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Joe Kort (born 1963) is an openly gay American clinical social worker, clinical sexologist, author, lecturer, and facilitator of workshops. He met his partner, Mike, in 1993, and they religiously married under Reform Judaism in 2000 and legally married in 2005 in Massachusetts. The New York Times quoted him as saying, “For many young gay men today, settling down in a relationship in their 20s...or getting married if they live in Massachusetts...will feel like a very natural thing to do.” [1]

He has appeared on television and radio programs, was a featured guest on the Tyra Banks Show [2] and Montel Williams [3] talk shows on the topic of mixed-orientation marriages; “These men genuinely love their wives,” another New York Times article quoted him as saying. “They fall in love with their wives, they have children, they're on a chemical, romantic high. Then after about seven years, the high falls away and their gay identity starts emerging.” [4] Kort was also a guest on Oprah and Friends Radio “Better in Bed” with Dr. Laura Berman, discussing straight men who have sex with men. [5]

Kort has devoted his career to advancing the social acceptance, and professional treatment of the gay, lesbian and bisexual communities. His first book, 10 Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Improve Their Lives (2003, Alyson Books) [6] gave answers to the most common questions his clients brought to him, outlining the most effective ways for gay men to escape negativity and achieve greater fulfillment.

He is an outspoken advocate for men who have sex with men (MSM), particularly heterosexual men who engage in sexual behavior with other men and are not gay or bisexual. The popular term, “on the Down Low” specifically addressed African-American males secretly engaging in sexual behavior with other men. Kort has expanded the awareness of the Down Low to apply beyond men of color and writes about this sexual behavior crossing all ethnicities, religions, socio-economic as well as races.

His website, Straight Guise (www.StraightGuise.com) is addressed to the men and women who are involved with them. Since 2009, he has written an online advice column for 365gay.com, owned and operated by Viacom (a division of MTV and LOGO Television).

This author page uses material from the Wikipedia article "Joe Kort", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0