Charles Silverstein
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Charles Silverstein (April 23, 1935 – January 30, 2023) was an American writer,
therapist A therapist is a person who offers any kinds of therapy. Therapists are trained professionals in the field of any types of services like psychologists, social workers, counselors, etc. They are helpful in counseling individuals for various mental ...
, and LGBT rights advocate. He was best known for his presentation as a
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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 39,200 members who are in ...
in 1973 that led to the removal of homosexuality as a
mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...
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 com ...
''. He was also the founding
editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...
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 Ch ...
.''


Biography

Charles C. Silverstein was born at Beth-El Hospital to a
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family in
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, New York, on April 23, 1935. His father was a newspaper deliveryman, and his mother was a
homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American English, American and Canadian English, Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational ...
. He recalled his family experiencing
antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
early in his life. The family attempted to move to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
in 1946. There his father was fired; he recalled that his father's co-workers had threatened
strike action Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike in British English, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to Working class, work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Str ...
if the boss would not fire "that Jew". After this, the family moved back to Brooklyn. Silverstein studied
education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
at the
State University of New York at New Paltz The State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz or New Paltz) is a public university in New Paltz, New York. It traces its origins to the New Paltz Classical School, a secondary institution founded in 1828 and reorganized as an ...
, receiving his degree in 1959. He then became a teacher at
Chatsworth Avenue School Chatsworth Avenue School is a public elementary school located in Larchmont, New York. It was founded in 1902, as a two-room schoolhouse on Chatsworth Avenue. It has 3 floors and 4 extra classes that the kids partake in several times a week: Mu ...
, an
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in
Larchmont Larchmont is a village located within the Town of Mamaroneck in Westchester County, New York. Larchmont is a suburb of New York City, located approximately northeast of Midtown Manhattan. The population of the village is 6,453 as of the W ...
, for six years. He attended high school at the
School of Industrial Art The High School of Art and Design is a career and technical education high school in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1936 as the School of Industrial Art, the school moved to 1075 Second Avenue in 1960 and more recently, its Midtown Manha ...
in Manhattan. He then studied at the
City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...
in
clinical psychology Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well ...
for three years, but later became a student at
Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
. He joined the
Gay Activists Alliance The Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) was founded in New York City on December 21, 1969, almost six months after the Stonewall riots, by dissident members of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF). In contrast to the Liberation Front, the Activists Alliance ...
(GAA) in 1972; he later remarked that it was "an organization that many people will tell you it saved their lives, and I think it did for me." He also led student protests against the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. In 1973, as a Rutgers University graduate student and member of the GAA, he provided a key testimony (in which he utilized
satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...
) to the
American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychologists in the United States, and the largest psychological association in the world. It has over 170,000 members, including scientists, educators, clin ...
opposing the classification of homosexuality as a mental illness. Silverstein was one of several speakers who attended the panel: while he provided testimony from a psychologist's perspective,
Jean O'Leary Jean O'Leary (March 4, 1948 – June 4, 2005) was an American lesbian and gay rights activist. She was the founder of Lesbian Feminist Liberation, one of the first lesbian activist groups in the women's movement, and an early member and co-di ...
gave testimony at the same event from a
commoner A commoner, also known as the ''common man'', ''commoners'', the ''common people'' or the ''masses'', was in earlier use an ordinary person in a community or nation who did not have any significant social status, especially a member of neither ...
's perspective. In a 2003 interview he said, "I threw back at them their diagnoses over the decades and how funny it all sounds now, and pointed out that their fun had hurt a lot of people." That same year, Silverstein
came out as gay Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...
to his mother. He later earned his
PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in
social psychology Social psychology is the methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive topics as its counterpart in the field ...
from Rutgers University in 1974. After graduating from Rutgers University, he opened a private psychology practice. His essays and professional papers have been published widely in journals and anthologies. In 1977, Silverstein and
Edmund White Edmund Valentine White III (January 13, 1940 – June 3, 2025) was an American novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer, and essayist. A pioneering figure in LGBTQ and especially gay literature after the Stonewall riots, he wrote with ra ...
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 and was inspired by the bestselling 1972 book ''The Joy of Sex''. The original print run was for ...
'', described by ''
The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...
'' as a "landmark"
sex manual Sex manuals are books which explain how to perform sexual practices; they also commonly feature advice on birth control, and sometimes on safe sex and sexual relationships. Early sex manuals In the Graeco-Roman era, a sex manual was written ...
that has "educated generations of gay men". In one of his last interviews, Silverstein told 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 Ro ...
'' podcast in 2021, "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 was the founding director of the Institute for Human Identity, and the Identity House in New York City. He was the founding editor of the ''Journal of Homosexuality''. He was a member of the
American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychologists in the United States, and the largest psychological association in the world. It has over 170,000 members, including scientists, educators, clin ...
and was made a Fellow in 1987. He was 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. He was 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 main professional organization of psychologists in the United States, and the largest psychological association in the world. It has over 170,000 members, including scientists, educators, clin ...
. He advocated against
conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. Methods that have ...
, particularly aversion therapy. In 1995, he discussed the prospect of a cure for homosexuality to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', saying: "At most, it allows a person to develop some kind of relationship with a woman that most of the time will end badly. Even if it doesn't, the gay man invariably feels like a failure." In 2012, he told ''
The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide ''The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide'' (formerly ''The Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review'') is a bimonthly, nationally distributed magazine of history, culture, and politics for LGBT people and their allies who are interested in the gamut of social, ...
'' that the "amount of damage that has been done by the psychological and psychiatry professions to help people change — I see it every day at my practice... I think aversion therapy is a form of torture. I think that psychiatrists of that period enjoyed setting up a sado-masochist relationship between them and their patients." Silverstein died at his home in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
on January 30, 2023, at age 87; According to his
executor An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, is sometimes used. Executor of will An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker o ...
Aron Berlinger, Silverstein had been diagnosed with lung cancer.


