Simon LeVay, Ph.D.

email: slevay at aol.com

home page: http://members.aol.com/slevay/index.html

 

Date of birth:          August 28, 1943

Place of birth:         Oxford, England

Citizenship: U.S. (Naturalized)

 

Education:

 

University of Cambridge, England (B.A.,  Natural Sciences, 1966)

University of Göttingen, Germany (Ph.D., Neuroanatomy, 1971)

Harvard Medical School (Postdoctoral Reseach Fellow, 1972-1974)

 

Academic Appointments

 

1974-1974             Instructor, Dept. of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School

1975-1980 Assistant Professor of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School

1980-1984 Associate Professor of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School

1983-1984 Affiliate and Member of Working Committee, Program in Neurosciences, Harvard University

1984-1993 Associate Professor, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA

1985-1993 Adjunct Associate Professor of Biology, University of California, San Diego.

2003          Lecturer, Stanford University

 

Service Positions

 

1992-1998 Co-founder and Chair of Board of Directors, Institute of Gay and Lesbian Education, West Hollywood, CA.

1996-1999 Member of Advisory Board, School's Out!, Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.

1998          Member, NASA Astrobiology Roadmap Committee

 

Awards

 

1976-1982 Research Career Development Award, National Institutes of Health

1993          Community Service Award, Southern California Physicians for Human   Rights

1993                                Howard Brown Award, Christopher Street West

 

Teaching Experience

 

1970-1972 Instructor in Neuroanatomy, University of Göttingen

1972-1974 Lecturer in Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School

1975-1984 Co-Director, Neurobiology 710: Introduction to the Nervous System, Harvard Medical School

1975-1984 Director, Neurobiology 208: Advanced Neurobiology: Physiology of the Central Nervous System, Harvard Medical School

1984-1992 Lecturer in Neurobiology courses at University of California, San Diego, (Co-Director: Biology 156; Guest lecturer, Biology 12, Biology 234; Neuroscience 256, Neuroscience 262) and at University of California, Irvine (Guest lecturer, Introductory Neurobiology: Neural Systems).

1992-1997 Instructor in various classes at the Institute of Gay and Lesbian Education.

2003          Director, Human Biology 10: Human Sexuality, Stanford University

 

Books (more details)

 

Non-Fiction:

 

LeVay, S. (1993). The Sexual Brain. Cambridge: MIT Press. Also published in French (Flammarion), German (Spektrum), Spanish (Alianza), Italian (Laterza), Dutch (Bert Bakker), Japanese, Greek (Sunalma), and Portuguese (Institute Piaget) translations.

 

LeVay, S., and Nonas, E. (1995). City of Friends: A Protrait of the Gay and Lesbian Community in America. Cambridge: MIT Press.

 

LeVay, S. (1996). Queer Science: The Use and Abuse of Research into Homosexuality.  Cambridge: MIT Press. Also published in Japanese (Keiso Shobo) translation.

 

Sieh, K., and LeVay, S. (1998). The Earth in Turmoil: Earthquakes and Volcanoes and their Impact on Humankind.. New York: W.H. Freeman.

 

Koerner, D., and LeVay, S. (2000). Here Be Dragons: The Scientific Quest for Extraterrestrial Life. New York: Oxford University Press.

 

Freed, C., and LeVay, S. (2002). Healing the Brain: A Doctor’s Controversial Quest for a Cure for Parkinson’s Disease. New York: Times Books.

 

LeVay, S. (forthcoming early 2008). When Science Goes Wrong: Tales from the Dark Side of Discovery. New York: Plume Books.

 

Textbook:

 

LeVay, S., and Valente, S.M. (2002. Second edition, 2006) Human Sexuality. Sunderland: Sinauer Associates.

 

Fiction:

 

LeVay, S. (1997). Albrick's Gold. New York: Richard Kasak Books. Also published in a British (Hodder Headline) edition.

 

Scientific Papers:

 

LeVay, S. Eine elektronenmikroskopische Untersuchung am Corpus geniculatum laterale des Affen: die synaptischen Verbindungen und die Effekte der Augenenukleation. Doctoral dissertation in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Göttingen, Germany, 1971.

