Gregory Herek
Professor

Biographical Sketch

Research

Publications

Courses/Teaching

Media Portrayals

Blog (currently on hiatus)   [non-UCD website]

Social Psychology Network page   [non-UCD website]

Other Links

Campus Address
Office: 271 Young Hall
Phone: (530) 752-8085
E-mail:
Research and Policy website

Professor Herek received his Ph.D. in social psychology from UC Davis in 1983, then was a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University. He subsequently served as a faculty member at Yale and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York before returning to UCD, first as a research psychologist and later as a tenured professor.

An internationally recognized authority on prejudice against lesbians and gay men, anti-gay violence, and AIDS-related stigma, Professor Herek has published numerous scholarly articles on these topics. His edited and coedited volumes include:

• Hate Crimes: Confronting Violence Against Lesbians and Gay Men (1992, Sage Publications)
• AIDS, Identity, and Community: HIV and Lesbians and Gay Men (Sage, 1995)
• Out in Force: Sexual Orientation and the Military (University of Chicago Press, 1996)
• Stigma and Sexual Orientation (Sage, 1998)
• A special issue of the American Behavioral Scientist on "AIDS and Stigma" (1999).

Professor Herek also serves as consulting editor for several academic journals, including Basic and Applied Social Psychology, Sexuality Research and Social Policy, Journal of Sex Research, and the Journal of Homosexuality.

Professor Herek is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Association for Psychological Science (APS). He is the recipient of the 2006 Kurt Lewin Memorial Award for "outstanding contributions to the development and integration of psychological research and social action," presented by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (APA Division 9). In 1996, he received the APA Early Career Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest. In 1992, he received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the APA Committee on Lesbian and Gay Concerns. He is the only person to have been honored twice with APA Division 44's annual award for "Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Lesbian and Gay Psychology," having received it in 1989 and again in 1999. In 2010, he received the Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award from the UC Davis Academic Senate, and the Distinguished Humanitarian Contribution Award from the California Psychological Association.

Prof. Herek is a past chairperson of the APA Committee on Lesbian and Gay Concerns and has also served on the APA Task Force on Avoiding Heterosexist Bias in Research and the APA Task Force on AIDS. He worked closely with the late Evelyn Hooker to organize the Wayne F. Placek Award, administered by the American Psychological Foundation with a bequest left to Dr. Hooker. He served as chairperson of the Scientific Review Committee for the Placek Award from 1995 to 2007, during which time more than $1.4 million in direct support and matching funds were given to scientists conducting research on sexual minority issues.

Professor Herek has also contributed his professional expertise to policy work involving lesbian and gay concerns and AIDS issues. In 2011, he provided invited oral and written testimony for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights' hearings on Federal Enforcement of Civil Rights Laws to Protect Students Against Bullying, Violence and Harassment. In 1997, he was an invited participant at President Clinton's White House Conference on Hate Crimes. In 1993, he testified on behalf of the American Psychological Association (APA), the American Psychiatric Association, and four other national professional associations for the House Armed Services Committee's hearings on gays and the U.S. military. In 1986, he testified on behalf of the APA for the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee's hearings on antigay violence. He also has assisted the APA in preparing amicus briefs in numerous court cases, including cases that challenged the constitutionality of:

• State sodomy laws (Lawrence v. Texas and Bowers v. Hardwick, U.S. Supreme Court)
• Military policies excluding lesbians and gay men (Watkins v. U.S. Army, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals)
• State antigay ballot propositions (Romer v Evans, U.S. Supreme Court)
• Antigay discrimination by the Boy Scouts of America (Boy Scouts v. Dale, US Supreme Court)
• Laws restricting legal recognition of same-sex relationships (e.g., In re Marriage Cases, California Supreme Court; Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health, Connecticut Supreme Court; Lewis v. Harris, New Jersey Superior Court).

In addition, he has served as a consultant or expert witness for legal cases involving the civil rights of lesbians and gay men and people with AIDS. Recent examples include Perry v. Schwarzenegger, challenging the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8, and Massachusetts v. US Dept. of Health and Human Services, challenging the constitutionality of some provisions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The transcript of Prof. Herek's courtroom testimony in the Perry trial (which lasted approximately 7 hours) can be downloaded in PDF format.

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Research

Professor Herek's original empirical research has addressed sexual prejudice and stigma and HIV/AIDS-related stigma in the US population, and the mental health consequences of hate crimes and other expressions of stigma targeting lesbians and gay men. His current research program focuses mainly on issues of prejudice and stigma, especially as they apply to sexual orientation and HIV/AIDS.

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Publications

A bibliography of Professor Herek's published papers and chapters is available on the web. For many papers, links are provided to abstracts, downloadable preprints, and links for requesting reprints by e-mail. Links to many of the preprints, as well as other information relevant to researchers, can also be found on the Professional Library page.

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Teaching

During the 2012-13 academic year, Prof. Herek will offer the following courses:

• PSC 158. Sexual Orientation and Prejudice (Fall & Winter).
   
• PSC 207. Survey and Questionnaire Research Methods (Spring).
   

Information about these classes and other UCD courses is available in the UCD catalog.

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Media Portrayals

In a video reenactment of the Proposition 8 trial, Prof. Herek was portrayed by Scott Lowell [below, left], whose acting credits include "Queer As Folk." The video can be viewed on YouTube.

Portions of the Prop. 8 trial and related events are portrayed in "8" – a play written by Academy Award winning writer Dustin Lance Black. In its September (2011) world premiere as a staged reading on Broadway, Prof. Herek's role was played by K. Todd Freeman [above, center]. In its March (2012) West Coast premiere, Prof. Herek's role was played by Rory O'Malley [above, right].

Locally, Skylar Collins [above left] played Prof. Herek's role in the UC Davis production of "8" and Michael RJ Campbell [above right] performed the role in the Sacramento production.

                   

In other productions of "8," Prof. Herek's role has been played by

• Liam Vincent, American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco CA [above, left]
• Lane Wright, Rhubarb Theater Company, Nashville TN [above, center]
• John Honeycutt, Raleigh Ensemble Players, Raleigh NC [above, right]
• Chacko Vadaketh, Ernest Borgnine Theatre, Long Beach [below, left].
• John Dreher, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill [below, center].
• David Costa, American Repertory Theater, Cambridge MA [below, right]

 

                   

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