I remember the day the Supreme Court ruling for Obergefell vs. Hodges came down; I was excited, happy, euphoric, and hopeful. I celebrated that night with my partner and friends and though I knew there were many more battles to be fought, I felt like we had reached a tipping point in LGBT rights in this country, and I hoped that momentum was on our side.
Now, a year and a half later from that day in June, 2015, I am sobered by the events of 2016 and 2017 to date. Our country, touted as the most generous country in the world, has summarily dismissed compassion in favor of fear, facts and truth in favor of a self-serving agenda. As has happened too many times in the short history of our country, we are once more being pitted against each other; we are told that affording rights and resources to those different from ourselves will come at a major cost to self and family. This is the great lie of today, just as it has been the great lie throughout history.
It is against this backdrop that I begin my role as President of Section IV. I am humbled and honored to assume the responsibility of leadership in a time such as this. We have much work to do, and thanks to Section IV leadership over the last several years, we have established the groundwork and infrastructure necessary to continue to grow and to advance feminist approaches to sexual and gender minority concerns. This summer at APA in Washington, D.C., we are excited to present and host a number of exciting programs and events (stay tuned for more details!). And in the months to come, we will continue to work to advance the mission of our section and to embrace compassion and honesty as the cornerstones of our feminist advocacy on sexual orientation and gender diversity.
Elliot Tebbe, PhD
EDITOR’S NOTE
Elliot Tebbe, PhD
So much has changed since the 2016 Summer issue of PERSPECTIVES regarding our sociopolitical landscape! After so many years of progressive leadership at the federal level, many of us did not expect to see a new resurgence of anti-LGBTQ and other discriminatory attitudes, laws, and policies that are having such direct and profound impact in our local communities. The new wave of social conservativism in contemporary US culture took some of us by surprise; but by now we are all fully aware that we must press on, and continue to speak loud and clear on behalf of our communities. Psychologists understand the impact of minority stress on people’s lives, and can shed light onto issues that cloud the general public’s opinions about the civil rights of sexual orientation, gender, racial, ethnic, and other minorities. In this time of uncertainty, one thing I know for sure is that we need you more than ever to help us advance Section IV’s mission, and there is no better time than now for you to contribute. Let us know if you want to be involved.
In this issue of PERSPECTIVES, we say ‘thank you’ to Stephanie Langston for her dedicated service as section treasurer; to Mary Guerrant for doing such an amazing job representing student members in the executive committee; and to Julie Konik for her inspiring vision and steady leadership as section president and past-president over the last several years. Julie, Mary, and Stephanie recently left their executive committee seats to continue the work elsewhere; and four new leaders joined the team: Elliot Tebbe (president), Corey Flanders (treasurer), Alex Agiliga (awards committee chair), and Emmie Matsuno (graduate student committee chair). Jennifer Vencill rotated out of the president role but will remain active in the exec committee as past-president. I couldn't be happier! We have a strong leadership team, and with your help will do great things in 2017.
Cristina Magalhaes, PhD