 

LeVay, S. Meier, C. and Glees, P. Effects of tri-ortho-cresyl-phosphate on spinal ganglia and peripheral nerves of chicken. Acta Neuropathol. 17:103-113 (1971).

 

LeVay, S. On the neurons and synapses of the lateral geniculate nucleus of the monkey, and the effects of eye enucleation. Z. Zellforsch. 113:396-419 (1971).

 

LeVay, S. Synaptic patterns in the visual cortex of the cat and monkey. Electron microscopy of Golgi preparations. J. Comp. Neurol. 150:53-86 (1973).

 

LeVay, S. Hubel, D.H. and Wiesel, T.N., The pattern of ocular dominance columns in macaque visual cortex revealed by a reduced silver stain.  J. Comp. Neurol. 159:559-576 (1975).

 

LeVay, S., Hubel, D.H. and Wiesel, T.N., Mode of termination of retinotectal fibers in macaque monkey: an autoradiographic study.  Brain Res. 96:25-40 (1975).

 

Hubel, D.H., Wiesel. T.N. and LeVay, S.  Functional architecture of area 17 in normal and monocularly deprived macaque monkey. Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 40:581-589 (1975).

 

LeVay, S. and Gilbert, C.D. Laminar patterns of geniculocortical projection in the cat. Brain Res. 113:1-19 (1976).

 

LeVay, S., Effects of visual deprivation on polyribosome aggregation in visual cortex of the cat. Brain Res. 119:73-86 (1977).

 

LeVay, S., and Ferster, D., Relay cell classes in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the cat and the effects of visual deprivation. J. Comp. Neurol. 172:563-584 (1977).

 

Hubel, D.H., Wiesel, T.N. and LeVay, S., Plasticity of ocular dominance columns in monkey striate cortex. Phil. Trans, R. Soc. Lond. B, 278: 337-409 (1977).

 

Ferster, D. and LeVay, S.,  The axonal arborizations of lateral geniculate neurons in monkey striate cortex. J. Comp. Neurol. 182:923-944 (1978).

 

LeVay, S., Stryker, M.P. and Shatz, C.J. Ocular dominance columns and their development in layer IV of the cat's visual cortex: a quantitative study. J. Comp. Neurol. 182:923-944 (1978).

 

Shatz, C. and LeVay S., Siamese cat: altered connections of visual cortex. Science 204:328-330 (1979).

 

LeVay, S. and Ferster, D., Proportion of interneurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the cat. Brain Res. 164:304-308 (1979).

 

LeVay, S. and Stryker, M.P., The development of ocular dominance columns in the cat. Soc. Neurosci. Symp. 4:83-98 (1979).

 

LeVay, S., Wiesel, T.N., and Hubel, D.H. The postnatal development and plasticity of ocular-dominance columns in the monkey.  In Schmitt, F.O. et al. (eds.), The Organization of the Cerebral Cortex (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1980).

 

LeVay, S., Wiesel, T.N. and Hubel, D.H. The development of ocular dominance  columns in normal and visually deprived monkeys. J. Comp. Neurol. 191:1-53 (1980).

 

Sherk, H. and LeVay, S. Visual claustrum: topography and receptive field properties in the cat. Science 212:87-89 (1981).

 

LeVay, S. and Sherk, H., The visual claustrum of the cat. 1. Structure and connections. J. Neurosci. 1:956-980 (1981).

 

LeVay, S. and Sherk, H., The visual claustrum of the cat. 2. The visual field map. J. Neurosci. 1:981-992 (1981).

 

Sherk, H. and LeVay, S., The visual claustrum of the cat. 3. Receptive field properties. J. Neurosci. 1:993-1002 (1981).

 

LeVay, S. and McConell, S.K.,  ON and OFF layers in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the mink. Nature 300:350-351 (1982).

 

LeVay, S. and Sherk, H., Retrograde transport if [3H]proline: a widespread phenomenon in the central nervouos system. Brain Res. 271:131-134 (1983).

 

Sherk, H. and LeVay, S., Contribution of the cortico-claustral loop to receptive-field properties in area 17 of the cat.  J. Neurosci. 3:2121-2127 (1983).

 

LeVay, S. , The development of ocular dominance columns. In: Kuno, M. (ed.), Neuronal Growth and Plasticity (Japan Scientific Societies Press, 1984), pp. 271-291.

