology and orients the field towards intersectional social justice.

Carlton E. Green, PhD

In recognition of his contributions advancing racial and social justice through leadership, service, and training. Green has been a member of the board of Div. 44 since 2016, in the roles of co-chair of the Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity and as a member-at-large. During this time, he focused on developing and implementing programs to promote the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people marginalized by racism. Additionally, Green focused on bringing attention to the board about how power and oppression marginalizes non-White people in LGBTQIA+ communities. Within the division and beyond, his training and education efforts have sought to increase awareness of and resistance to White Supremacy Culture and racism. This includes his involvement as the co-chair of the Div. 44 Taskforce on Racism and his recent series of groups to assist Div. 44 board members with understanding and identifying how White Supremacy Culture negatively affects inclusion. Green is further noted for his increased social media presence, which he utilizes for advancing issues of racial justice. Green’s persistent commitment in moving forward issues of racial justice within the division, profession, and society has opened up discourse on these issues, contributing greatly to the field.

Nadine Nakamura, PhD

In recognition of her research, leadership, and service. Nakamura has contributed extensively toward better understanding the international experience of sexual orientation and gender minority people, both through her prolific research, particularly the experiences of binational sexual minority couples and LGBTQ+ refugee and asylum seeker experiences, and as lead editor of the first APA volume on international LGBTQ+ psychology within the Div. 44 Perspectives on Sexual Orientation and Diversity book series. Her leadership in the field has been recognized through her appointment as co-chair of the APA Task Force for Revising the Professional Practice Guidelines for Working with LGB Clients, recognition by her own institution as an outstanding graduate student mentor, as well as numerous awards throughout her professional career such as the 2017 Rising Star award at the National Multicultural Conference & Summit. Her service roles have included APA governance with membership on the Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, the APA Minority Fellowship Program’s Training Advisory Committee, and numerous roles within the Asian American Psychological Association. Nakamura’s work has broadened dialogue and awareness of international sexual and gender minority experiences within the American Psychological Association, and deepened awareness and action within the field.

Melissa J. Grey, PhD

In recognition of her contributions advancing social justice through policy advocacy, leadership and service. Advocacy efforts have included marriage equality, foster care and adoption rights for LGBTQ+ parents, religious exemption legislation, sex and labor trafficking and, most notably, sexual orientation change efforts. While co-chair of the Div. 44 Public Policy Committee, Grey employed scientific scholarship for educational materials and consultation for state-level advocacy helping psychologists effectively address policy issues nationwide. She was instrumental in organizing support of APA Div. 44 in California as the first state law banning so-called “conversion therapy” for minors by licensed health care providers. Grey extended this leadership to her work as a member of the U.S. Joint Statement on Conversion Therapy working group, as co-chair of the APA Sexual Orientation Change Efforts writing group and assisting the American Medical Association in updating its policy on sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts. Her service has included working with several community-based organizations and as a Member-at-Large for the Div. 44 Executive Committee. Grey is an exemplary Citizen Psychologist whose ethical activism will continue to positively impact sexual and gender diverse people domestically and worldwide.

Keren Lehavot, PhD

lore m. dickey, PhD, and Anneliese A. Singh, PhD

Awarded jointly in recognition of their research, advocacy and service. While each is a prolific scholar in their own right, together they have co-authored 11 peer reviewed articles and book chapters, one book and over 20 presentations including webinars, APA CE trainings and national workshops. Together, dickey and Singh co-chaired the APA Task Force on Guidelines for the Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People. In 2016, they produced an edited book and a special issue in the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity on the application of the guidelines. In recognition of their leadership in counseling and research with diverse trans and gender nonbinary communities, dickey and Singh jointly received an APA Presidential Citation in 2014. Both have held leadership roles within APA divisions and their home institutions. Their teaching and mentorship are highly regarded. It is evident through their research, advocacy and service, dickey and Singh are pioneers in working to increase knowledge, awareness and best practices for working with transgender and gender nonbinary individuals. Their collaborations will remain relevant and continue to positively influence public policy and the mental health profession. 

Allen Omoto, PhD

Omoto received the award in recognition of his research, leadership and service. Omoto’s extensive service to the psychology of gender and sexual orientation diversity includes membership on APA’s Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, the American Psychological Foundation Placek and Scrivner Grant review committees, and on the Div. 44 (Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues) book series and journal editorial boards, as well as senior scholar for the University of Michigan Summer Institute. As a leader in LGBT psychology, Omoto was the first William A. Bailey AIDS Policy Congressional Fellow, he represented APA in the development of the 1999 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Workshop and co-edited the APA book that resulted, he co-chaired the Div. 44 Science Committee and served on the Div. 44 executive committee as member-at-large and as president. During his three decades of research on AIDS volunteerism, sexual minority immigrant stress and health, and the mental health and readiness of LGB military personnel, Omoto has received numerous research grants including four from the NIH. Regularly recognized by his peers, Omoto’s work has informed the scholarly dialogue on sexual orientation concerns, contributed to social policy and enhanced our understanding of community.

