Joe Kort (born 1963) is an American psychotherapist, clinical social worker, board-certified clinical

sexologist Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behaviors, and functions. The term ''sexology'' does not generally refer to the non-scientific study of sexuality, such as social criticism. Sexologists a ...

, author, lecturer and facilitator of therapeutic workshops. He works as Clinical Director and founder of The Center for Relationship and Sexual Health in Royal Oak, Michigan. Kort also was appointed co-director of Modern Sex Therapy Institutes providing Sex Therapy Certifications and a Ph.D. in Clinical Sexology. Kort established his private practice in 1985m specializing in

LGBTQIA ' 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 an ...

Affirmative Therapy, mixed-orientation marriages and relationships, male sexual fluidity issues,

sexual addiction According to proponents of the concept, sexual addiction, also known as sex addiction, is a state characterized by compulsive participation or engagement in sexual activity, particularly sexual intercourse, despite negative consequences. The c ...

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

, and

Imago Relationship Therapy Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT) is a form of therapy that focuses on relationship counseling. IRT was developed by Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt. The word imago is Latin for "image"; in this sense, it is referring to the "unconscious i ...

. His work also focuses on out-of-control sexual behaviors (OCSB)/sex addiction, Relationship Problems and Marital Conflict, Sex Therapy, and Sexual Identity Concerns, Depression, Anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He also is trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing). He is the author of four books and numerous journal and magazine articles. He is also the host of “Smart Sex, Smart Love,” a podcast series (www.smartsexsmartlove.com). His practice is located in Royal Oak, Michigan. He works with clients from all over the Metro Detroit area. Kort also conducts long-distance coaching and consultation.

Education

Kort obtained his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, with a dual major in psychology and social work. He earned master’s degrees in social work and psychology from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and a doctorate (PhD) in Clinical Sexology from the American Academy of Clinical Sexologists.

Career

Kort is the founder and clinical director of The Center for Relationship and Sexual Health in Royal Oak, Michigan, and the co-director of Modern Sex Therapy Institutes. Kort specializes in marital problems and conflicts; mixed orientation marriages; male sexuality and sexual health concerns; “sex addiction,” out-of-control sexual behaviors; sexual identity issues; childhood sexual abuse; LGBTQIA Affirmative Therapy; and Imago Relationship Therapy. Kort was a part of the teaching faculty at University of Michigan Sexual Health Certificate Program on LGBT issues from 2014-2019.

Media

Kort was a featured guest on ''

The Montel Williams Show ''The Montel Williams Show'' (also known as ''Montel'') is an American syndicated tabloid talk show, hosted by Montel Williams, which ran from 1991 to 2008. On January 30, 2008, the end of production of new episodes of ''The Montel Williams S ...

'"Mixed Orientation Marriages," ''

'', taped in December, 2005; aired Tuesday, April 11, 2006. ''and ''

The Tyra Banks Show ''The Tyra Banks Show'', also known as and shortened to ''Tyra'' or ''The Tyra Show'', was an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks that aired from 2005 to 2010. While Banks's show covered a variety of topics, there was a sensationalized focus ...

''"Women Who Love Gay Men," The Tyra Banks Show, Wednesday, April 19, 2009 (http://tyrashow.warnerbros.com/2006/08/women_who_love_gay_men.php). talk shows on the topic of

mixed-orientation marriage A mixed-orientation marriage is a marriage between partners of differing sexual orientations. The broader term is mixed-orientation relationship, sometimes shortened to MOR or MORE (while mixed-orientation marriage is sometimes shortened as MOM) ...

s.Katy Butler, "Many Couples Must Negotiate Terms of 'Brokeback' Marriages," ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', March 7, 2006. Kort was also a guest on ''Oprah and Friends Radio'' "Better in Bed" with

Laura Berman Laura Berman is an American relationship therapist and television host. She is the host of ''In the Bedroom with Dr. Laura Berman'' on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). She is also a regular guest on '' The Dr. Oz Show'', and hosts her own nationa ...

