On Our Memory of Gay Sullivan: A Hidden Trajectory

Abstract

This article examines psychiatrist Harry Stack Sullivan's approach to the issue of homosexuality. Sullivan (1892-1949), well-known for his interpersonal theory of mental illness, is believed to have accomplished a high recovery rate in his treatment of schizophrenia during the 1920s. Most of his patients, as well as Sullivan himself, were concerned about their "homosexual" orientations. He encouraged physical affection between male patients and male attendants, believing that it would free patients from their guilt for their "unconventional" sexuality. But he kept his compelling practice hidden, not bringing it into open discussion to confront the definition of homosexuality as "sickness." This article traces the process in which the omission of the important aspect of Sullivan's practice began during his lifetime and continued in the scholarship since. In so doing, the article suggests a nuanced understanding of this important figure in the U.S. intellectual and cultural history of homosexuality.

Community-Engaged Research to Identify House Parent Perspectives on Support and Risk Within the House and Ball Scene

“…This support can be crucial to the health and well-being of AAYMSM who have experienced rejection or discrimination from their family, peers, the larger African American community, and society in general. This rejection and discrimination can in turn contribute to the negative health outcomes of discrimination and homophobia including psychological distress, substance use and high-risk sex use (Rosser, Bockting, Ross, Miner, & Coleman, 2008; Wong, Weiss, Ayala, & Kipke, 2010). …”

“It’s Like Our Own Little World”: Resilience as a Factor in Participating in the Ballroom Community Subculture

“…This support can be crucial to the health and well-being of AAYMSM who have experienced rejection or discrimination from their family, peers, the larger African American community, and society in general. This rejection and discrimination can in turn contribute to the negative health outcomes that result from heterosexism and homophobia, including psychological distress (48, 49), substance use (13) and high-risk sex (50). Therefore, encouraging AAYMSM and others participating in HIV prevention programs to freely identify their family and not limiting them to biological or other more traditional family structures may be important for intervention development.…”