http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/200... Bernie Zilbergeld, psychologist, writer on male sexuality Kelly St. John, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, June 20, 2002                   Bernie Zilbergeld of Oakland, a psychologist and                   author known widely for his pioneering writing about                   men and sex, has died.                   He died on June 12 at his home of complications                   from diabetes. He was 62.                   Dr. Zilbergeld was best known as the author of Male                   Sexuality (1978) and its update, The New Male                   Sexuality (1999), which sold more than 1 million                   copies. In these books, which some critics called                   landmark texts, he used a humorous and practical                   approach to address issues from sexual obsession                   to premature ejaculation.                   He was really the first person to write something for                   men about sexual problems, said longtime friend                   and colleague Lonnie Barbach. In the late 1970s,                   there was just no information. People wandered                   around with sexual problems, just feeling inadequate.                   He wrote about (male sexuality) in an affirming and                   permission-giving way.                   Dr. Zilbergeld, who ran a private therapy practice in                   Oakland, is also known in the Bay Area for his work                   in the 1970s as one of the original directors of                   training at UCSF's Human Sexuality Program. In that                   capacity, he taught doctors, psychologists, social                   workers and therapists about how to treat male                   sexual problems.                   Dr. Zilbergeld, a stubborn and often unpopular man                   who once noted he had been described as both the                   Joe McCarthy and the Ralph Nader of the                   sex-therapy world, didn't shy away from conflict.                   In the 1970s, he gained prominence as one of the                   first researchers to publicly challenge the research of                   sex therapists William Masters and Virginia Johnson,                   arguing that their claims of success in treatment                   were inflated.                   He also wrote The Shrinking of America (1983), a                   book that took a critical look at psychotherapy and                   made the case it is often overprescribed.                   He was motivated by a kind of intellectual                   combativeness, said longtime friend and colleague                   Jackie Hackel. He was always swimming against                   the tide, and that kind of cranky intelligence . . .                   meant that he didn't take things for granted. He                   probably made as many enemies as he did friends.                   Born in New Jersey on June 28, 1939, Dr. Zilbergeld                   graduated from Ohio State University. He received his                   doctorate in clinical psychology from UC Berkeley in                   1973.                   Described by friends as a witty and informative                   speaker, Dr. Zilbergeld lectured throughout the                   country. He was often interviewed by the media,                   serving up opinions about everything from trends in                   dating to President Bill Clinton's involvement with                   Monica Lewinsky.                   A man of diverse interests, he reviewed new hardware                   and software for Computer Currents magazine from                   1985 to 1992.                   He was also a frequent contributor to The Chronicle's                   book review section, writing on matters of sexuality,                   relationships and psychology. He wrote a book about                   sexuality and aging, tentatively _title_d The Lovers,                   which is scheduled for release next year.                   Dr. Zilbergeld is survived by a daughter, Claire                   Zilbergeld of San Francisco; his partner, Marilynn                   Greene of Walnut Creek; a friend whom he                   considered his son, Ian Cox of Alameda; a brother,                   George Zilbergeld of Freehold, N.J.; and a sister,                   Hannah Gordon of Queens, N.Y.                   A memorial service is planned for Sunday, Sept. 8, at                   2 p.m. at UC Berkeley's Men's Faculty Club.                   Memorial contributions may be made to the                   American Diabetes Association, PO Box 2680, North                   Canton OH 44720.