| John Paul De Cecco | |
| Birth Date: | April 18, 1925 |
| Birth Place: | Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Death Place: | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Alma Mater: | Allegheny College University of Pennsylvania Michigan State University |
| Occupation: | Professor of psychology, author, editor |
John Paul De Cecco (April 18, 1925 – November 2, 2017) was an American academic. He was a professor of psychology at San Francisco State University, the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Homosexuality from 1975 to 2009, and a "pioneer of sexuality studies."
John Paul De Cecco was born on April 18, 1925, in Erie, Pennsylvania.[1] He had four siblings,[2] and he was of Italian descent.[1] His father was a restaurant and property owner.[3] His three maternal uncles were members of the Mafia who "married prostitutes."[4]
De Cecco graduated from Allegheny College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology in 1946.[2] He subsequently earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. in European history from the University of Pennsylvania, in 1949 and 1953 respectively.[2] He took additional coursework in educational psychology at Michigan State University.[2] He also attended Columbia University in 1968–1970.[3]
De Cecco became an assistant professor of education and psychology at San Francisco State University in 1960.[1] He eventually became a full professor of psychology.[1]
De Cecco took part in the opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War.[4] He was a member of the Gay Activists Alliance and the faculty adviser of the Gay Students Coalition at SFSU, co-founded by Mark Thompson.[4] With Michael G. Shively, De Cecco was the co-founder of the Center for Homosexual Education, Evaluation and Research (CHEER) at SFSU in 1975.[2] De Cecco served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Homosexuality from 1975 to 2009.[1] Additionally, he was a "member and sponsor" of the GLBT Historical Society.[4]
De Cecco was the author of several books.
De Cecco resided in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco,[4] where he died on November 2, 2017,[1] at age 92. He was described as a "pioneer of sexuality studies"[1] who had been "in the forefront of three decades of change in gay-related academia".[3]
He received the 1992 Magnus Hirschfeld Medal.