German Society for Social-Scientific Sexuality Research
Encyclopedia
The German Society for Social-Scientific Sexuality Research [in German: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sozialwissenschaftliche Sexualforschung (DGSS)] is a sexuality
research and counselling organization (cf. sexology
). It is primarily devoted to sociological, behavioral, and cultural sexuality research. It was founded in 1971 by German sexologist Rolf Gindorf
and colleagues.
The DGSS is the oldest non-medical sexological society existing in German-language Europe
(i. e., Germany
, Austria
, Liechtenstein
, Luxembourg
, and parts of Switzerland
, Denmark
, Belgium
, France
, and Italy
). Its governing and international advisory boards have included many noted scholars, among them Rüdiger Lautmann, John Money
, Gisela Bleibtreu-Ehrenberg
, John Gagnon, Igor S. Kon
http://www.neuro.net.ru/sexology/english/, Liu Dalin
, and Martin S. Weinberg http://www.indiana.edu/~soc/zbio_Weinberg.shtml. Presidents were Rolf Gindorf
(1971-1979, Vice Pres. -2004, now Hon. Pres.), Helmut Kentler (1979-1982), Ernest Borneman
(1982-1986, now Hon. Pres.), Erwin J. Haeberle
(1986-2002), Gunter Runkel (2002-2006) http://www.sexologie.org/runkel.htm, and Jakob Pastoetter http://www.sexologie.org/topf/jmp.htm (2006-).
From the very beginning, the DGSS has emphasized the importance of the social, behavioral, and cultural sciences for an adequate understanding of the human sexualities in their many forms, facets, and variations. In addition to traditional sexological fields like biology
, physiology
, and medicine
, the DGSS focus has centered on the social sciences
, psychology
, and ethnology
, embracing also educational, legal, and historical aspects. In 1978, the DGSS added a pioneering counselling
institute ("DGSS-Institut") to its scientific and research activities. Since then, more than 33,000 clients received sexual counselling or psychotherapy
. Gay
, lesbian
and bisexual people form a considerable group. AIDS
counseling and HIV
antibody testing has been provided since 1983.
Under difficult circumstances, with habitually low financial resources and extremely modest outside support, the DGSS has nevertheless managed to hold increasingly successful national and international sexological congresses, establishing a close cooperation with most German and many foreign sexological societies. An impressive number of scientific publications, including many books and a book series ("Schriftenreihe Sozialwissenschaftliche Sexualforschung", Berlin/New York: W. de Gruyter, since 1986; Münster/Hamburg/London: LIT Verlag, since 2003) give a fairly adequate impression of sexological research by the DGSS and its members.
Since 1990, the DGSS has been awarding its Magnus Hirschfeld Medal
s for Sexual Science and for Sexual Reform. Recipients so far were Ernest Borneman
(Austria), John P. DeCecco (U.S.A.), Liu Dalin
(China), Jonathan Ned Katz
(U.S.A), Milton Diamond
(U.S.A), John Money
(U.S.A), Martin S. Weinberg (U.S.A.), Richard Green
(U.S.A/UK) and Hu Peicheng (China) for Sexual Science (Sexology
); Herman Musaph
(The Netherlands), Imre Aszódi (Hungary), Ruth Westheimer
(U.S.A.), Maj-Briht Bergström-Walan (Sweden), Oswalt Kolle
(The Netherlands), Manfred Bruns
(Germany), William Granzig
(U.S.A), Rolf Gindorf
, Rita Süssmuth
(Germany) and Robert T. Francoeur
(U.S.A.) for Sexual Reform.
Once the Berlin wall had fallen, the DGSS was able to move its congresses to the original birthplace of sexology, and to resume the tradition of the Berlin sexological conferences started in 1921 by Magnus Hirschfeld
. From July 25-27, 1997, the XIII. DGSS Congress of Social Scientific Sex Research, being at the same time the VI. International Berlin Conference for Sexology), took place at Berlin's old Humboldt University. Its theme: "100 Years of Gay Liberation
". Scientists (most of them gay) came from many countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Australia. - From June 29 through July 02, 2000, the XIV. DGSS Congress was held in conjunction with the V. Conference of the European Federation of Sexology (EFS) in Berlin's "House of World Cultures", hosting some 270 delegates from 34 countries. Its theme: "For A Millennium of Sexual Health". - In 2002, the XVth DGSS Conference from June 21 - 23 was moved, following the DGSS president-elect Gunter Runkel, to the romantic, historic town of Lüneburg
(near Hamburg
) and its modern university. Its general theme: "Sexualities in the Third Millennium - Recent Developments in Sexuality Research". Again, sexologists from many nations attended, colleagues from the United States forming the largest contingent. - In 2004, the XVI. DGSS Conference on "Sexualities and Social Change" was likewise held in Lüneburg, where also the XVII. Conference ("Sexuality and Love") took place on Sept. 22-24, 2006. The XVIIIth DGSS Conference ("Sexuality and the Media") will take place in Munich from Nov. 7-9, 2008, again with many Americans scheduled to attend.
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
research and counselling organization (cf. sexology
Sexology
Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behavior, and function. The term does not generally refer to the non-scientific study of sex, such as political analysis or social criticism....