Glenda Russell, PhD

Russell received the award in recognition of her research, her activism and her mentorship. Russell’s ground-breaking research in the aftermath of Colorado’s 1992 Amendment Two campaign made a major contribution to our understanding of sexual stigma, the impact of anti-LGB policies and climates on mental health, and the processes of resilience. Her book "Voted Out" and her article “Surviving and thriving in the midst of anti-gay politics” have widely disseminated her work and with the Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies she helped to institutionalize policy-relevant research to benefit the LGBT communities. Through her active outreach to professionals, communities and policy-makers, Russell has synthesized the results of her research with clinical acumen to provide individuals and organizations with tools and concrete strategies to reduce and build resiliency against discrimination and oppression at all levels. In her role as member and chair of CSOGD and member and co-chair of the Div. 44 policy committee she has encouraged and mentored many others to take action. Her unique path of research, clinical work and activism has been an inspiration to many.

Marvin R. Goldfried, PhD 

Goldfried received the award in recognition of his advocacy, leadership and service in promoting the inclusion and acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals in research, practice and society. As a prominent figure in psychology, Goldfried has further advanced the field by serving as a leader in the integration of LGBT issues into mainstream psychology. He broadened the meaning of diversity, integrating LGBT concerns during his presidencies of APA Div. 12 (Society of Clinical Psychology) and Div. 29 (Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy). He and his research team have informed LGBT psychology, addressing intersections of psychotherapy with LGBT identities and societal attitudes. In 1999, he founded AFFIRM: Psychologists Affirming their Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Family, which encourages psychologists to support and speak out for their LGBT family members by disseminating accurate information about LGBT lives and families. Also, as a devoted mentor to the next generation of psychologists studying LGBT issues, and through service on the Committee for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns, Goldfried exemplifies the vital contributions that all psychologists can make in advancing LGBT issues and what it means to be an ally.

Ellyn Kaschak, PhD

Kaschak received the award in recognition of her scholarship, leadership and advocacy. Among the first to write and speak about the complexity of gender and sexuality, women, feminist theory, domestic violence, ability and privilege, with attention to race and nationality, Kaschak's enduring contributions include the Mattering Map for understanding intersectionality, and numerous books and articles, including "Engendered Lives," and, recently, "Sight Unseen: Gender and Race through Blind Eyes." Kaschak's contributions extend to the Spanish and Portuguese speaking worlds, elevating the visibility and credibility of the psychology of women, LGBT psychology and gender studies. Attesting to her influence are many invited presentations in the international arena, 15 years as editor of Women & Therapy, her role as an advisor to the vice president of Costa Rica, and research consultant in the Netherlands and Yugoslavia. As reflected in her work, Kaschak recognizes her privileged identities and advocates for the powerless and voiceless with grace and good humor, while also equipping others to do so. Kaschak's work is creative, insightful and thought provoking, and has made LGBT psychology and the psychology of women more dynamic.

Charles Silverstein, PhD

In recognition of his advancement of LGBT knowledge, advocacy for depathologization of homosexuality and against aversion therapy, and contributions to the development of affirmative therapies, both within the professions and in LGBT communities. Silverstein was the founding editor of the Journal of Homosexuality, the first journal devoted to LGBT scholarship, and published groundbreaking books translating sexual orientation research into guidance for LGBT people, including "The Joy of Gay Sex." Silverstein's professional advocacy included key roles in the removal of homosexuality as an illness from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, including his presentation to the American Psychiatric Association Nomenclature Committee in 1973, and in behavior therapists' rejection of aversion therapies for LGBT people. He founded and directed two of the earliest mental health clinics and services in the U.S. for the LGBT community, and organized LGBT caucuses in three professional organizations. As one of the earliest openly gay psychologists, he is a cornerstone of the LGBT movement. His courageous, untiring and multifaceted work has resulted in a better world for LGBT people and their loved ones.

José Toro-Alfonso, PhD

In recognition of his service, his research and his mentorship. Toro-Alfonso served 18 years on San Juan HIV/AIDS planning councils and 10 years as the executive director of the Puerto Rico AIDS Foundation, creating the first transgender health initiative in Puerto Rico and testifying frequently on LGBT legislation. He served as a leader in the APA, the Puerto Rico Psychological Association, and as general secretary and president of the Interamerican Society of Psychology, shepherding SIP's increasing support for LGBT psychology. The excellence and relevance of his numerous research projects and more than 100 articles and 40 book chapters and books on masculinities, body image, eating disorders, domestic violence, HIV/AIDs and sexual stigma have made him one of the most accomplished researchers on LGBT issues in the world of Spanish and Portuguese speakers. He co-created the Latino Research Training Program in HIV/AIDS at the University of Puerto Rico and has supervised the dissertations of 60 students. Joe is a leading voice in the movement to integrate LGBT issues into a global psychology.

