Last updated on: 1/23/2012 | Author: ProCon.org

Wayne R. Dynes, PhD Biography

Title:
Professor Emeritus in the Art Department at Hunter College
Position:
Not Clearly Pro or Con to the question "Is Sexual Orientation Determined at Birth?"
Reasoning:

“It is tempting, but simplistic to attribute homosexual behavior simply to biological factors. Yet to exclude such factors altogether, stigmatizing this kind of study as ‘biologism,’ as is done by some environmentalists and egalitarians, would be to err in the opposite direction. It is true that some studies seeking to demonstrate biological foundations of homosexual behavior have been poorly designed and tendentious, but future work may be more convincing.”

Homosexuality: A Research Guide, 1987
Theoretical Expertise Ranking:
    Experts
Individuals with PhDs or equivalent advanced degrees in fields relevant to human sexuality. Also top-level government officials (such as foreign leaders, US presidents, Founding Fathers, Supreme Court Justices, members of legislative bodies, cabinet members, military leaders, etc.) with positions relevant to human sexuality.
Involvement and Affiliations:
  • Professor Emeritus, Art Department, Hunter College, 1972-2005
  • Former Member, Gay Academic Union
  • Former Professor, Department of Art History and Archaeology, Columbia University
  • Former Member, Mattachine Society of New York
  • Fulbright Scholar, 1960s
  • Translation Editor, McGraw Hill, 1958-1963
Education:
  • PhD, Institute of Fine Arts of New York University, 1969
  • BA, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), 1956
Other:
  • Has traveled to 45 countries and speaks five languages