 

McConnell, S.K. and LeVay, S., Segregation of on- and off-center afferents to mink visual cortex. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 81:1590-1593 (1984).

 

Perkel, D.J. and LeVay, S., Effects of strabismus and monocular deprivation on the eye preference of neurons in the visual claustrum of the cat. J. Comp. Neurol. 240:322-330 (1985).

 

LeVay, S. Connolly, M., Houde, J. and Van Essen, D.C.,  The complete pattern of ocular dominance stripes in the striate cortex and visual field of the macaque monkey. J. Neurosci. 240:322-330 (1985).

 

LeVay S., Synaptic organization of claustral and geniculate and geniculate afferents to the visual cortex of the cat. J. Neurosci. 6:3564-3575 (1986).

 

Cunningham, Jr., E.T. and LeVay, S. Laminar and synaptic organization of the projection from the thalamic nucleus centralis to primary visual cortex in the cat. J. Comp. Neurol. 254:65-77 (1986).

 

McConnell, S.K.and LeVay, S., Anatomical organization of the visual system of the mink, Mustela vison.  J. Comp. Neurol., 250:109-132 (1986).

 

LeVay, S., McConnell, S.K. and Luskin, M.B., Functional organization of primary visual cortex in the mink (Mustela vison), and a comparison with the  cat. J. Comp. Neurol. 257:422-441 (1987).

 

LeVay, S., Patchy intrinsic projections in visual cortex, area 18, of the cat: morphological and immunocytochemical evidence for an excitatory function. J. Comp. Neurol. 269:265-274 (1988).

 

LeVay, S., The patchy intrinsic projections of visual cortex. Progr. Brain Res. 75:147-161 (1988).

 

LeVay, S. and Voigt, T. Ocular dominance columns and disparity coding in cat visual cortex. Visual Neurosci. 1:395-414 (1988).

 

Voigt, T., LeVay, S. and Stamnes, M., Morphological and immunocytochemical observations on the visual callosal projections in the cat. J. Comp. Neurol. 272:450-460 (1988).

 

LeVay, S. and Voigt, T., Retrograde transneuronal transport of wheat-germ agglutinin to the retina  from visual cortex in the cat. Exp. Brain Res. 82:77-81 (1990).

 

LeVay, S, and Nelson, S.B., The columnar organization of visual cortex. In: Leventhal, A. (ed.), The Neural Basis of Visual Function (London: Macmillan Press, 1990), pp. 266-315.

 

LeVay, S., A difference in hypothalamic structure between homosexual and heterosexual men. Science 253:1034-1037 (1991). Full text.

 

LeVay, S., Aspectos biológicos de la orientación sexual. In: Llusiá, J.B., and de Molina, A.F. (eds.), La Evolución de la Sexualidad y los Estados Intersexuales (Madrid: Ediciones Díaz de Santos, 1998).

 

Popular articles

 

Evidence for a biological influence in male homosexuality (with Dean H. Hamer). Scientific American (May, 1994).

 

Viewpoint: After the war is over. The Advocate (March 21, 1995).

 

Sex and the Single Gene. The Times Higher Education Supplement (May 3, 1996).

 

Queer in the Head. The Guardian (London) (December 7, 1996).

 

Why Am I Gay? XY Magazine (April, 1997).

 

Darwin's Children. The Advocate (October 14, 1997).

 

The Biology of Lust. XY Magazine (July, 1998).

 

Can Gays Become Straight? New Scientist (October 11, 2003).

 

Same Sex, Different Rules. New Scientist (April 29, 2006).

 

Sexual Orientation has a Biological Basis. Salt Lake Tribune (July 16, 2006).

 

Science journalism

 

Stress Test: The tragedy in Turkey may aid earthquake forecasting. Scientific American (December 1999)

 

The Brain Invaders: A new auditory prosthesis may restore hearing for some deaf people. Scientific American (March 2000).

 

Riding the Rumble: A $400,000 house is given a good shaking in the name of science. Scientific American (October 2000).

 

The Bionic Frontier. While actor Christopher Reeve has focused public attention on the distant potential of spinal cord regeneration, the less glamorous science of neuroprosthetics is quietly remaking broken lives. Los Angeles Times Magazine (March 14, 2004)

 

 

Syndicated Newspaper and Online Columns

 

Queer Science (September 1996 to December 1998). Biweekly.

