Our section has been hard
at work since the past issue. Over the last several months, we have continued
to work towards the recognition and inclusion of gender diversity within the
broader Division, and within psychology. This work has taken place within
Division-wide meetings, past APA conversation hours, and is a focus of our
symposium at APA this year. I look forward to continuing this work with our
Section’s leadership and membership during my term. We are also excited about
the other work and events that will be taking place at APA this summer,
highlighted elsewhere in the current issue.
We hope to see you at many
of them, including our Section’s business meeting and social hour, at which all
are welcome. We also hope many graduate students will consider attending our
graduate student social hour, facilitated by our graduate student committee.
Come meet other section members and enjoy some food!
EDITOR'S NOTE
I admit history was
not my favorite subject in school when I was a kid. I don’t know why exactly,
but it could be because, as I recall, history was taught to me as a series of
seemingly unrelated events I just had to memorize for a test. I eventually
learned to appreciate history, but this was only when I understood that the
events that mark our past are more than historical facts; they are dynamic
forces that shape the direction of our future. It is with appreciation for
history that Section 4 dedicates this issue’s cover to celebrating the 50th
anniversary of the Stonewall riots of 1969, a pivotal moment in the LGBTQ
rights movement. According to historians, the riots did not start the
movement but helped galvanize LGBTQ activism by giving visibility to the cause
and inspiring more folks to speak up and make a difference. Well, Section 4
wants to make a difference too, and invites you to join us in promoting
awareness among psychologists of issues that impact the wellbeing of LGBTQ
people and LGBTQ communities. We are always looking for volunteers to help with
Section initiatives, and there is always room for you to contribute to
PERSPECTIVES, so let us know if you want to be involved.
This year also marks the
5th anniversary of PERSPECTIVES, and we are proud of our accomplishments. We
were a small enterprise when we started in 2014, with a handful of contributors
who worked hard to produce a 4-page inaugural issue. To give you a sense for
how much we’ve grown, the current issue is way longer, with 30 pages, and
packed with contributions from over two dozen members and affiliates. We start
this issue with a message from our current President, Corey Flanders, and
updates from the Past-Chair and current Chair of the Graduate Student
Committee, Emmie Matsumo and Monica Ghabrial (pages 3 to 5). Next we feature
six articles about a range of LGBTQ related topics (pages 6 to 17), an invited
column (pages 18 to 21), and a book review (pages 22 and 23). Also included is
a guide to the upcoming APA convention, with recommendations for places to eat
and visit in Chicago, as well as a compilation of LGBTQ-related programming
sponsored by several divisions to help you plan your convention schedule (pages
24 through 29). Two things I learned from history is that enduring changes
don’t happen overnight, and that we must plant today what we want to harvest
tomorrow. Thinking about the civil rights movements of today, we’ve
accomplished so much; yet, in the big scheme of things, there’s so much to do.
I am glad we got started!
Cristina
