Kenneth Zucker and the DSM-V:
In May, the American Psychiatric Association nominated Kenneth Zucker to participate in the development of the DSM-V, specifically in the area of sexual and gender identity disorders. This nomination has caused great controversy in the SGD community because Zucker is an advocate of conversion therapy, and he holds conservative views in relation to SGD identities. Having him as a member of the team developing the next DSM may have extremely negative consequences if his viewpoints influence what material is included in the sexual and gender identity disorder section. Therefore, the Task Force has decided to find out more information regarding the history of the DSM and it's relationship with SGD. Gina LoCascio has been a great help in contributing some of her research regarding the DSM, and an outline of her work is included below. The Task Force is also planning on creating an official stance on Zucker's participation in the development of the DSM-V, and we are in the process of writing press releases to be sent to a variety of media sources.
|
Letter to gradPSYCH Magazine:
Protest of Discriminatory U.S. Navy Recruitment Advertisement
On the first inside page of the most recent gradPSYCH (Volume 6, Number 2, March 2008), APAGS saw fit to publish an advertisement paid for by the U.S. Navy concerning recruitment of clinical psychologists as active duty military members. At the bottom of the advertisement, the following disclaimer appeared: “Eligibility for military service requires certain physical abilities and attributes, including age, height, weight, and physical ability requirements. Furthermore, U.S. law prohibits servicemembers from engaging in homosexual acts and prohibits lesbian, gay, or bisexual servicemembers from stating their sexual orientation.” This is clearly in violation of APA's stance on nondiscrimination policies for all disadvantaged groups, including sexual and gender minorities. In order to see a copy of the letter that the Task Force on Sexuality and Gender Diversity has generated and sent to gradPSYCH, please CLICK HERE.
However, after sending the
letter, we discovered a report generated by a joint Division 19
(Society of Military Psychology) and Division 44 (Society for the Study
of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Issues) Task Force on Sexual Orientation
and Military Service. This Task Force developed a resolution that
"reaffirmed existing APA policy on lesbian, gay, and bisexual issues;
updated, elaborated, and strengthened APA policy on sexual orientation
and military service; and eliminated APA’s prohibition on
advertisements from the Department of Defense." To view the Final
Report and Strategic Plan, please CLICK HERE.
Please click on the images below to see a copy of the full advertisement, and also a magnified version of the actual disclaimer.
|
Response from gradPSYCH magazine:
On May 8th, we received a response from Rhea Farberman, Publisher of gradPSYCH magazine. Ms. Farberman reiterated the official APA stance that allows advertisements from the military as per the Final Report and Strategic Plan issued by Joint Division 19 and Division 44 Task Force on Sexual Orientation and Military Service. Please click on the pictures below to read both pages of this letter.
|
We are currently in the process of gathering information regarding the resolution between Divisions 19 and 14 from various sources in order to find out who was directly involved, the source of the impetus the resolution and the Task Force on Sexual Orientation and Military Service, the initial response received at the time of its passing, the reasoning behind the simultaneous affirmation of APA's stance and a desire for advertising, what members would have done differently, and other details.
|
|