 

Simon Says (January to December 1999). Monthly.

 

Nerve.com: The Science of Sex (February 2000-February 2001). Biweekly.

 

Legal testimony

 

Testimony on behalf of plaintiff, Merino v. Boy Scouts (San Diego Superior Court, 1994)

 

Declaration in support of plaintiff's motion for summary judgment. Thomasson v. Perry (U.S. District Court for the Eastern Division of Virginia [Alexandria Division], 1995).

 

Declaration in support of plaintiff's motion for summary judgment. Elzie v. Perry (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia,1995).

 

Declaration in support of plaintiff's motion for summary judgment. Richenberg v. Perry (U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska, 1995).

 

Conference and lecture engagements since 1994

 

Boston College, University Lecturer (1/25/94)

Tufts Medical School, Dept. of Neurobiology, Invited Lecture (1/26/94)

Royal College of Psychiatry, London, Annual Meeting, Invited Lecture (2/02/04-2/04/94)  

Cornell Medical School, New York, Symposium on Biological Aspects of Homosexuality, Invited Lecture (3/05/94)

Pew Foundation, Annual Fellows' Meeting, Invited Lecture (3/06/94-3/09/94)

U.C.L.A., Dept. of Genetics, Invited Lecture (2/25/94)

California State University, Northridge, Invited Lecture (3/16/94)

Michigan State University, Cole Lecturer (3/22/94)

Laguna Outreach, Laguna Beach, Invited Lecture (4/13/94)

Wayne State University, Detroit, Invited Lecture (4/29/94)

Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Psychotherapists Association, Invited Lecture (5/4/94)

Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood, Invited Lecture (6/8/94)

Unity Expo, San Francisco, Invited Lecture (8/13/94)

Unity Expo, Los Angeles, Invited Lecture (9/10/94)

Rio Hondo College, Los Angeles, Invited Lecture (9/26/94)

Presbytery of San Fernando Conference, Los Angeles, Invited Speaker (10/1/94)

Washington University, St. Louis, 40th Annual Terry Lecturer (10/6/94)

Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Invited Lecture (11/1/94)

Duke University, Durham, Invited Lecture (12/1/94)

University of California, Berkeley, Invited Lecture (1/28/95)

Loyola University, Chicago, Invited Lecture (3/1/95)

Society for the Scientific Study of  Sexuality, Western Division Meeting, Plenary Speaker (4/28/95)

International Behavioral Development Symposium: Biological Basis of Sexual Orientation and Sex-Typical Behavior, Minot State University, Invited Lecture (5/26/95)

Western New York AIDS Conference, Buffalo, Plenary Speaker (10/5/95)

University of California, Davis, Invited Lecture (10/11/95)

Roman Catholic Diocese of Los Angeles, Gay and Lesbian Outreach, Invited Lecture (11/5/95)

Maranon Conference on Human Sexuality, Madrid, Spain, Invited Lecture (11/30/95).

San Diego Gay and Lesbian Weekend College, Keynote Speaker (2/24/96)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Invited Lecture (5/22/96)

Stanford University, Invited Lecture (5/30/96)

University of California, Berkeley,  Invited Public Lecture (10/2/96)

University of California, San Francisco, Dept. of Physiology, Invited Lecture (10/4/96)

University of California, Berkeley, Invited Public Lecture (10/9/96)

California State University, Northridge, Invited Lecture (10/16/96)

Gay and Lesbian Physicians of Louisiana, New Orleans, Invited Lecture (11/2/96)

Ontario Science Centre, Toronto, Invited Lecture (1/24/97)

Scripps College, Claremont CA, Invited Lecture (2/24/97)

Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, San Francisco, Invited Lecture (3/26/97)

Harvard University, Conference on Biology of Sexual Orientation, Keynote Speaker (4/19/97)

Medical Library Association Annual Meeting, Seattle, Keynote Speaker (5/25/97)

Wake Forest University Medical School, Winston-Salem, Invited Speaker (10/7/97)

Triangle Business and Professional Guild, Raleigh-Durham, Invited Speaker (10/8/97)