Cecilia Zea, PhD

In recognition of her research and scholarship, her mentorship, and her service. Through more than 50 peer reviewed publications and numerous research grants, Zea shifted the paradigm from pathology to resilience for the psychology of gay and bisexual Latino men, both in the United States and in Latin America, generating research that is rich in context and at the same time generalizable. She has ushered in the next generation of researchers on the intersectionality between sexual orientation and culture by mentoring more than 20 doctoral students and recipients of more than 10 research development awards. She has promoted equity and well-being for LGBT people through her service on the Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns, as the guest editor for a special issue of Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology and associate editor for several other journals, on numerous NIH study sections and as the APA representative to the International Network for LGBT Concerns in Psychology.  In all these endeavors, Zea has been a compassionate advocate for the voices of LGBT and ethnic minority people in all aspects of psychology.

Co-chairs: Angela D. Ferguson, PhD, and Parrish L. Paul, PhD

Robert-Jay Green, PhD

In recognition of his contributions to advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender research, clinical training and social policy. Dr. Green is a prolific published scholar and has served on the editorial boards of eight professional journals. He has directed large studies on same-sex and opposite-sex couples, same-sex marriage, surrogacy with gay fathers and gay-affirmative high school education. A pioneer in bridging family and couples psychology and LGBT therapy, Green was the first to systematically broach LGBT issues within mainstream family and couples therapy journals and remains a leading scholar in this area. As the founder of the Rockway Institute, a national center for LGBT psychology research, education and public policy, Green has realized his vision to apply LGBT research to counter anti-gay prejudice by informing the media, public education and public policy, and by training mental health professionals to be more effective practitioners and communicators about LGBT issues. For more than 30 years, Dr. Green has been a leading scholar, teacher, mentor, activist and shaper of public policy.

Lisa M. Diamond, PhD

In recognition of outstanding scholarship, public education and mentorship. Dr. Diamond has authored numerous publications on same-sex sexuality and identity in her body of work. Her contributions on the developmental trajectories of women's relationships and sexual attractions have challenged existing conceptualizations of identity categories. Her 2008 book, "Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women's Love and Desire," demonstrated that desire and identity formation involve malleability or variability for many persons.

Diamond has also demonstrated an ongoing record of involvement in educating the public about sexual-developmental issues through teaching, presentations, workshops and trainings in national and international settings. Along with these accomplishments, Diamond has demonstrated enduring connection to and advocacy in her local community. She has established a record of excellence in teaching and community outreach, serving on advisory boards, state commissions and in other positions. She remains a mentor for colleagues and particularly for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender emerging scholars.

Diamond is, through her own scholarship and leadership, an ambassador for the gender and sexuality community even as she inspires excellence in others.

Ilan  H. Meyer, PhD

In recognition of his research, scholarship and contributions to public policy. Professor Meyer's research program began in the early 1990s with questions related to gay men's internalized homophobia, their sexual behavior and their experiences of discrimination and violence, steadily expanded to include lesbians and bisexual men and women, and produced the highly influential 2003 Psychological Bulletin paper, "Prejudice, Social Stress, and Mental Health In Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Populations: Conceptual Issues and Research Evidence."

Dr. Meyer advanced scholarship on sexual minorities as a guest editor of the first American Journal of Public Health special issue on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health and as a co-editor of the 2007 book, "The Health of Sexual Minorities: Public Health Perspectives on LGBT Populations."

Dr. Meyer's public policy contributions have included co-authorship of a white paper on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health that laid the foundation for health advocacy for gender and sexual minorities and, the articulation of the minority stress model in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial and in testimony before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Dr. Meyer's seminal work and gracious leadership has influenced the field, inspired his students and other scholars and informed public policy.

Judith M. Glassgold, PsyD

For contributions to the theory and practice of psychotherapy, for leadership and service, and for building bridges. For more than 25 years, Dr. Glassgold has published and taught on the intersection of sexual orientation and other aspects of diversity in psychological ethics and practice, countering stereotypes of lesbian, gay and bisexual people and conceptualizing therapeutic interventions in exciting new ways. 

She has served in leadership roles in the Association of Lesbian and Gay Psychology, APA Division 44, the APA Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns, the New Jersey Psychological Association, and as chair of the APA Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation. In these roles, she has worked to bridge divides within psychology and APA by articulating a model of affirmative therapy for religious people conflicted by their sexual orientation, by promoting new psychoanalytic work on sexual orientation and collaboration between Divisions 39 and 44, and by supporting the rapprochement between Divisions 19 and 44.

In her work, Dr. Glassgold has exemplified diplomacy, diligence, optimism and resourcefulness.

Jane M. Simoni, PhD

In recognition of her research, mentorship, and leadership. Dr. Simoni’s research on the health of indigenous lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations has provided a wealth of data with which to change the minds and practices of many who work with these most vulnerable populations.

She awakened the scientific community to the importance of supporting science that advances social justice when she successfully fought back against political challenges to funding of her work. Her support for emerging scholars in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender psychology was recognized by APA Division 44's 2007 Distinguished Contributions to Education and Training Award. Simoni has served in a number of APA leadership roles, including President of Division 35’s Section for Lesbian and Bisexual Women’s Issues, chair of the Wayne Placek Award Committee, and Chair of the Committee on Women in Psychology.

Simoni has advanced LGBT Psychology through her own research and scientific leadership, through the research of the emerging scholars she has mentored, and through her service to the field.