The Association of LGBTQ Psychiatrists, originally the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists (AGLP), is an organization that educates and advocates on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

) mental health issues.

History

The organization informally began in the late 1960s, when lesbian and gay members of the

American Psychiatric Association The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the largest psychiatric organization in the world. It has more than 37,000 members are involve ...

(APA) met during its annual conferences. Following the APA's declassification of homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1973, the Caucus of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Members of the American Psychiatric Association was officially founded. A primary function of the caucus was to advocate to the APA on LGBT mental health issues. The Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists grew out of the caucus, and was founded in 1985. The group changed its name in 2015, but continues to be known as "AGLP".

Activities

The AGLP's stated purposes include: *Publishing a quarterly newsletter and the ''Journal of Gay and Lesbian Psychotherapy'' *Seminars and discussion groups concurrent with the annual meeting of the APA *Working within the APA on behalf of the

LGBT community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay men, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a comm ...

*Collaborating with other organizations of LGBT physicians and other minority and advocacy groups *Referral services for LGBT patients *Assisting medical students and residents in their professional development *Encouraging and facilitating the presentation of programs and publications relevant to LGBT concerns at professional meetings.

Achievements

* In 1978, the Caucus successfully petitioned the APA to create a task force on lesbian and gay issues. That task force has since been elevated to a full standing committee in the APA. * Since 1982, the organization has been recognized as a representative in the Assembly of the APA, speaking directly on matters of special concern to lesbian and gay members of the APA. * In 1983, the Caucus successfully petitioned the APA to create a task force on psychiatric aspects of

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

, which ultimately led to the 1984 publication of two important APA volumes: ''Innovations in Psychotherapy with Homosexuals'' and ''Psychiatric Implications of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome''. In 1988, that task force was elevated to a full standing committee in the APA. * The AGLP was influential in the APA's removal of "

ego-dystonic homosexuality Ego-dystonic sexual orientation is a highly controversial mental health diagnosis that was included in the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'' (DSM) from 1980 to 1987 (under the name ...

" from the

DSM DSM or dsm may refer to: Science and technology * Deep space maneuver * Design structure matrix or dependency structure matrix, a representation of a system or project * Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ** DSM-5, the fifth ed ...

in 1987.

Presidents

*Amir Ahuja, M.D. (2020- ) *Howard Rubin, M.D. *Eric Yarbrough, M.D. *Kenneth Ashley, M.D. *Ubaldo Leli, M.D. *Dan Karasic, M.D. *Mary Barber, M.D. *Philip A. Bialer, M.D. *Daniel W. Hicks, M.D. *David L. Scasta, M.D. *Margery Sved, M.D. *Marshal Forstein, M.D. *Peggy Hackenbruck, M.D. *Norman B. Hartstein, M.D. *

Robert Cabaj Robert Piotr Cabaj (28 November 1948 – 24 February 2020) was an American psychiatrist, scholar and author, known for his extensive publications on LGBT mental health, including editing one of the early and influential textbooks in the field. He s ...

, M.D. *Terry Stein, M.D. *David Kessler, M.D. *James Krajeski, M.D. *Stuart Nichols, M.D. *Frank Rundle, M.D

References

External links