University of Cluj, Romania, Conference on Sexuality, Invited Speaker (10/16/97)

California Lutheran University, Invited Speaker (11/24/97)

UCLA, Invited Course Lecture (2/5/98)

Princeton University, University Lecturer (2/10/98)

Stanford University, Invited Course Lecture (2/25/98)

Johns Hopkins University, Invited Speaker (4/14/98)

UCLA Neuroscience Retreat, Keynote Speaker (5/15/98)

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Research Day, Invited Speaker (8/29/98)

Family Fellowship Conference, Salt Lake City, Invited Speaker (8/30/98)

Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Invited Speaker (1/15/99)

Huntingdon College, Montgomery Alabama, University Lecturer (2/15/99)

Marshall College, Huntington West Virginia, Invited Speaker (3/23/99)

Purdue University, Invited Speaker (3/30/99)

Central Michigan University, Invited Speaker (4/6/99)

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Invited Speaker (4/12/99)

University of Connecticut, Storrs, Invited Speaker (4/13/99)

Bennington College, Bennington Vermont, Invited Speaker (4/14/99)

Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, Invited Speaker (4/22/99)

Laguna Outreach, Laguna Beach, CA, Invited Speaker (7/14/99)

Salk Institute, San Diego, Invited Speaker (3/8/00)

Haverford College, Invited Speaker (4/5/00)

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Invited Speaker (5/3/00)

Max-Planck-Institut für biologische Kybenetik, Tübingen, Invited Speaker (9/24/01)

Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY, Invited Speaker (3/26/02)

University College London, Meeting for Martin Raff, Invited Speaker (7/4/02)

Vaden Student Health Services, Stanford University, Invited Speaker (3/14/03)

University of California, Santa Barbara, Invited Course Lecture (3/5/04)

Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, California, Invited Course Lecture (10/28/04)

California State University, Northridge, Invited Speaker (3/14/05)

California State University, Long Beach, Invited Speaker (3/16/05)

Middle Tennessee State University, Invited Speaker (4/7/05)

Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, California, Invited Speaker (4/12/05)

Family Fellowship, Utah, Invited Speaker (7/17/05)

Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, California, Invited Course Lecture (10/27/05)

California State University, Northridge, Invited Course Lecture (11/9/05)

University of California, Santa Barbara, Invited Speaker (2/22/06)

University of California, Santa Barbara, Invited Course Lecture (2/22/06)

Harvard Law School, Conference on gay legal issues, Invited Speaker (4/9/06)

Syracuse Neuroscience Organization, Distinguished Lectureship (9/29/06)

University of Redlands, Invited Course Lecture (10/30/06)

Mt. San Antonio College, Invited Course Lecture (10/31/06)

University of California, Santa Barbara, Invited Course Lecture (12/1/06)

University of California, Los Angeles, Invited Course Lecture (3/15/07)

California State University, Northridge, Invited Course Lecture (4/18/07)

Wayne State College, Nebraska, Invited Speaker) (4/19/07; 4/20/07)

 

 

Media

 

Presenter for Born That Way?, a one-hour documentary film about the biology of sexual orientation, made by Windfall Films (Jeremy Taylor, producer) for Channel 4, U.K., and for The Learning Channel, U.S. (1992).

 

Appearances on MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour (twice), Prime Time Live, NightLine, Phil Donahue, Oprah Winfrey and many other national and local TV and radio programs in the U.S., Canada and U.K.

 

Subject of many magazine and newpaper articles. Examples:

 

"Sex and the Brain: One Brave Scientist is Exposing the Link," Discover (cover story), March 1994.

 

"Homosexuality and Biology," Atlantic (cover story), March 1993.

 

"Nait-on Homosexuel? Des chercheurs américains relancent la polémique," Le Nouvel Observateur (France) (cover story), October 1994.

 

"Zone of Brain Linked to Men's Sexual Orientation," New York Times, Aug. 30, 1991.

 

"Gay U.--After Stunning the Scientific World, Simon LeVay Tries a New Experiment: the Institute of Gay and Lesbian Education," Los Angeles Times May 5, 1994.

 

Articles about me have appeared in most of the gay and lesbian periodicals, including The Advocate, 10 Percent, Genre, Frontiers, Deneuve, Gay Times (London) and The Guide (Boston).

 

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