Coming out can be scary and one of the hardest things that a member of the Queer community does in their life time. Coming out is different for everyone however the following Coming out books can help anyone who has questions about the coming out process.
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Queer: The Ultimate LGBT Guide for Teens
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Teen life is hard enough with all of the pressures kids face, but for teens who are LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender), it’s even harder. When do you decide to come out? To whom? Will your friends accept you? And how on earth do you meet people to date?
Queer is a humorous, engaging, and honest guide that helps LGBT teens come out to friends and family, navigate their new LGBT social life, figure out if a crush is also queer, and rise up against bigotry and homophobia.
Queer also includes personal stories from the authors and sidebars on queer history. It’s a must-read for any teen who thinks they might be queer—or knows someone who is.
Outing Yourself: How to Come Out as Lesbian or Gay to Your Family, Friends, and Coworkers
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- No matter how much you prepare, coming out as gay or lesbian is a difficult, emotional process — a process that will continue long after the words are spoken and the secret is out. There’s no magic formula, but Outing Yourself by Michelangelo Signorile offers structure, guidance, and straightforward advice to all those:
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Who are struggling with their sexuality
Who have accepted that they are gay but afraid to come out
Who consider these out of the closet but realize they have father to go
Signorile’s 14-step program — complete with exercises, meditation notes, and anger checks, as well as the accounts of the coming-out experiences of other lesbians and gay men — shows how you can successfully handle this life-changing, life-renewing process. A guide for the coming-out journey, Outing Yourself will convince all who read it that, in the words of the author, “The stress of coming out will never be as hard on you as the stress of staying in was.
Mom, Dad, I’m Gay: How Families Negotiate Coming Out
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Drawing from over 150 interviews with teens, psychologist Ritch Savin-Williams seeks to separate fact from fiction in this survey of coming-out experiences. He illustrates the range of family reactions and the factors that determine how parents come to terms with the disclosure over time.
When I Knew
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When I Knew is a collection of smart, hilarious, and often poignant stories about that revelation for all gay men and women: when they first knew. In this gorgeously illustrated, cleverly designed, and colorful book, acclaimed fashion and celeb-rity photographer Robert Trachtenberg brings humor and style to the EUREKA! moments of more than eighty contributors, including B. D. Wong, Arthur Laurents, Simon Doonan, Stephen Fry, Marc Shaiman, Michael Musto, and more. Also mixed in are tales about when parents knew and when everyone else knew, as well as laugh-out-loud coming-out stories.
The Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man’s World, Second Edition
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Today’s gay man enjoys unprecedented, hard-won social acceptance. Despite this victory, however, serious problems still exist. Substance abuse, depression, suicide, and sex addiction among gay men are at an all-time high, causing many to ask, “Are we really better off?” Drawing on contemporary research, psychologist Alan Downs’s own struggle with shame and anger, and stories from his patients, The Velvet Rage passionately describes the stages of a gay man’s journey out of shame and offers practical and inspired strategies to stop the cycle of avoidance and self-defeating behavior. Updated to reflect the effects of the many recent social, cultural, and political changes, The Velvet Rage is an empowering book that has already changed the public discourse on gay culture and helped shape the identity of an entire generation of gay men.
GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens
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When it was first published in 2003, GLBTQ quickly became the indispensable resource for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning teens. This fully revised and updated edition retains all of the straightforward information and practical advice of the original edition while providing a contemporary look at society and its growing acceptance of people who are GLBTQ. Included are updates on efforts to promote equality, including the current status of legislative initiatives concerning safe schools, gay marriage, workplace equality, transgender expression, and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Issues-based information and advice address coming out, prejudice, getting support, staying safe, making healthy choices, and thriving in school. This frank, sensitive book is written for young people who are beginning to question their sexual or gender identity, those who are ready to work for GLBTQ rights, and those who may need advice, guidance, or reassurance that they are not alone.
