Lady Gaga has said it. The Pope has said it. But are people really born gay? Lisa Diamond, a professor of psychology and gender studies, deconstructs the “born this way” argument and shows why it doesn’t advance LGBT equality.
About the speaker
Lisa Diamond is an author and professor of psychology and gender studies at the University of Utah. Lisa Diamond is Professor of Psychology and Gender Studies at the University of Utah. She studies the expression of sexual attractions and sexual identity over the lifetime, and the influences of early life experiences on later sexual development. Dr. Diamond is known for her research on sexual fluidity, which describes the capacity for individuals to experience shifts in their pattern of same-sex and other-sex attractions over time. Dr. Diamond is co-editor of the APA Handbook of Sexuality and Psychology and is a fellow of two divisions of the APA. Dr. Diamond has published over 100 articles and book chapters, and has been invited to present her research all over the world. She has received awards from the Developmental Psychology and LGBT Psychology Divisions of the APA, the American Association of University Women, the International Association for Relationship Research, the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.