Nonfiction

GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Queer and Questioning Teens

Are you queer or questioning? If you are, this book is for you. Do you know someone who might be queer or questioning? If so, this book is for you, too. Or are you someone who just wants to learn more about what it's like to be queer or questioning? This book is a great place to begin. Discovering that you, or someone you love, might be GLBTQ is a revelation. Accepting it is a process. One thing that can help that process is information. This book can't answer all of your questions or counter all of the misinformation, misconceptions, myths, half-truths, and outright lies you might have heard about being GLBTQ, but it's a start.

Asha's Mums

Asha, an African-Canadian girl whose lesbian mums become an issue for the teacher and the curiosity of classmates, responds with clarity and assuredness that having two mums is no big deal--they are a family.

How It Feels to Have a Gay or Lesbian Parent: A Book by Kids for Kids of All Ages

Sometimes I fantasize about having a magic wand. How awesome it would be to wave it and completely eliminate prejudice, hate, and ignorance. Just imagine what it would be like to live in a world like that.

How It Feels to Have a Gay or Lesbian Parent: A Book by Kids for Kids of All Ages gives voice to the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of children, adolescents, and young adults who have a gay or lesbian parent. In their own words, they talk openly and candidly about how and when they learned of their parent's sexual orientation and the effect it had on them—and their families. Their stories echo themes of prejudice and harassment, conflict and confusion, adaptation and adjustment, and hope for tolerance and a family that can exist in harmony.

"Because it's an issue for other people, it becomes an issue for me. I'm angry about the way it works against me."

The stories told in How It Feels to Have a Gay or Lesbian Parent not only reflect the day-to-day struggle of children with a GLBT parent, they also reveal the pain inherent in high-conflict divorce and child custody cases. Children of gay/lesbian parents ranging in age from seven to 31 recall the confusion and grief created when the disclosure of their parent's true sexual orientation ended a marriage and divided a family. The "straight" parent's resentment can lead to angry remarks that—intentionally or unintentionally—disparage the gay/lesbian parent and threaten the natural love and affection the child feels for both.

"I guess the hardest part about having a gay dad is that no matter how okay you are with it, there's always going to be someone who will dislike you because of it."

The one-on-one interviews presented in How It Feels to Have a Gay or Lesbian Parent document first-hand the effects of homophobia on family life. Children struggle with the choice between living in a closet, shamed by peers and family members, or dealing with discrimination as a parent's sexual orientation is used against them. Taken together, these stories make a statement for acceptance, understanding, and tolerance as children do their best to make the transition from a traditional family to a nontraditional lifestyle.

"My mom is a normal person just like everyone else. The only thing that's different about her is that she's gay and if you can't deal with it, you're just going to have to live with it."

How It Feels to Have a Gay or Lesbian Parent: A Book by Kids for Kids of All Ages offers comfort and support to children from those who share their journey. The book is a valuable aid for practitioners working with children of GLBT parents and an educational tool for GLBT adults considering children.

The Full Spectrum: A New Generation of Writing About Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Other Identities

Teens are more aware of sexuality and identity than ever, and they’re looking for answers and insights, as well as a community of others. In order to help create that community, YA authors David Levithan and Billy Merrell have collected original poems, essays, and stories by young adults in their teens and early 20s. The Full Spectrum includes a variety of writers—gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight, transitioning, and questioning—on a variety of subjects: coming out, family, friendship, religion/faith, first kisses, break-ups, and many others.

This one of a kind collection will, perhaps, help all readers see themselves and the world around them in ways they might never have imagined. We have partnered with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and a portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to them.

Two Teenagers in 20: Writings by Gay and Lesbian Youth (Transworld)

Same-Sex Marriage: Moral Wrong or Civil Right? (Exceptional Social Studies Titles for Upper Grades)

Same-sex Marriage is one of the most controversial and emotional issues under debate in twenty-first-century American society. Presenting a balanced, unbiased examination of this hot topic, author Tricia Andryszewski encourages readers to understand both sides of the issue before forming an opinion.