Recognition

Silverstein received the Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in the Practice of Psychology from the American Psychological Association in 2011, for "his 40-year career challenging the criteria of social morality as the basis for diagnosing sexual disorders", "his presentation before the American Psychiatric Association to eliminate homosexuality as a mental disorder", "his founding two counseling centers for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (
LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
) people in order to deliver unbiased treatment", and "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 Ch ...
''." He was also featured in ''Cured'', a
documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
detailing the history of declassifying homosexuality as a mental illness. In 2017, he received an Achievement Award from GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality. In 2022, he received the Lifetime Achievement Social Justice Award from the
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) was founded in 1966. Its headquarters are in New York City and its membership includes researchers, psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians, social workers, marriage and family thera ...
.


Works


Books

*''
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 and was inspired by the bestselling 1972 book ''The Joy of Sex''. The original print run was for ...
'', co-authored with
Edmund White Edmund Valentine White III (January 13, 1940 – June 3, 2025) was an American novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer, and essayist. A pioneering figure in LGBTQ and especially gay literature after the Stonewall riots, he wrote with ra ...
(1977). *'' A Family Matter: A Parents' Guide to Homosexuality'' (1977). *'' Man to Man: Gay Couples in America'' (1982). *
Psychological and Medical Treatments of Homosexuality
', published as a chapter in
Homosexuality: Research Implications for Public Policy
' (1991). *'' Gays, Lesbians and Their Therapists: Studies in Psychotherapy'' (1991). *'' The New Joy of Gay Sex'', co-authored with
Felice Picano Felice Anthony Picano (February 22, 1944 – March 12, 2025) was an American writer, publisher and critic who encouraged the development of gay literature in the United States. His work is documented in many sources. Life and career Felice Ant ...
(1992). *''History of Treatment'', published as a chapter in '' Textbook of Homosexuality and Mental Health'' (1996). *''The Origins of the Gay Psychotherapy Movement'', published as a chapter in '' A Queer World: The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader'' (1997). *''The Initial Psychotherapy Interview: A Gay Man Seeks Treatment'' (2011). *''For the Ferryman: A Personal History'' (2011), Second Edition (2022).


