GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens Book

Foreword viii

Introduction 1

A Changing World 2

About This Book 3

Chapter 1 GLBTQ 101 6

GLBTQ Terminology 7

A Biology Lesson? The Science of GLBTQ 10

Your Personal Geography: Exploring Who You Are 15

Myths, Generalizations, and Just Plain Absurd Ideas About GLBTQ People … and the Truth 18

Chapter 2 Homophobia 27

The 411 on Hate: The Roots of Homophobia 28

The Big Bad World? Homophobia in Society and at School 31

Responding to Homophobia 35

When Homophobia = Ongoing Harassment 43

The Good News 46

Chapter 3 Coming Out 48

What Is Coming Out All About? 49

How's the Weather Out There? Deciding If You're Ready (and If It's Safe) to Come Out 51

I Have Something to Tell You: Coming Out to Your Family 58

Chicas, Peeps, and Brahs: Coming Out to Your Friends 64

Coming Out at School 65

Chapter 4 Life at School 67

School Life for GLBTQ Teens: The Big Picture 67

Feeling Invisible…or Too Visible 69

Exercising Your Rights as a GLBTQ Student 72

The Voice of Authority: Talking to Teachers and Administrators 77

Club Life: Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) and Other Queer-Friendly Activities 79

Moving On: Deciding If You Need to Change Schools 82

Chapter 5 GLBTQ Friends 85

Part of the Family: The Utterly Diverse, Somewhat Cohesive, Always Interesting GLBTQ Community 86

IMRU2? Meeting Other GLBTQ Teens 87

Making Connections: GLBTQ Online Communities 90

Queer Compadres: GLBTQ Friendships 92

Straight But Not Narrow: Other Friends 93

Chapter 6 Dating and Relationships 94

Soul Searching: Figuring Out If You're Ready to Date 94

Who Gets the Check? GLBTQ Dating Basics 96

Being "Out" on a Date 100

Singing the Breakup Blues 101

Abusive Relationships: Recognizing Them and Getting Help 103

Chapter 7 Sex and Sexuality 110

Making Sound Decisions About Sex 112

Five Myths (and Truths) About GLBTQ Sex 118

The Big Picture: STIs and Pregnancy 121

Chapter 8 Staying Healthy 129

Chilling Out: Dealing with Stress as a GLBTQ Teen 130

When Stress Turns Into Depression 134

Thinking About Drinking: Making Decisions About Alcohol 140

The Truth About Tobacco 143

Avoiding Drugs 145

Chapter 9 Religion and Culture 150

States of Being: Religious Life and GLBTQ Life 151

Making Room in Religion: Reconciling Your Personal Beliefs 155

Cultural Differences, Being GLBTQ, and You 162

Chapter 10 Transgender Teens 167

What Does It Mean to Be Transgender? 169

How Do You Know? Figuring Out If You're Transgender 175

Now What? Options for Trans Teens 178

Trans Pride: Responding to Transphobia 187

Chapter 11 Work, College, and Beyond 189

Finding a GLBTQ-Friendly Company 189

Being GLBTQ in the Workplace: Your Decisions and Your Rights 190

A Perfect Match: Finding the Right School 195

Going with the Flow: Some Thoughts on Getting Older 199

Glossary 200

Resources 207

Selected Bibliography 215

Index 219

About the Author 229