The Shared Heart: Portraits And Stories Celebrating Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Young People

Adam Mastoon's beautifully reproduced photographs of gay, lesbian, and bisexual young people are a revelation: each subject, posed yet casual, looks directly into the camera and invites us into his or her life. But the book is more than a photo gallery, and the personal statements written by each young person brings a sense of what it means to be a gay youth today. In a world in which gay teens are told that they either don't exist or should change their sexual orientation, The Shared Heart is a beacon of hope, clarity, and joy.

With candor and sensitivity, thirty-nine young people write frankly about their own homosexuality. Told with honesty and courage, their words express the fundamental need all people share for acceptance and respect.

Published in collaboration with the adult division of William Morrow.

The Preacher's Son

Reared in a cultish, fundamentalist Baptist home, aware that he was gay by the age of seven and weaving his way through religious schools (including Jerry Falwell's Liberty University) and reparative therapy techniques, Adams started his journey to self-acceptance at age 23.

Out Law: What LGBT Youth Should Know about Their Legal Rights (Queer Action/ Queer Ideas)

Part of the Queer Action series, edited by Michael Bronski

The first—and only—guide for LGBT youth about the law and how it affects them

The enormous advances of the civil rights movement have made it easier for LGBT youth to be "out," yet their increased visibility has led to myriad legal issues involving such critical matters as freedom of expression, sexual harassment, self-chosen medical care, and even their right to privacy within their own families.

In this accessible guide, Lisa Keen illustrates how some laws limit the rights of LGBT youth and others protect them. Out Law lays out the basics about federal, state, and local laws that frequently impact LGBT youth and explains how legal authority and responsibility is often vested in local officials, such as school principals.

Keen explains how laws treating LGBT people differently came to exist, evolved over time, and are subject to significant changes even today. Out Law discusses the shifting legal terrain for such issues as when schools can censor messages on T-shirts or library computer research into LGBT-related Web sites. It gives youth tips on how to document efforts to curb their rights and where to turn for help in protecting those rights.

"Keen's book is brilliant in its concise and well-researched treatment of complex legal issues for LGBT people. Engaging and accessible, it offers a unique and smart focus on the rights of young gay people in each facet of their lives."
—Urvashi Vaid, author of Virtual Equality and Executive Director of the Arcus Foundation

"Keen's book is must reading for all gay youth and those who care about them." —Kevin M. Cathcart, executive director, Lambda Legal

"Jam-packed with information--history, obstacles, and remedies—Out Law is a terrific legal guide for LGBT kids looking to achieve equal rights."
—Nancy Garden, recipient of lifetime achievement award by the American Library Association and author of Annie on My Mind

"Keen addresses youth of high school and college age with respect for their intelligence and experiences, and provides suggestions for appropriate use of channels likely to be available to those who are somewhat, although not yet completely, independent as they emerge as young adults."
—Voice of Youth Advocates

"From a legal perspective, she hits the nail dead on its head in providing very accurate legal advice while making sure to point out the obvious loopholes . . . If you're looking for a solid resource on the law for LGBT youth, consider checking out Out Law. This may be a new survival guide. Knowledge is half the battle, and Out Law certainly presents ways to be able to utilize the law to fight bullying and discrimination."
—Edge Boston Review

"Lisa Keen has created an important, vibrant book that will serve as both a guide for LBGT youth looking to make sure they know their legal rights, and as an historical document for future generations to mark the community's growth."
—Between the Lines Review

Award-winning journalist Lisa Keen has been writing about LGBT legal issues for over twenty years. Coauthor of Strangers to the Law: Gay People on Trial and former executive editor of the Washington Blade, Keen now writes for the Boston Globe and for gay newspapers in several major cities. She lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Hear Me Out: True Stories of Teens Educating and Confronting Homophobia

More and more gay teens are speaking out about the realization of their sexuality, and about the consequences -- the reactions of friends and families, schoolmates and society in general. These heartfelt memoirs, originally presented orally in schools, speak poignantly about the lives of young gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and transsexual people today.