Coming Out, Coming In: Nurturing the Well-Being and Inclusion of Gay Youth in Mainstream Society
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- Coming Out, Coming In: Nurturing the Well-Being and Inclusion of Gay Youth in Mainstream Society describes the process of “coming in” to a welcoming and nurturing family, from both the teen’s and the parents’ perspective. Linda Goldman draws on her personal and professional experience as a school guidance counselor, child and adolescent therapist, parent, and a member of the national group PFLAG to build a common language and a new paradigm for understanding sexual orientation and gender identity as a part of mainstream culture. Through the information, exercises, anecdotes, and extensive bibliography of additional resources provided in the book, parents, school administrators and educators, community groups and counselors will find the tools needed to facilitate nurturing and safe environments for our LGBT youth.
It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living
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Growing up isn’t easy. Many young people face daily tormenting and bullying, and this is especially true for LGBT kids and teens. In response to a number of tragic suicides by LGBT students, syndicated columnist and author Dan Savage uploaded a video to YouTube with his partner, Terry Miller. Speaking openly about the bullying they suffered, and how they both went on to lead rewarding adult lives, their video launched the It Gets Better Project YouTube channel and initiated a worldwide phenomenon.
For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Still Not Enough: Coming of Age, Coming Out, and Coming Home
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In 1974, playwright Ntozake Shange published For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf. The book would go on to inspire legions of women for decades and would later become the subject and title of a hugely popular movie in the fall of 2010. While the film was selling out movie theaters, young black gay men were literally committing suicide in the silence of their own communities. When a young Rutgers University student named Tyler Clementi took his own life after a roommate secretly videotaped him in an intimate setting with another young man, syndicated columnist and author Dan Savage created a YouTube video with his partner Terry to inspire young people facing harassment. Their message, It Gets Better, turned into a popular movement, inspiring thousands of user-created videos on the Internet. Savage’s project targeted people of all races, backgrounds and colors, but Boykin has created something special “for colored boys.” The new book, For Colored Boys, addresses longstanding issues of sexual abuse, suicide, HIV/AIDS, racism, and homophobia in the African American and Latino communities, and more specifically among young gay men of color. The book tells stories of real people coming of age, coming out, dealing with religion and spirituality, seeking love and relationships, finding their own identity in or out of the LGBT community, and creating their own sense of political empowerment. For Colored Boys is designed to educate and inspire those seeking to overcome their own obstacles in their own lives.
The Other Side of the Closet: The Coming-Out Crisis for Straight Spouses and Families
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Candid, compassionate, authoritative–a rich source of insights, information, and practical guidance. “”The first major work on the topic.”” –Gay Community News “”A much needed comprehensive study of what happens to husbands, wives, and children during the coming-out crisis. –The Reverend Jane E. Vennard, founder Task Force for Spouses of Gays and Lesbians “”The new enlarged edition adds important factors, especially children’s reactions to a parent’s coming out. Well-researched and insightful.”” –Fritz Klein, M.D., author of The Bisexual Option “”Anybody practicing in this area would be well advised to read this book.”” –Professor Arthur S. Leonard, New York Law School In two million marriages, one spouse is gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Having a spouse or parent disclose his or her same-sex attraction is a shattering experience fraught with pain, confusion, anger, and a profound loss of self-esteem. Amity Pierce Buxton spotlights this exploding phenomenon and reports constructive coping strategies that spouses and children have used to resolve problems of sexual damage, family breakdown, deception, and homophobia. Illustrated throughout by riveting personal narratives, this expanded edition of The Other Side of the Closet traces the family’s journey from initial trauma to eventual transformation. This invaluable source of information for spouses, families, and professionals is based on Dr. Buxton’s eight years of research, including interviews with 1,000 straight spouses and children, her own personal experience, and her counseling work with spouses of gay, lesbian, and bisexual partners.
This Book Is Gay
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Lesbian. Bisexual. Queer. Transgender. Straight. Curious. This book is for everyone, regardless of gender or sexual preference. This book is for anyone who’s ever dared to wonder. This book is for YOU.
There’s a long-running joke that, after “coming out,” a lesbian, gay guy, bisexual, or trans person should receive a membership card and instruction manual. THIS IS THAT INSTRUCTION MANUAL. You’re welcome.
To find other LGBT books check out the links below.
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Marraige and Family Therapist at Richer Life Counseling
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