). It is primarily devoted to sociological, behavioral, and cultural sexuality research. It was founded in 1971 by German sexologist Rolf Gindorf
Rolf Gindorf
Rolf Gindorf is a German sexologist. He is also a member of Mensa.-Life and work:Originally a graduate from a language school , Dr. Gindorf first worked as a translator...
and colleagues.
The DGSS is the oldest non-medical sexological society existing in German-language Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(i. e., Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
, Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, and parts of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
). Its governing and international advisory boards have included many noted scholars, among them Rüdiger Lautmann, John Money
John Money
John William Money was a psychologist, sexologist and author, specializing in research into sexual identity and biology of gender...
, Gisela Bleibtreu-Ehrenberg
Gisela Bleibtreu-Ehrenberg
Gisela Bleibtreu-Ehrenberg , M. A., Ph.D., is a German sociologist, ethnologist, sexologist, and writer further specializing into the fields of psychology, Indo-European studies, religious studies, and philosophy, since 1980 also increasingly anthropology...
, John Gagnon, Igor S. Kon
Igor Kon
Igor Semyonovich Kon was a Soviet and Russian philosopher, psychologist, and sexologist. His scientific publications have been translated into various languages.-Biography:...
http://www.neuro.net.ru/sexology/english/, Liu Dalin
Liu Dalin
Liu Dalin, also sometimes Dalin Liu or Ta-lin Liu, is a retired professor of sociology at Shanghai University who pioneered the field of sexology in China....
, and Martin S. Weinberg http://www.indiana.edu/~soc/zbio_Weinberg.shtml. Presidents were Rolf Gindorf
Rolf Gindorf
Rolf Gindorf is a German sexologist. He is also a member of Mensa.-Life and work:Originally a graduate from a language school , Dr. Gindorf first worked as a translator...
(1971-1979, Vice Pres. -2004, now Hon. Pres.), Helmut Kentler (1979-1982), Ernest Borneman
Ernest Borneman
Ernst Wilhelm Julius Bornemann was a German crime writer, filmmaker, anthropologist, ethnomusicologist, jazz musician, jazz critic, psychoanalyst, sexologist, and committed socialist. All these diverse interests, he claimed, had a common root in his lifelong insatiable curiosity...
(1982-1986, now Hon. Pres.), Erwin J. Haeberle
Erwin J. Haeberle
Erwin J. Haeberle is a German social scientist and sexologist.Haeberle was born on 30 March 1936 in Dortmund, Germany. From 1956 - 1963 he studied drama, German, English literature, and French literature at the University of Cologne, University of Freiburg, University of Glasgow, and University of...
(1986-2002), Gunter Runkel (2002-2006) http://www.sexologie.org/runkel.htm, and Jakob Pastoetter http://www.sexologie.org/topf/jmp.htm (2006-).
From the very beginning, the DGSS has emphasized the importance of the social, behavioral, and cultural sciences for an adequate understanding of the human sexualities in their many forms, facets, and variations. In addition to traditional sexological fields like biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
, and medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, the DGSS focus has centered on the social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
, psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, and ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
, embracing also educational, legal, and historical aspects. In 1978, the DGSS added a pioneering counselling
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
institute ("DGSS-Institut") to its scientific and research activities. Since then, more than 33,000 clients received sexual counselling or psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
. Gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
and bisexual people form a considerable group. AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
counseling and HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
antibody testing has been provided since 1983.
Under difficult circumstances, with habitually low financial resources and extremely modest outside support, the DGSS has nevertheless managed to hold increasingly successful national and international sexological congresses, establishing a close cooperation with most German and many foreign sexological societies. An impressive number of scientific publications, including many books and a book series ("Schriftenreihe Sozialwissenschaftliche Sexualforschung", Berlin/New York: W. de Gruyter, since 1986; Münster/Hamburg/London: LIT Verlag, since 2003) give a fairly adequate impression of sexological research by the DGSS and its members.
Since 1990, the DGSS has been awarding its Magnus Hirschfeld Medal
Magnus Hirschfeld Medal
The Magnus Hirschfeld Medal is awarded by the German Society for Social-Scientific Sexuality Research for outstanding service to sexual science, granted in the categories "Sexual Research" and "Sexual Reform"...
s for Sexual Science and for Sexual Reform. Recipients so far were Ernest Borneman
Ernest Borneman
Ernst Wilhelm Julius Bornemann was a German crime writer, filmmaker, anthropologist, ethnomusicologist, jazz musician, jazz critic, psychoanalyst, sexologist, and committed socialist. All these diverse interests, he claimed, had a common root in his lifelong insatiable curiosity...
(Austria), John P. DeCecco (U.S.A.), Liu Dalin
Liu Dalin
Liu Dalin, also sometimes Dalin Liu or Ta-lin Liu, is a retired professor of sociology at Shanghai University who pioneered the field of sexology in China....
(China), Jonathan Ned Katz
Jonathan Ned Katz
Jonathan Ned Katz is an American historian of human sexuality who has focused on same-sex attraction and changes in the social organization of sexuality over time...
