Implications of Behavioral Narratology for Psychotherapy, Help-Seeking Behavior, and Substance Use

The Treatment of LGBTQ+ Individuals in Behavior-Analytic Publications: A Historical Review

The purpose of this article is to review behavior-analytic publications to understand the field's history of including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ+) individuals in research publications. Twelve articles met the inclusionary criteria for review. The results of the review suggested that the representation of LGBTQ+ individuals is lacking in behavior-analytic literature. Of the 12 articles identified, two were categorized as experimental, three as commentaries, three as survey research, two as conceptual, and two as calls to action. The most prominent period for related publications was between 1973 and 1977, with long periods between other articles that were published in 1990, 1996, 2018, and 2019. Experiments published in the 1970s were associated with conversion therapy, to attempt to change an individual's sexual or gender identity. However, other behavior analysts in the 1970s opposed these experiments. Since these early experiments, there have been no other interventions targeted at affecting the lives of gender and sexual minorities. Behavior analysts must address issues of significance faced by LGBTQ+ individuals through increasing affirming practices, reducing health disparities, increasing safety in schools, and more.

"Why don't behavior analysts do something?"1 Behavior analysts' historical, present, and potential future actions on sexual and gender minority issues

For thousands of years, societies actively practiced the oppression, persecution, and dehumanization of sexual and gender minority (SGM) people (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals). Rekers and Lovaas' (1974) study is part of that history within behavior analysis. Following requests for retraction, the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and LeBlanc (2020) issued a formal Expression of Concern about the work. Continued conversation and debate have followed. First, we contextualize debate around retraction of Rekers and Lovaas and the history of behavior analysts' work on SGM issues. Second, we propose 5 steps that leaders in behavior analysis can take with relative immediacy, and we describe 5 research areas that individual behavior analysts could pursue. We conclude that behavior analysts can contribute much toward the liberation of SGM individuals if we begin to bring our science to bear on pressing, socially significant issues facing SGM communities.