Prof. Gregory M. Herek, Ph.D.
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Professor Herek's work focuses on issues of prejudice and stigma, especially as they apply to sexual orientation and HIV/AIDS. His major research projects have included studies of sexual prejudice in the US population, the mental health consequences of hate crimes against lesbians and gay men, and the impact of stigma on sexual minorities and people with HIV/AIDS.
In the policy arena, he has contributed extensively to amicus briefs filed by the American Psychological Association (APA) and other professional associations in court cases concerning marriage equality for same-sex couples, sodomy laws, military personnel policy, and other issues. In addition, he has served as a consultant and expert witness for numerous legal cases involving the civil rights of lesbians and gay men and people with AIDS. Examples include Perry v. Schwarzenegger, in which California's Proposition 8 was declared unconstitutional, and Pickup v. Brown, in which a California law prohibiting state-licensed mental health providers from attempting to change the sexual orientation of minors from homosexual to heterosexual was upheld.
A Fellow of the APA and the Association for Psychological Science, Professor Herek received the 1996 APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest, and the 2006 Kurt Lewin Memorial Award from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (APA Division 9). 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.
For a list of books, articles, and chapters by Professor Herek, please visit:
http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/bibliography.html
Prof. Herek retired from UC Davis in 2016.
Primary Interests:
- Law and Public Policy
- Prejudice and Stereotyping
- Research Methods, Assessment
- Sexuality, Sexual Orientation
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Video Gallery
Gays Prone to Attacks, Need More Protection
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1:50 Gays Prone to Attacks, Need More Protection
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00:21:01 Stigma From Science: Group Differences, Not Group Deficits
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00:44:37 What Social Science Can Tell the Courts About Sexual Orientation
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6:50 How a 1940s Psychology Study Sparked the Modern Gay Rights Movement
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Books:
Journal Articles:
- Herek, G. M. (2014). Evaluating the methodology of social science research on sexual orientation and parenting: A tale of three studies. UC Davis Law Review, 48(2), 583-622.
- Herek, G. M. (2010). Sexual orientation differences as deficits: Science and stigma in the history of American psychology. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5, 693-699.
- Herek, G. M. (2009). Hate crimes and stigma-related experiences among sexual minority adults in the United States: Prevalence estimates from a national probability sample. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 24, 54-74.
- Herek, G. M. (2007). Confronting sexual stigma and prejudice: Theory and practice. Journal of Social Issues, 63, 905-925.
- Herek, G. M. (2006). Legal recognition of same-sex relationships in the United States: A social science perspective. American Psychologist, 61, 607-621.
- Herek, G. M. (2004). Beyond "homophobia": Thinking about sexual prejudice and stigma in the twenty-first century. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 1(2), 6-24.
- Herek, G. M. (2002). Gender gaps in public opinion about lesbians and gay men. Public Opinion Quarterly, 66(1), 40-66.
- Herek, G. M., Capitanio, J. P., & Widaman, K. F. (2002). HIV-related stigma and knowledge in the United States: Prevalence and trends, 1991-1999. American Journal of Public Health, 92(3), 371-377.
- Herek, G. M., & Garnets, L. D. (2007). Sexual orientation and mental health. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 3, 353-375.
- Herek, G. M., Gillis, J. R., & Cogan, J. C. (2009). Internalized stigma among sexual minority adults: Insights from a social psychological perspective. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56, 32-43.
- Herek, G. M., Gillis, J. R., & Cogan, J. C. (1999). Psychological sequelae of hate crime victimization among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 945-951.
- Herek, G. M., & Gonzalez, M. (2006). Attitudes toward homosexuality among U.S. residents of Mexican descent. Journal of Sex Research, 43(2), 122-135.
- Herek, G. M., & McLemore, K. A. (2013). Sexual prejudice. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 309-333.
- Herek, G. M., Norton, A. T., Allen, T. J., & Sims, C. L. (2010). Demographic, psychological, and social characteristics of self-identified lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in a US probability sample. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 7, 176-200.
- Herek, G. M., Saha, S., & Burack, J. (2013). Stigma and psychological distress in people with HIV/AIDS. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 35, 41-54.
- Norton, A. T., & Herek, G. M. (2013). Heterosexuals’ attitudes toward transgender people: Findings from a national probability sample of U.S. adults. Sex Roles, 68, 738-753.
Other Publications:
- Herek, G. M. (2018). Setting the record "straight": Communicating findings from social science research on sexual orientation to the courts. In P. L. Hammack (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Social Psychology and Social Justice (pp. 405-425). New York: Oxford University Press.
- Herek, G. M. (2013). HIV-related stigma. In P. W. Corrigan (Ed.), The stigma of disease and disability: Empirical models and implications for change (pp. 121-138). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
- Herek, G. M. (2009). Sexual stigma and sexual prejudice in the United States: A conceptual framework. In D. A. Hope (Ed.), Contemporary perspectives on lesbian, gay and bisexual identities: The 54th Nebraska Symposium on Motivation (pp. 65-111). New York: Springer.
Prof. Gregory M. Herek, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
University of California
Davis, California 95616-8686
United States of America