Vern L. Bullough, PhD, DSci, RN.

Vern Bullough was a sexologist, by which he meant, in his own words, "it is not enough to be a physician or a psychologist or a historian. To be effective and knowledgeable in the sex field, one has to be a sexologist as well. That is, we have to acquire expertise beyond our own discipline." Vern was the exemplar. He earned his BA from the University of Utah (1951) and his MA (1951) and PhD (1954) from the University of Chicago. He also received a BS in nursing from California State University at Long Beach (1981). He taught at Youngstown University (1954-1959) and California State University at Northridge (1959-1980) before becoming the Dean of Natural and Social Sciences at the State University of New York College at Buffalo in 1981. He was named a Distinguished Professor of the State University of New York in 1987. He "retired" in 1993 but taught as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California and California State University at Northridge for another decade.

His scholarly work, much of it coauthored or coedited by his late wife of 49 years, Bonnie Bullough, was encyclopedic, as illustrated by their edited book Human Sexuality: An Encyclopedia (1994). A sampling of other titles reflects the diversity and depth of his work: History of Prostitution (1964), The Subordinate Sex: A History of Attitudes Toward Women (1973), Sexual Variance in Society and History (1976), Sin, Sickness, and Sanity: A History of Sexual Attitudes (1977), Sexual Practices & the Medieval Church (1982), The Subordinated Sex: A History of Attitudes Toward Women (1988), Cross-Dressing, Sex, and Gender (1993), Sexual Science in the Bedroom: A History of Sex Research (1994), Sexual Attitudes: Myths and Realities (1995), Handbook of Medieval Sexuality (1996), and Before Stonewall: Activists for Gay and Lesbian Rights in Historical Context (2002). In all, Vern authored, coauthored, edited or coedited over 50 books and hundreds of articles, including many publications in the field of nursing.

Vern's pioneering work on the topics of prostitution, homosexuality, gender, and pornography, among others, legitimized the study of these marginalized topics and, to a significant extent, the very study of sexuality itself. That is, not only did his historical work open the study of sexuality to historians, it served as a foundation for work of others in the humanities and social science disciplines. His analyses suggested many hypotheses regarding contemporary attitudes and behavior that were subsequently investigated by anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, and medical scientists. His work was challenging in that he often debunked the medical and religious assumptions about the "deviant" nature of sexuality and many specific sexual behaviors, thus setting the stage for new perspectives and research.

More specifically, in Sexual Variance in Society and History (1976), Vern presented a thorough and compassionate analysis of homosexuality, transvestism, masturbation, and other variations in sexual activity from a historical and cross-cultural perspective. Sin, Sickness, and Sanity: A History of Sexual Attitudes (1997) followed and extended his/ their perspective that the medical model of sex as illness or disease and the religious model of sex as sinfulness were flawed. The Subordinated Sex: A History of Attitudes Toward Women (1988) was among the first major historical books about women, setting the stage for feminist scholars to publish in this area. Cross-Dressing, Sex, and Gender (1993) was the first historical text on crossdressing. Nearly every book broke new ground and expanded the horizons of sex research.

Vern was an early and active member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. He served two 1-year terms as President (1981-1983) during a critical period in the history of the Society. He was instrumental in professionalizing the organization. Vern and Bonnie were Founding Donors of the Foundation for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, and both served on the Board of Directors. A few years after Bonnie's death, Vern expressed an interest in creating a means of honoring her memory through an endowment to the Foundation. As a result, and to honor them both, the Foundation created The Bonnie and Vern L. Bullough Fund, a specialized endowment that will reflect their joint interests and histories. The initial manifestation of the fund is the Bonnie and Vern L. Bullough Book Award, given annually to the author(s) of the best book written for the professional sexological community during the preceding year. Vern received the Society's Distinguished Achievement Award and, with Bonnie, the Alfred C. Kinsey Award from the Mid-Continent Region and the award for Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Human Sexuality from the Eastern Region of the Society.

Vern was the founding director of the Center for Sex Research at California State University at Northridge and helped organize international conferences on prostitution, pornography, and gender issues. He established the Vern and Bonnie Bullough Collection on Sex and Gender on the campus, a collection that includes hundreds of rare materials.

Vern was a pioneer in the civil rights movement, persuading the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California to defend the rights of gay and lesbian persons and making this chapter of the ACLU the first in the United States to take such a stand. He served on the board of the ACLU for many years and was at the forefront of the battles to desegregate Los Angeles city schools and to obtain fair housing for minorities. He was also active in several humanist organizations and was a Laureate of the International Academy of Humanism. Two characteristics of humanism come across in his writings about sexuality: a commitment to reason and evidence and toleration of diversity.

The beliefs that drove his scholarship were at the core of his personal life as well. His curiosity about his lesbian mother-in-law led him to a life-long pursuit of knowledge and understanding of the topic, as well as other sexual variations. His commitment to civil rights can be seen in his family life. After having two sons, David and James, Bonnie and Vern adopted three children, all of "mixed-race" origins--children who were considered "unadoptable" at that time. Two of the three, as it happens, are openly gay. In 1967, while the family was in Egypt for a year where Vern and Bonnie were serving as Fulbright professors, their eldest son David was murdered by a fundamentalist who thought they were a family of rich American Jews. Vern is survived by his second wife, Gwen Brewer, a retired English professor; three sons, Jim Bullough-Latsch, Steven Bullough, and Michel Hayworth; a daughter, Sue Bullough; brothers Darwin and Duane; a sister, Karen Bullough Hyde; and a grandchild, Jamie Bullough-Latsch.

I knew Vern for nearly 30 years. Most of those years I knew him from afar, standing in awe of this great man--the sexologist, the humanist, the pioneer, the historian, the advocate, the leader. Without question, Vern was among that handful of exceptional individuals on whose shoulders the rest of us in the field of sexology stand today--one of the giants, indeed, one of the genuine heroes. One dictionary defines a hero as "a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, ... a person noted for special achievements." Clearly, dramatically, these criteria apply to Vern. Heroes are also role models, people we look up to. They are people who set the standards. He did that, and in so doing, challenged us all to meet those standards.

During the last decade or so I came to know him on a much more personal level, as a human being and as a friend. It is as a friend that I will remember him best. He was interesting and interested; he was challenging and accepting; he was demanding, yet caring and forgiving; he was serious and funny; he was committed and giving. He was a complex human being. He will be sorely missed. The words on the plaque given to Vern and Bonnie (posthumously) when they were awarded the SSSS Eastern Region award capture that complexity well. The statement reads, in part, "Pioneers, Scholars, Mentors, Partners, Good People. United, yet unique, you have taught us, challenged us, touched us, and inspired us. We thank you and honor your gifts to us."

Clive M. Davis

Department of Psychology, Syracuse University