Introduction to the first issue of Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity.

Abstract

Welcome to this first issue of the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues’s (Division 44 of the American Psychological Association) first journal titled Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. The journal will henceforth be published quarterly. This journal is the culmination of a long process that involved the labor and imagination of many. Discussions about what kinds of publications Division 44 might best sponsor occurred as early as my own tenure on the Executive Committee, and then as Division President (1988–1994); I suspect such discussions occurred from the very founding of the Division in January 1985. Division 44 initially opted to sponsor a book series under the editorship of Beverly Greene and Gregory Herek; Barry Chung later took over the series, followed by Marie Miville. More recently, Charlotte Patterson, during her term as President (2005–2006) proposed a membership survey to assess the need for a journal, and a Journal Task Force consisting of Barry Chung, Jon Mohr, and David Pantalone began considering the issue. There were continued discussions throughout the Presidencies of Christopher Martell, Ruth Fassinger, Randy Georgemiller, and Bonnie Strickland. During her Presidency, Bonnie Strickland appointed a larger Journal Task Force, chaired by Kathleen Bieschke and including Beverly Greene, Doug Kimmel, Jon Mohr, and Mark Pope. Mark Pope, during his Presidential term, chaired this committee, which then included Kathleen Bieschke, Beverly Greene, Jon Mohr, Peter Ji, and Doug Kimmel. Mark Pope brought this long process to its conclusion during his term, securing approval from the American Psychological Association (APA) Publications and Communications Board. The Journal Task Force chaired by Mark Pope served as the search committee for the Founding Editor, while the Presidential Trio of Arlene Noriega, Michael Hendricks, and Mark Pope conducted the search for a publisher. The Division 44 Executive Committee approved their recommendations in early 2013 with my appointment as Founding Editor and APA as the publisher. The encouragement and technical assistance from staff at APA Journals, including Gary VandenBos, Susan Harris, Jason Winkler, Skip Maier, and Daniya Tamendarova have been most helpful. I detail this extended history that led to the creation of Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, both to recognize those who labored to create it and to illustrate the care and thoughtful planning that accompanied the decision to create this journal. One of the reasons Division 44 proceeded with so much caution and planning in the launching of this journal involved concern about whether there would be a sufficient flow of quality manuscripts to fill such a journal. I believe this first issue will begin to lay those concerns to rest. This issue leads with Kristin Hancock’s description of the emerging conflicts between APA’s position on the importance of multiculturalism in the education and training of psychologists, versus the assertion that religious belief can warrant an exemption from such training. While this conflict has been specifically raised regarding training on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues, it potentially can be raised regarding any aspect of training. As Hancock details, the conflict has far-reaching implications in terms of who controls training of psychologists; the nature of psychology as a profession, and professions in general; the relationship between professions and society; and related issues. I believe the issues involved are of such magnitude that Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity will devote space in each of the remaining three issues of Volume 1 to this topic. Specifically, I am inviting brief (1,000–2,000-word) responses to the issues raised in Hancock’s article from a variety of experts on these topics. I also issue a call to anyone interested to consider writing such a response. This will be followed in Issues 3 and 4 with more elaborated responses in the