Gregory Herek is an internationally recognized authority on hate crimes, prejudice against lesbians and gay men and AIDS-related stigma. He is a research psychologist at University of California, Davis.

One of the first social scientists to conduct empirical research on hate crimes based on sexual orientation, Dr. Herek testified on behalf of the American Psychological Association on this topic at hearings before the House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice in 1986. He also organized and co-chaired a research workshop on antigay violence for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). In 1989. He and Kevin Berrill coedited the book, Hate Crimes: Confronting Violence Against Lesbians and Gay Men (Sage Publications, 1992). He has published extensively on hate crimes. He is currently completing work on a 4-year empirical study of the mental health consequences of antigay violence, funded by NIMH.

Dr. Herek was the 1996 recipient of the APA's Award for Outstanding Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest. He recently received a 5-year Independent Scientist Award from NIMH.

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