Psychology and sexual orientation.

Psychological Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Experiences (2nd ed.). Edited by Linda D. Garnets and Douglas C. Kimmel. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003, 562 pages. Cloth, $62.50; paper, $36.00.

For those seeking an historical reference to the first inroads of empirical psychological research on lesbian, gay, and bisexual issues, no book does a better job than Garnets and Kimmel's Psychological Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Experiences. In addition to providing the reader with a solid understanding of the topics and concerns of many of the first researchers, the volume also provides an historical record of those who were key in the early studies and efforts to declassify homosexuality (or any sexuality other than heterosexuality) as a mental illness.

A key figure in this process was Evelyn Hooker, a heterosexual woman. As an adjunct member of the psychology department at the University of California at Los Angeles, Dr. Hooker conducted the first empirical studies discounting mental illness differences between homosexual and heterosexual men in the 1950s. In the 1968 edition of the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, Hooker wrote, "The only obvious difference between homosexuals and heterosexuals is in psychosexual object choice" (p. 227). Most readers of the current volume will likely be familiar with Hooker's research, but they will find a more personal description of her life, her own experiences with gender discrimination, and her commitment to this work in chapter 1, "What a Light It Shed: The Life of Evelyn Hooker," written by Kimmel and Garnets. For both psychologists and historians, it is a valuable contribution to an understanding of one of the seminal figures in the struggle to recognize gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals as equal citizens.

In the second chapter, Bailey provides an excellent review of the literature pertaining to what was, perhaps, the principal debate about homosexuality for several decades: the biological bases of sexual orientation. Most readers will be familiar with the search for the "gay gene." Not surprisingly, the definitive biological and sociological theories of sexual orientation remain unwritten. As my coauthor (Robert Mitchell) and I noted in a review of the research on sexual orientation, "the methods of gathering evidence and conceptual or theoretical bases for all the other such influences have been remarkably flawed, such that no unbiased view for or against many of these factors is possible" (Ellis & Mitchell, 2000, p. 212; see also DeCecco & Parker, 1995). Bailey's chapter reiterates this still current finding that research on the "gay gene" is ultimately inconclusive, such that... "it remains unfounded speculation" (p. 74) and is "one of inconclusive complexity" (p. 79).

Subsequent chapters cover seven broad areas, each of which has a parallel in the activism of the past 40 years. A section of the psychological dimensions of sexual prejudice, discrimination, and violence based on sexual orientation includes articles by four of the most well-known researchers in this area (Gregory Herek, Mary Kite, Bernard Whitley, and Ritch Savin-Williams) along with various collaborators. Having their updated summaries in one place makes for a key resource for researchers on this topic.

For those studying identity development among lesbians, gays, and bisexuals (and to some degree, through extension, transsexuals), the next section looks at the therapeutic and cultural issues affecting the psychological experiences of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities. Again, this section provides researchers with a solid understanding of the findings to date and areas in which work remains to be completed and/or refined. This section, along with sections on adolescence, midlife, and aging, can provide mental health professionals with useful information about how to address the needs of the LGBTQ communities. In addition, Haldeman (chapter 25) provides an excellent overview of the practices and ethics of conversion therapy, concluding that "the appropriate focus of the profession is what reverses prejudice, not what reverses sexual orientation" (p. 696).

Another section focuses on issues of concern to lesbian and gay parents, while another looks at diversity in and among the LGBTQ communities. Here the reader will find interesting discussions of Asian American parents, polyamory, Native American experiences, and an excellent treatise on how to develop a more inclusive lesbian, gay, and bisexual psychology.

The book concludes with a section on the "Status of Research, Practice, and Public Policy Issues in American Psychology." Included in this section is one of the classics of the field: Herek, Kimmel, Amaro, and Melton's "Avoiding Heterosexist Bias in Psychological Research" (chapter 27). The article was also published in the American Psychologist, the journal received by every member of the American Psychological Association. No researcher in psychology should be unfamiliar with this article and its contents. This section also contains the guidelines for psychotherapy with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients of the American Psychological Association. Every practitioner of mental health should have access to and an awareness of these guidelines.

The book concludes by highlighting the role that research findings and efforts play in public policy. Sheila James Kuehl, a representative of the California State Assembly, writes that the "eighty members in the California Assembly and the forty senators in the State Senate legislate furiously, advocate vociferously, and attempt to persuade their colleagues to vote for the changes. This advocacy is done primarily through the use of research, testimony, and argument" (p. 786).

As one reads through the articles in this book and considers the events of the past 40 years, the role that academic research plays, coupled with the efforts of activists, becomes clear. An informed reader is likely to further comprehend that the legislation and organizational policies of the past 30 years supporting the equal status of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered individuals is the result of the combined effects of research activity and political activism.

As noted in the preface, "general readers will find this book of interest because critical issues reflecting the contemporary relevance of each section are discussed" (p. xi). Garnets and Kimmel follow through on that statement, and readers can assess the relevance of each chapter to their interests by reading the section introductions.

As this is a collection of research and work by a majority of the most prominent researchers in the field, there is little to criticize other than to point out that a few of the chapters do not take into account the work of the most recent few years. Nevertheless, the majority of the chapters have been updated close to the date of publication, and even in those few cases where they have not, at least research findings postdating the first edition (1993) are included.

Overall, regardless of one's interests in the psychology of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities, this book is an essential compilation of the best that the first 40 years of research have to offer and an excellent summation of the research as it stands today. Those interested in the history of this area of psychology will find a rich source of material.

REFERENCES

DeCecco, J. P., & Parker, D. A. (Eds.). (1995). Sex, cells, and same-sex desire: The biology of sexual preference. New York: Harrington Park Press.

Ellis, A. L., & Mitchell, R. W. (2000). Sexual orientation. In L. Szuchman & F. Muscarella (Eds.), Psychological perspectives on human sexuality (pp. 196-231). New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Hooker, E. (1968). Sexual behavior: Homosexuality. In D. L. Sills (Ed.), International encyclopedia of the social sciences (pp. 222-233). New York: Crowell Collier and Macmillan.

Alan L. Ellis, Ph.D., 5028 N. 34th Street, Suite 3, Phoenix, AZ 85028; e-mail: [e-mail].