, discussing straight

men who have sex with men Men who have sex with men (MSM) are male persons who engage in sexual activity with members of the same sex. The term was created in the 1990s by epidemiologists to study the spread of disease among all men who have sex with men, regardless of ...

."Better in Bed" with Dr. Laura Berman, Oprah and Friends show, XM 156/SIRIUS 195 Radio, March 5, 2009. (http://www.oprah.com/media/20090305_oradio_lb).

Activism

Kort's career focuses on advancing the social acceptance, and professional treatment of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. His first book, ''10 Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Improve Their Lives'' (2003,

Alyson Books Alyson Books, formerly known as Alyson Publications, was a book publishing house which specialized in LGBT fiction and non-fiction. Former publisher Don Weise described it as "the world's oldest and largest publisher of LGBT literature" and "th ...

) gave answers to the most common questions his clients brought to him. Kort came out with a second edition in 2016. This book has been updated and revised and includes a new chapter on the sexual health of gay men which replaces the chapter on sexual addiction. The old Chapter 5, "Avoid or Overcome Sexual Addiction," has been replaced by "Explore Erotic Turn-ons and Sexual Interests." It also reflects the contemporary culture of gay men in social media, marriage equality and updated information on HIV. Kort advocates for

(MSM), particularly heterosexual men who engage in

sexual behavior Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) t ...

with other men and are not gay or bisexual. The term " down low" specifically addresses

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

males secretly engaging in sexual behavior with other men. Kort has expanded the awareness of down-low behavior to apply beyond men of color and writes about this sexual behavior crossing all ethnicities, races, religions and

socioeconomics Socioeconomics (also known as social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how modern societies progress, stagnate, or regress because of their loca ...

. While many gay men consider themselves either

top, bottom and versatile In human sexuality, top, bottom, and versatile are roles during sexual activity, especially between two men. A ''top'' is usually a person who penetrates, a ''bottom'' is usually one who receives penetration, and someone who is ''versatile'' ...

, the term ''side'' has been proposed and coined by Joe Kort for gay men who are not interested in anal sex.

Personal life

Kort met his partner, Mike, in 1993, and they religiously married under

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous sear ...

in 2000 and

legally married Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

in 2005 in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. ''

'' quoted him as saying, "For many young gay men today, settling down in a relationship in their 20s—or getting married if they live in Massachusetts—will feel like a very natural thing to do."Benoit Denizet-Lewis, "Young Gay Rites," The New York Times, April 27, 2008. (https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/magazine/27young-t.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=joe%20kort&st=cse). In addition to identifying as gay, Kort also identifies as "

homoflexible Heteroflexibility is a form of a sexual orientation or situational sexual behavior characterized by minimal homosexual activity in an otherwise primarily heterosexual orientation, which may or may not distinguish it from bisexuality. It has been ...

", stating that "as I get older, I find myself noticing women in sexual ways more than I ever have before." Kort is Jewish.

Publications

*''10 Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Improve Their Lives'' () *''10 Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Improve Their Lives; Second edition'' *''10 Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Find Real Love'' () *''Gay Affirmative Psychotherapy for the Straight Clinician'' () *''Is My Husband Straight, Gay, or Bi?'' (: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2014.) *"Sexual aftereffects in male survivors of childhood sexual abuse: orientation confusion, compulsions, kinky sexual interests, and dysfunctions" a chapter in ''Understanding the Sexual Betrayal of Boys and Men: The Trauma of Sexual Abuse'' () *''LGBTQ Clients in Therapy: Clinical Issues and Treatment Strategies''(: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (February 20, 2018)) *''Erotic Orientation: Helping Couples and Individuals Understand Their Sexual Lives'' () *''Cracking the Erotic Code: Helping Gay Men Understand Their Sexual Fantasies'' () *''LGBTQ Clients in Therapy: Clinical Issues and Treatment Strategies'' () *''Understanding the Sexual Betrayal of Boys and Men (Psychoanalysis in a New Key Book Series)'' ()

References

External links

*
Modern Sex Therapy Institutes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kort, Joe American self-help writers American gay writers 20th-century American Jews American social workers Living people 1963 births 21st-century American Jews