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On May 15-17, nine psychologists who conduct research on
issues related to sexuality and sexual behavior attended the 12th Annual
Science Advocacy Training Workshop sponsored by the Science Policy Office.
Participants went through advocacy boot camp training where they learned
about the overall legislative process and about specific issues related to
congressional interference with peer-reviewed research. The following day,
they met with more than thirty congressional offices to urge their
Representatives and Senators to oppose legislative amendments or language
that seek to restrict funding for peer-reviewed research.
Participants included: Anne Bowen, University of Wyoming; Geri R.
Donenberg, University of Illinois at Chicago; Brian A. Gladue, University
of Cincinnati Medical Center; Erick Janssen, The Kinsey Institute at
Indiana University; Tooru Nemoto, University of California San Francisco;
Jeanette Norris, University of Washington; Jeffrey Parsons, Hunter College
of the City University of New York (CUNY); Simon Rosser, University of
Minnesota; and Stephanie Tortu, Tulane University School of Public Health
and Tropical Medicine. The Workshop was held in response to continuing pressure from Congress
urging the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to stop funding this
research. Last July, an amendment was offered in the House of
Representatives that would have cut off funding from five specific grants,
including funding for Nemoto’s study on HIV/AIDS prevention in San
Francisco and Janssen’s project on mood and risk-taking behavior. This
year, Congress is expected to continue questioning NIH about the
appropriateness of funding research that Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) says,
“fails the common sense test” and another amendment is rumored to be
in the works. APA and other scientific and public health organizations are
continuing to educate Congress about the importance of preserving the
integrity of peer review and the need for NIH to conduct research into
sexual development, health, and behavior.
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