(U.S.A), Milton Diamond
Milton Diamond
Milton Diamond is a retired professor of anatomy and reproductive biology at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. He has had a very long and productive career in the study of human sexuality...
(U.S.A), John Money
John Money
John William Money was a psychologist, sexologist and author, specializing in research into sexual identity and biology of gender...
(U.S.A), Martin S. Weinberg (U.S.A.), Richard Green
Richard Green
Richard Green may refer to:*Richard Green , American actor*Richard J. Green , American chemist*Richard Green , English cricketer*Richard K...
(U.S.A/UK) and Hu Peicheng (China) for Sexual Science (Sexology
Sexology
Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behavior, and function. The term does not generally refer to the non-scientific study of sex, such as political analysis or social criticism....
); Herman Musaph
Herman Musaph
Herman Musaph was a Dutch holocaust survivor, psychiatrist, dermatologist and sexologist.Musaph was born in Amsterdam. He studied medicine at the University of Amsterdam. In 1977 Musaph became Professor of Medicine at the University of Utrecht...
(The Netherlands), Imre Aszódi (Hungary), Ruth Westheimer
Ruth Westheimer
Ruth Westheimer is an American sex therapist, media personality, and author. Best known as Dr. Ruth, the New York Times described her as a "Sorbonne-trained psychologist who became a kind of cultural icon in the 1980s...
(U.S.A.), Maj-Briht Bergström-Walan (Sweden), Oswalt Kolle
Oswalt Kolle
Oswalt Kolle was a German sex educator, who became famous during the late 1960s and early 1970s for his numerous pioneering books and films on human sexuality. His work was translated into all major languages, while his films found an audience of 140 million worldwide. In his 1997 book Open to...
(The Netherlands), Manfred Bruns
Manfred Bruns
Manfred Bruns is former attorney general at the Federal Court of Justice of Germany, and is a famous German gay civil rights activist. He is a member of the Board of Director of the Lesbian and Gay Association .-References:...
(Germany), William Granzig
William Granzig
William Granzig, Ph.D., MPH, FAACS is an American sexologist.He is the President and Professor and Dean of Clinical Sexology at Maimonides University in North Miami Beach, Florida. He is the Director and primary professor of the university's sexology program. Dr...
(U.S.A), Rolf Gindorf
Rolf Gindorf
Rolf Gindorf is a German sexologist. He is also a member of Mensa.-Life and work:Originally a graduate from a language school , Dr. Gindorf first worked as a translator...
, Rita Süssmuth
Rita Süssmuth
Rita Süssmuth is a German politician and a member of the Christian Democratic Union .From 1985 to 1988, Süssmuth was Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth under Chancellor Helmut Kohl. She was a member of the German Bundestag from 1987 to 2002...
(Germany) and Robert T. Francoeur
Robert T. Francoeur
Robert T. Francoeur , Ph.D., A.C.S., is an American biologist and sexologist.Dr. Francoeur was born on October 18, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan. He earned a B.A. in philosophy and English at Sacred Heart College in 1953, a M.A. in Catholic theology at Saint Vincent College in 1957, a M.S. in biology...
(U.S.A.) for Sexual Reform.
Once the Berlin wall had fallen, the DGSS was able to move its congresses to the original birthplace of sexology, and to resume the tradition of the Berlin sexological conferences started in 1921 by Magnus Hirschfeld
Magnus Hirschfeld
Magnus Hirschfeld was a German physician and sexologist. An outspoken advocate for sexual minorities, Hirschfeld founded the Scientific Humanitarian Committee, which Dustin Goltz called "the first advocacy for homosexual and transgender rights."-Early life:Hirschfeld was born in Kolberg in a...
. From July 25-27, 1997, the XIII. DGSS Congress of Social Scientific Sex Research, being at the same time the VI. International Berlin Conference for Sexology), took place at Berlin's old Humboldt University. Its theme: "100 Years of Gay Liberation
Gay Liberation
Gay liberation is the name used to describe the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movement of the late 1960s and early to mid 1970s in North America, Western Europe, and Australia and New Zealand...
". Scientists (most of them gay) came from many countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Australia. - From June 29 through July 02, 2000, the XIV. DGSS Congress was held in conjunction with the V. Conference of the European Federation of Sexology (EFS) in Berlin's "House of World Cultures", hosting some 270 delegates from 34 countries. Its theme: "For A Millennium of Sexual Health". - In 2002, the XVth DGSS Conference from June 21 - 23 was moved, following the DGSS president-elect Gunter Runkel, to the romantic, historic town of Lüneburg
Lüneburg
Lüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
(near Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
) and its modern university. Its general theme: "Sexualities in the Third Millennium - Recent Developments in Sexuality Research". Again, sexologists from many nations attended, colleagues from the United States forming the largest contingent. - In 2004, the XVI. DGSS Conference on "Sexualities and Social Change" was likewise held in Lüneburg, where also the XVII. Conference ("Sexuality and Love") took place on Sept. 22-24, 2006. The XVIIIth DGSS Conference ("Sexuality and the Media") will take place in Munich from Nov. 7-9, 2008, again with many Americans scheduled to attend.