Free
Your Mind : The Book for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth--And
Their Allies by Ellen Bass, Kate Kaufman (Contributor)
Free
Your Mind is the definitive practical
guide for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth -- and their families,
teachers, counselors and friends. For too long, gay youth have
wanted to be themselves and to feel good about it, but most have
been isolated, afraid, harassed, or worse. Their very existence
has been ignored, whispered about, or swept under the rug.
But each day more and more lesbian, gay, and
bisexual youth are standing up, speaking out, breaking down
stereotypes, demanding rights and recognition -- shining. In this
book, young people share their joy and their pain, their hopes and
fears, the formidable obstacles they have faced and overcome, and
the exciting opportunities they have discovered.
Free Your Mind speaks to the basic
aspects of the lives of gay, lesbian and bisexual youth:
Self-Discovery; Friends and Lovers; Family; School; Spirituality;
Community. Alive with the voices of more than fifty young people,
rich in accurate information and positive practical advice, Free
Your Mind talks about how to come out, deal with problems,
make healthy choices about relationships and sex, connect with
other gay youth and supportive adults, and take pride and
participate in the gay and lesbian community. Free Your Mind
also presents detailed guidance for adults who want to make the
world safer for lesbian, gay and bisexual youth.
About the Author
Ellen Bass is the co-author of the bestselling The Courage to
Heal and a nationally acclaimed lecturer and counselor.
Something
to Tell You by Gilbert Herdt, Bruce Koff, Rev. Paul
Beeman (Foreword)
Even now, at the end of the twentieth century,
many still have difficulty standing up and saying, "I am the
parent of a gay child." Something to Tell You tells the
stories of families whose lives have been touched by the discovery
that a child is lesbian or gay how it impacts and influences their
perceptions of their children, and even changes the self-image of
parents themselves. The authors found that families committed to
staying together are able to overcome the powerful obstacles
imposed by society. Focusing on fifty average families not people
seen in clinics or therapy they found a consistent pattern of
change: first negative, then positive. Sometimes the news led
parents and siblings to form stronger bonds with the child, with
each other, and with other relatives and friends. In many cases
their childs lover and lovers family grew to assume an important
part of their own lives. In some cases, parents and siblings
discovered new meaning in their lives through speaking out or
joining PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and
Gays) and becoming part of the struggle for lesbian and gay
rights. Herdt and Koff also show the lasting and sometimes tragic
consequences for families who falter in the process of
integration. Unwilling to accept their child's sexuality, some
parents sought to place blame on one another and all too often
their own relationships unraveled as a result. Others who failed
to tell close friends sometimes lost those friends through keeping
secrets. Parents who neglected to form bonds with their child's
lover fostered climates of alienation that persisted for years.
Something to Tell You shows families the steps to take toward new
levels of support, solidarity, and love.
About the Author
Gilbert
Herdt is director of the Human Sexualities Program at San
Francisco State University. The author of a number of books on gay
men and lesbians, including
Same Sex, Different Cultures: Exploring Gay and Lesbian Lives
and, with Andrew Boxer, Children
of Horizons: How Gay Teens Are Leading a New Way Out of the Closet,
he is also the editor of numerous volumes including Gay
Culture in America. Bruce Koff is the former executive
director of Horizons Community Services, the largest social
service agency for gay men and lesbians in the Midwest. He is
currently on the faculty of the Chicago Center for Family Health
of the University of Chicago and maintains a private psychotherapy
practice specializing in work with gay men, lesbians, and their
families.
