coming out
Resources I am personally connected with and also local/Washington state ones are listed first, then national, international and internet-only ones.
Listen to: "The Closet" (4:43)
by Steve Schalchlin - on Beyond The Light (2002) http://www.bonusround.com/
Listen to: "How I Feel" (3:16) on Some Folks (1998)
and "How I Feel Now" (3:36) on Just As Sure (2004)
by Lisa Zeiler / Rebecca Riots http://www.rebeccariots.com/The Closet Light - created by my online friend Ace Lundon (see below) who wrote: "We all probably have some closet in our life. It is past time that we should dare to learn about the closets of life. We can make a difference and become a great help by creating a national - - even international conversation. Maybe the world will be a better world if folks could be helped to live in truth, not lies!" http://www.theclosetlight.com/ and the blog http://theclosetlight.blogspot.com/
Ace Lundon - "Born in Beresford, S.D., in 1936, Lundon was raised on a farm. He attended several colleges and studied English, abnormal psychology and counseling, social science, biblical history and theology, journalism, history and public relations. Though he is a lifelong Republican, Lundon is an activist for women's rights and minority rights. He devoted a portion of his life in the 1950's and 1960's to evangelism as a youth pastor, and he is a firm believer in the separation of church and state. After spending most of his life in the closet, he is now an advocate of gay rights. Lundon has also worked as a syndicated columnist, reporter, movie reviewer and the managing editor of two national publications: Zipper magazine and The Coast To Coast Times, a homophile newspaper with the second largest circulation in the United States in the 1970's. After losing his soul mate, Patrick John Algarin, to AIDS, Lundon became a board member of the Nevada AIDS Foundation and raised more than $10,000.00 for a memorial. His first book, an autobiography titled, The Closets Are Empty The Dining Room's Full, was published in 1993." Ace is also the author of Through the Needle's Eye, "a psychological drama about wealth, politics, religion, medical science and the AIDS virus, an unseen enemy. Three friends join to battle the bigotry which threatens America." And also, The Legend of The Planet Itnava, his foray into science fiction as social commentary. http://www.acelundon.com/
Be Yourself: Questions and Answers for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Youth - from PFLAG (pdf format) http://www.pflag.org/publications/BeYourself.PDF
Coming out stories on the web - http://www.comingoutstories.com
EmptyClosets.com - educating and supporting people who are considering coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. http://www.EmptyClosets.com
FAQ's from OutYouth - in Austin, TX - How do I know if I'm gay/lesbian/bisexual? Does having a crush on someone of the same gender mean that you're gay? Is it a choice? What causes someone to be gay? Isn't it a sin? Why do gay people insist on flaunting their sexuality? How many gay people are there? How does a person know if they are gay or lesbian if they've never had sex? http://www.outyouth.org/resources/FAQ.html
Family Acceptance Project - this project is designed to: 1) study parents' and families' reactions to an adolescent's coming out; 2) develop training and assessment materials for health, mental health, and school-based providers, child welfare and family service workers on working with LGB and queer youth (LGBQ) and families; 3) develop resources to strengthen families in supporting LGBQ adolescents; and 4) train health, mental health and school-based providers to use assessment resources and training materials to improve health outcomes and services for LGBQ youth and families. http://familyproject.sfsu.edu
Fine By Me - began at Duke University in at a dinner conversation between friends gay and straight. They started Fine By Me because they believe it is easier for LGBT people to come out of the closet if their friends and allies publicly come out against homophobia too. It There are countless people all across America who support equal rights both gay and straight, from every community in every state and they want to work to stand up against discrimination. The Gay? Fine By Me T-Shirt Project has been a success at high schools, colleges, businesses, churches, and in communities all across America. http://www.finebyme.org
The Fine Art Of Being Come Out To: A Straight Person's Guide to Gay Etiquette - and - Beyond Coming Out: Long-Term Strategies For Not Pissing Your Gay Friends Off by The Plaid Adder http://www.io.com/~wwwomen/queer/etiquette/intro.html
HRC's National Coming Out Project - promotes honesty and openness about being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender on campus, in the workplace and in the community. This is an extension of the Human Rights Campaign's National Coming Out Day founded by activists who believed that GLBT people needed to be visible and that equality could not be achieved from the closet. http://www.hrc.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Coming_Out/Get_Informed4/Coming_Out3/Index.htm
I Thought I Knew You - Quick Answers for Friends of Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual Teens - this is part of Erin Thaler's excellent Stopping the Silence of which writes "I have created this page as a resource for us all on topics about which we generally do not speak openly." Well done questions and answers for a friend who has had someone come out to them. http://www24.brinkster.com/thalerfamily/glbqa.html (Also available there as a two page pamphlet in Word format.)
I Thought I Knew You Too - Quick Answers for Friends of Transgender Teens - Quick answers and resources for friends of transgender teens. More from Erin Thaler's excellent Stopping the Silence site. http://www24.brinkster.com/thalerfamily/tqa.html (Also available there as a two page pamphlet in Word format.)
O-Files - coming out at work stories from The Gay Financial Network. http://www.gfn.com/ofiles/index.phtml
Out of the Ordinary: Essays on Growing Up With Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Parents - by Noelle Howey and Ellen Jean Samuels. Published 2000 by St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-24489-4. This collection of essays is an anthology of stories by the grown children of lesbian, gay, and transgender parents. Ranging from humorous to poignant, the essays touch on some of the most important and complicated issues facing them: dealing with a parent's sexual orientation and gendrer identity while developing an identity of thier own; overcoming homophobia at school and at family or social gatherings; and defining the modern family. Foreword by Margarethe Cammermeyer, Ph.D., author of Serving in Silence, and preface by columnist and author Dan Savage. Out of the Ordinary also includes a resource guide. See sample chapters here . More information on Powells bookstore (Portland, OR) http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780312244897-2
Thoughts on a Father's Coming Out to His Children by Amity Pierce Buxton, Ph.D. (founder of the Straight Spouse Network ) http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/2961/Document/AMITY1.HTMTips for Coming Out to your Kids - from COLAGE - http://www.colage.org/pubs/tips_for_coming_out.pdf (pdf format)
Transition Tips for Parents - from COLAGE - Advice for parents undergoing a gender transition. http://www.colage.org/programs/trans/transition-tips-parents.pdf (pdf format)
When a Friend Comes Out to You - from Queer McGill. "We have all been taught to believe that to be "straight" is to be normal. This can cause a great deal of pain for gay men, lesbians & bisexuals. ... Someone who is coming out feels close enough to you and trusts you sufficiently to be honest & risk losing you as a friend. It is difficult to know what to say & do to be a supportive friend to someone who has 'come out' to you." http://www.ssmu.mcgill.ca/queer/info/friend.html
When Your Child "Comes Out" - excellent article in Far West Family Services employee assistance services program's Spring 2006 quarterly newsletter. http://www.farwestfamilyservices.com/downloads/forecasters/Spring_2006.pdf (pdf format)
