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.

• De Cecco, John Paul; Sycamore, Matt Bernstein (2014), Tricks and Treats: Sex Workers Write About Their Clients, Taylor and Francis, ISBN 978-1317713005
• De Cecco, John Paul; Letellier, Patrick; Island, David (2013), Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them: Battered Gay Men and Domestic Violence, Taylor and Francis, ISBN 978-1317765509
• De Cecco, John Paul; Wright, Les (2013), The Bear Book: Readings in the History and Evolution of a Gay Male Subculture, Taylor and Francis, ISBN 978-1317712404
• De Cecco, John Paul; Peniston, William (2012), Pederasts and Others: Urban Culture and Sexual Identity in Nineteenth-Century Paris, Haworth Gay & Lesbian Studies., Taylor and Francis, ISBN 978-1136572920
• De Cecco, John Paul; Shively, Michael G (1985), Origins of Sexuality and Homosexuality, Harrington Park Press, ISBN 9780918393005
• De Cecco, John Paul (1984), Homophobia: An Overview, Journal of Homosexuality, vol. 10 (1984) no. 1-2.; Research on Homosexuality, vol. 10, Haworth Press, ISBN 9780866563567
• De Cecco, John Paul; Richards, Arlene (1974), Growing Uses of School Conflict, Aberdeen Press, ISBN 9780879450298
• De Cecco, John Paul (1967). The Psychology of Language, Thought, and Instruction: Readings. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
• De Cecco, John Paul, ed. (1964). Educational Technology: Readings in Programmed Instruction. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
• De Cecco, John Paul (1963), Human Learning in the School: (Readings in educational psychology), New York, OCLC 1011145672