Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
and TransgenderedHealth Science Librarians
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
and Transgendered
by Rob Mackes, Warren Hospital Medical Library, rtmackes@fast.net
With the 1997 Annual MLA Conference in Seattle, WA, fast approaching, it's time to formally announce program plans. Our speaker will be Simon LeVay, Ph.D. The title of Dr. LeVay's talk is "Changing Our Minds: Queer Science and the Use/Abuse of Research into Homosexuality." From LeVay's synopsis:
"Over the 24 years since the American Psychiatric Association deleted homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, there have been significant changes in the way gays and lesbians think about themselves, as well as in the way they are viewed by heterosexual men and women. In general, the move away from a pathological view of homosexuality has been accompanied by an increasing belief that a person's sexual orientation is a central and immutable aspect of his or her being a given. Paradoxically, however, there has also been an increasing emphasis on people's right and ability to their own sexual life-paths. Simon LeVay, a neurobiologist and gay man who reported in 1991 on brain differences between gay and straight men, will discuss what science has to say about the development of sexual orientation, and where "biological fate" and "chosen lifestyle" may intersect. He will also discuss how the science may impact, either negatively or positively, on the psychological well-being of gay people and their status in society."
Our program this year is being co-sponsored by the Mental Health Librarians Section, and is scheduled for Sunday 25 May from 2-3:30 pm. Hope to see you there!
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