March 3, 1998
Contact: Laura Montgomery Rutt
As the date for the trial of the Reverend Jimmy Creech approaches, experts attending the trial are lined up to testify. Gregory M. Herek, an internationally recognized authority on prejudice against lesbians and gay men, anti-gay violence, and AIDS-related stigma is one of the witnesses on behalf of the Rev. Jimmy Creech.
The Rev. Creech of First United Methodist Church of Omaha is on trial in The United Methodist Church on March 11 - 13, 1998, for granting the wishes of two women in his congregation who wanted to commit themselves to one another in sickness and in health 'til death parted them. The trial is taking place in Kearney, Nebraska.
Dr. Herek's testimony is expected to shed light on misconceptions surrounding sexual orientation and sexual identity issues. He has served as consultant and expert witness for numerous legal cases involving the civil rights of lesbians and gay men, including many cases challenging the military's personnel policy
Gregory M. Herek is a Research Psychologist at the University of California at Davis (UCD). His edited and coedited books include Hate Crimes: Confronting Violence Against Lesbians and Gay Men (1992, Sage Publications), AIDS, Identity, and Community: HIV and Lesbians and Gay Men (Sage, 1995), Out in Force: Sexual Orientation and the Military (University of Chicago Press, 1996), and Stigma and Sexual Orientation (Sage, 1998). He is currently writing a book on sexual prejudice, which will be published by the University of Chicago Press. Dr. Herek also serves as consulting editor for several academic journals, including The Journal of Sex Research, Basic and Applied Social Psychology, and the Journal of Homosexuality.
Dr. Herek is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Psychological Society (APS). He is the recipient of several awards from the APA, and is past chairperson of the APA Committee on Lesbian and Gay Concerns. He also served on the APA Task Force on Avoiding Heterosexist Bias in Research and the APA Task Force on AIDS.
See Also: MFSA's Letter Writing Campaign.