Charles Silverstein (born 1935) is an American writer,

therapist Therapist is a person who offers any kinds of therapy A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indi ...

, and gay activist. He is best known for his presentation before 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 ...

in 1973 that led to the removal of

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

as a mental illness from the organization’s

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual The ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'' (DSM; latest edition: DSM-5-TR, published in March 2022) is a publication by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for the classification of mental disorders using a common langua ...

Biography

Silverstein is a frequent lecturer at conventions on both the state and national levels, author of eight books and many professional papers, and has received many awards from the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

and the American Psychological Foundation e.g. Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in the Practice of Psychology receiving it "for his 40-year career challenging the criteria of social morality as the basis for diagnosing sexual disorders. For his presentation before the American Psychiatric Association to eliminate homosexuality as a mental disorder. For his founding two counseling centers for 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 ...

) people in order to deliver unbiased treatment, and for his founding of the ''

Journal of Homosexuality The ''Journal of Homosexuality'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering research into sexual practices and gender roles in their cultural, historical, interpersonal, and modern social contexts. History The founding editor-in-chief was C ...

''." Silverstein earned his Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 1974. His essays and professional papers have been published widely in journals and anthologies. In 1977, Silverstein and Edmund White co-authored ''

The Joy of Gay Sex ''The Joy of Gay Sex'' is a sex manual for men who have sex with men by Charles Silverstein and Edmund White. The book was first published in 1977. The original print run was for 75,000 copies. The book has been translated into French, German, I ...

'', described by '' The Advocate'' as a "landmark" book that has "educated generations of gay men". On the ''

LGBTQ&A ''LGBTQ&A'' is a podcast hosted by Jeffrey Masters and produced by '' The Advocate'' magazine in partnership with GLAAD. It features interviews with notable LGBTQ figures such as Pete Buttigieg, Laverne Cox, Janelle Monáe, Brandi Carlile, and R ...

'' podcast in 2021, Silverstein said, "When Ed and I first sat down to talk about the book and we made a list of the entries, it was quite clear that a majority of the entries were not about sex, it was about community and it was about relating to each other. While most people think of all the dirty pictures, what we always thought our greatest contribution was, is trying to write something that we would've wanted when we were kids, and that would be something more than just sex. That would be about community." Silverstein is the founding director of the Institute for Human Identity and Identity House in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He is the founding editor of the ''

''. He is a member of

and was made a Fellow in 1987. He is also a Member of Division 44 of the APA (Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues), the New York State Psychological Association (NYSPA), and the Committee on Ethical Practices of NYSPA.

Works

*''

'', co-authored with

Edmund White Edmund Valentine White III (born 1940) is an American novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer and an essayist on literary and social topics. Since 1999 he has been a professor at Princeton University. France made him (and later ) de l'Ordr ...

(1977), with

Felice Picano Felice Picano (born February 22, 1944) is an American writer, publisher, and critic who has encouraged the development of gay literature in the United States. His work is documented in many sources. Life Felice Picano graduated ''cum laude'' fro ...

(2006) *''A Family Matter: A Parents' Guide to Homosexuality'' (1977) *''Man to Man: Gay Couples in America'' (1981) *''Gays, Lesbians and Their Therapists: Studies in Psychotherapy'' (1991) *'' The New Joy of Gay Sex'', co-authored with

(1993) *''The Initial Psychotherapy Interview: A Gay Man Seeks Treatment'' (2011) *''For the Ferryman: A Personal History'' (2011)

References

External links

Institute for Human Identity
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silverstein, Charles American self-help writers American gay writers American LGBT rights activists 1935 births Living people American LGBT scientists 21st-century LGBT people Gay scientists

Biography

Works

See also

References

External links