Renelle Massey, Ph.D.
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Honored for Work as a Psychologist Dr. Renelle Massey was accepted into the membership of the Georgia Psychological Association (GPA) in 1989 and soon became involved in several committees within the organization, including Legal and Legislative Affairs and Ethnic Minority Affairs. In her work with GPA, she has focused on encouraging the organization to put its resources to work on behalf of the public. She has supported GPA's informing the public and elected officials about psychological research and experience relevant to public policy, such as child protection, domestic violence, animal cruelty, and other issues. In 1992, Dr. Massey began organizing a committee specifically to address the rights and needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) community. The Committee on Sexual Orientation Concerns (CSOC) was approved in 1993, and was only the ninth such group in a state psychology organization in the United States of America. CSOC wrote several position papers on legislative issues, such as same-sex parents and discrimination, which GPA approved. The Committee conducted public education seminars, workshops with colleagues, and dialogues with policy-makers. CSOC members also provided pro bono guidance and group facilitation which helped create the group YouthPride, an organization which supports and helps LGBT youth. The Committee submitted an amicus ("friend of the court") brief in the Shahar v. Bowers case. CSOC began its annual information booth at the Pride Festival, which also has been a site to conduct numerous studies of the LGBT community. In 1994, Dr. Massey was elected a Fellow of GPA, which is a rare honor. She was nominated and approved, by other Fellows, in recognition of her contribution to GPA in broadening its outreach to the public. Her efforts helped in the organization's overall increased application of psychological knowledge for the public good. Eventually, CSOC grew into a full-fledged division within GPA. As Division H, dealing with Human Sexuality, the efforts to educate the public, legislators, and colleagues on LGBT issues have continued. Directories of LGBT-affirmative psychologists have been developed and updated over the years. Division H has also taken on other projects, such as a drive to raise goods for survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. In 2002, Dr. Massey received the Outstanding Achievement Award for Contribution to the Psychological Well-Being of the LGBT Community due to her efforts to improve public support, professional knowledge, and legal policy for LGBT persons. |
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1244 Clairmont Road, Suite 101, Decatur, GA 30030 Phone:
404-292-3400 Fax: 404-292-3444 |