Journal articles

*
"Even Psychiatry Can Profit From Its Past Mistakes"
' (Winter 1976–1977). ''
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 Ch ...
''. 2 (2): pages 153–158. *
Homosexuality and the Ethics of Behavioral Intervention: Paper 2
' (Spring 1977). ''Journal of Homosexuality''. 2 (3): pages 205–211. *
The Ethical and Moral Implications of Sexual Classification: A Commentary
' (1984). ''Journal of Homosexuality''. 9 (4): pages 29–38. Also published as a chapter i
''Gay Personality And Sexual Labeling''
(1985). *
The Borderline Personality Disorder and Gay People
' (1988). ''Journal of Homosexuality''. 15 (1–2): pages 185–212. Also published as a chapter in '' The Treatment of Homosexuals With Mental Health Disorders'' (1988) and '' Affirmative Dynamic Psychotherapy with Gay Men'' (1993). *
Facilitating Support Groups for Professionals Working with People with AIDS
' (March 1993). ''Social Work''. 38 (2): pages 144–151. Co-authored with Arnold H. Grossman. *
The Religious Conversion of Homosexuals: Subject Selection Is the 'Voir Dire' of Psychological Research
' (2003). '' Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy''. 7 (3): pages 31–53. *
Wearing Two Hats: The Psychologist as Activist and Therapist
' (2007). ''Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy''. 11 (3–4): pages 9–35. Also published as a chapter in
Activism and LGBT Psychology
' (2007). *
Are You Saying Homosexuality Is Normal?
' (October 11, 2008). ''
Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health The ''Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health'' is a peer-reviewed medical journal published by Routledge. It is the official journal for AGLP, the Association of LGBTQ+ Psychiatrists. The editor-in-chief is Chris Mcintosh. Former editors include ...
''. 12 (3): pages 277–287.


Letters and editorials

*
Editorial
' (1974). ''Journal of Homosexuality''. 1 (1): pages 5–7. *
Book Review For "Positively Gay"
' (January 1980). Book Reviews. ''SIECUS Report''.
SIECUS The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, or simply SIECUS, is a national, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., dedicated to advancing sex education through advocacy, policy, and coalition building. SIECUS ...
. 8 (3): pages 6–7. *
Book Review For "Counseling With Gay Men and Women: A Guide For Facilitating Positive Life-Styles"
' (September 1981). Book Reviews. ''SIECUS Report''. SIECUS. 10 (1): pages 22–23. *
The Implications of Removing Homosexuality from the DSM as a Mental Disorder
' (November 11, 2008). Letter to the Editor. ''
Archives of Sexual Behavior The ''Archives of Sexual Behavior'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed medical journal in sexology. It is the official publication of the International Academy of Sex Research. History The journal was established in 1971 by Richard Green, who served a ...
''. 38 (2): pages 161–163.


See also

*
LGBT culture in New York City New York City has been described as the gay village, gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ political sociology, sociopolitical ecosystem, and is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ+ populations. Br ...
*
LGBT people in science LGBT people in science are students, professionals, hobbyists, and anyone else who is LGBT and interested in science. The sexuality of many people in science remains up for debate by historians, largely due to the unaccepting cultures in which m ...
*
List of LGBT people from New York City New York City has been described as the gay village, gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ political sociology, sociopolitical ecosystem. It is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ populations. LGBTQ ...
*
NYC Pride March The NYC Pride March is an annual event celebrating the LGBT culture in New York City, LGBTQ community in New York City#Sexual orientation and gender identity, New York City. The largest pride parade and the List of largest LGBT events, larges ...


References


Further reading

*


External links


Institute for Human Identity
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silverstein, Charles 1935 births 2023 deaths 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American writers American gay writers American LGBTQ rights activists American LGBTQ scientists American self-help writers Gay scientists Jewish American activists Rutgers University alumni State University of New York at New Paltz alumni City College of New York alumni Gay Jews LGBTQ psychologists High School of Art and Design alumni