Herek Statement to UC Regents on Research Relevant to Domestic Partners

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		Statement by Gregory M. Herek, Ph.D., to the Regents of the University of California September 18, 1997


	My name is Gregory Herek. I am a Research Psychologist in the Department of Psychology at UC Davis. My research and professional publications focus on sexual orientation, heterosexuals' attitudes toward homosexuality, and public reactions to AIDS. In my 8 years at UCD, I have secured more than $5 million in research grants related to these topics. I was asked today to provide the Regents with a brief summary of scientific research findings on sexual orientation that might be relevant to your deliberations about domestic partners policies. I would summarize those findings in 4 main points.
Differences between heterosexuals and homosexuals	Heterosexuals and homosexuals have been found to differ from each other consistently in only two significant ways: the sex of the people to whom they are sexually attracted and with whom they establish intimate relationships; and the fact that lesbians and gay men experience widespread hostility, differential treatment, and even violence based on their sexual orientation. No significant, consistent differences have been found between heterosexuals and homosexuals in their overall levels of psychological adjustment, their ability to form and maintain ongoing intimate relationships, their ability to be good parents, or their ability to function competently in the workplace.
Origin and choice	We do not know the relative extent to which sexual orientation is shaped by genetic and environmental forces. Like most heterosexuals, most lesbians and gay men do not choose their sexual orientation, nor are they able to change it. Rather, most report that they experience their sexuality as a core part of their identity with longstanding roots.
Relationships	We see tremendous variability in intimate relationships among heterosexuals and homosexuals alike. Homosexual and heterosexual couples show similar ranges of variability in the duration of their relationships, their satisfaction with those relationships, their psychological adjustment within those relationships, and the ways that their relationships develop and change over time.
Mental Health	Heterosexuals and homosexuals do not differ significantly in their levels of psychological functioning. Recognizing this fact, the American Psychiatric Association and American Psychological Association do not consider homosexuality a form of mental illness in any way, and have taken many affirmative steps in the past quarter century to eliminate the stigma historically associated with a homosexual orientation.
	Download Dr. Herek's handout to the UC Regents (requires Adobe Acrobat reader, version 5, which can be downloaded free of charge)
		Domestic Partner Benefits at the University of California


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