Richard Pillard
Encyclopedia
Richard Colestock Pillard (born 11 October 1933) is a professor of psychiatry
at the Boston University
School of Medicine best known for his work on biology and sexual orientation
. He was the first openly gay psychiatrist in the United States.
. He briefly attended Swarthmore College
before transferring to Antioch College
, where his father Basil H. Pillard was an English Professor. Pillard received his B.A.
from Antioch. He then earned his M.D.
from University of Rochester
, with his internship at Boston City Hospital
.
Pillard married Vassar graduate Cornelia Livingston Cromwell in 1958, while he was in medical school. They later divorced when he was in his thirties, and Pillard now identifies as gay
. He has three daughters. The oldest daughter, Victoris (Vicky) Pillard, is a pediatrician practicing in Amherst, Massachusetts. His second daughter, Cornelia T. L. (Nina) Pillard, is a Georgetown University Law Center
professor and was formerly assistant to Attorney General Janet Reno
. His youngest daughter, Elizabeth Jane (Eliza) Pillard, is a social worker specializing in child psychiatric issues in Vermont.
Chandler Burr
reported that Pillard jokes "he is uniquely equipped to investigate whether homosexuality has a biological basis: he, his brother, and his sister are gay, and Pillard believes that his father may have been gay. One of Pillard's three daughters from a marriage early in life is bisexual. This family history seems to invite a biological explanation, and it made Pillard start thinking about the origins of sexual orientation."
co-authored a paper which found that homosexuality
runs in some families. Pillard feels this is some of his most significant work, and that paper won the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality
Hugo Beigel Award for the best paper published in The Journal of Sex Research.
Pillard is also well-known for a series of studies he coauthored with J. Michael Bailey
, which examined the rate of concordance
of sexual identity among monozygotic twins, dizygotic twins of the same sex, non-twin siblings of the same sex, and adoptive siblings of the same sex. In all studies they found rates of concordance variantly consistent with the hypothesis
that homosexuality has a significant genetic
component. The Council for Responsible Genetics
and other researchers have criticized this work for using a self-selected
sample, a problem which later studies have attempted to remedy.
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
at the Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
School of Medicine best known for his work on biology and sexual orientation
Biology and sexual orientation
Biology and sexual orientation is the subject of research into the role of biology in the development of human sexual orientation. No simple, single cause for sexual orientation has been conclusively demonstrated, but research suggests that it is by a combination of genetic, hormonal, and...
. He was the first openly gay psychiatrist in the United States.
Early life and family
Pillard was born in Springfield, OhioSpringfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
. He briefly attended Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
before transferring to Antioch College
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
, where his father Basil H. Pillard was an English Professor. Pillard received his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Antioch. He then earned his M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
from University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, with his internship at Boston City Hospital
Boston City Hospital
The Boston City Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, was "intended for the use and comfort of poor patients, to whom medical care will be provided at the expense of the city, and .....
.
Pillard married Vassar graduate Cornelia Livingston Cromwell in 1958, while he was in medical school. They later divorced when he was in his thirties, and Pillard now identifies as gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
. He has three daughters. The oldest daughter, Victoris (Vicky) Pillard, is a pediatrician practicing in Amherst, Massachusetts. His second daughter, Cornelia T. L. (Nina) Pillard, is a Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
professor and was formerly assistant to Attorney General Janet Reno
Janet Reno
Janet Wood Reno is a former Attorney General of the United States . She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on February 11, 1993, and confirmed on March 11...
. His youngest daughter, Elizabeth Jane (Eliza) Pillard, is a social worker specializing in child psychiatric issues in Vermont.
Chandler Burr
Chandler Burr
Chandler Burr is an American journalist, author, and museum curator. Since December 2010 he has been curator of olfactory art at the Museum of Art and Design in New York City....
reported that Pillard jokes "he is uniquely equipped to investigate whether homosexuality has a biological basis: he, his brother, and his sister are gay, and Pillard believes that his father may have been gay. One of Pillard's three daughters from a marriage early in life is bisexual. This family history seems to invite a biological explanation, and it made Pillard start thinking about the origins of sexual orientation."
Heritability of sexual orientation
He and biologist James D. WeinrichJames D. Weinrich
James Donald "Jim" Weinrich is an American sex researcher and psychobiologist. Much of his work examines the relationship of biology and sexual orientation. He won the Outstanding Contributions to Sexual Science Award at the 2011 Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality Western Region annual...
co-authored a paper which found that homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
runs in some families. Pillard feels this is some of his most significant work, and that paper won the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality
Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality
The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality , formed in 1957, is a non-profit, professional membership organization that says it is "the oldest professional society dedicated to the advancement of knowledge about sexuality." It reports to have more than 1,000 members and has a quarterly...
Hugo Beigel Award for the best paper published in The Journal of Sex Research.
Pillard is also well-known for a series of studies he coauthored with J. Michael Bailey
J. Michael Bailey
John Michael Bailey is an American psychologist and professor at Northwestern University. He is best known among scientists for his work on the etiology of sexual orientation, from which he concluded that homosexuality is substantially inherited...
, which examined the rate of concordance
Concordance (genetics)
Concordance as used in genetics usually means the presence of the same trait in both members of a pair of twins. However, the strict definition is the probability that a pair of individuals will both have a certain characteristic, given that one of the pair has the characteristic. For example,...
of sexual identity among monozygotic twins, dizygotic twins of the same sex, non-twin siblings of the same sex, and adoptive siblings of the same sex. In all studies they found rates of concordance variantly consistent with the hypothesis
Hypothesis
A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. The term derives from the Greek, ὑποτιθέναι – hypotithenai meaning "to put under" or "to suppose". For a hypothesis to be put forward as a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it...
that homosexuality has a significant genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
component. The Council for Responsible Genetics
Council for Responsible Genetics
The Council for Responsible Genetics is a non-profit NGO with a focus on biotechnology.- History :The Council for Responsible Genetics was founded in 1983 in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
and other researchers have criticized this work for using a self-selected
Self-selection
In statistics, self-selection bias arises in any situation in which individuals select themselves into a group, causing a biased sample with nonprobability sampling...
sample, a problem which later studies have attempted to remedy.