Resources
The only thing wrong with being gay is how some people treat you when they find out. Until everyone understands this, growing up gay — or even being grown up and gay — takes a lot of guts, but it can seem easier when you have some good connections.
If you're not gay yourself but someone close to you is, you may benefit from some of these resources as well.
Straight or gay, the objective is acceptance. Tolerance is better than hatred, but who wants to be tolerated? Let's go for acceptance.
If there's an organization that has helped you and you don't see it listed below, please let me know.
General G/L Organizations and Sites
PFLAG
Parents and Family/Friends of Lesbians and Gays promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through support and advocacy. They believe that change happens on the grassroots level in local communities, and their number one priority is to support the work of local affiliates.
GLAD
"Gay & Lesbian Advocates' Defenders (GLAD) is New England's leading legal rights organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status and gender identity and expression. Providing litigation, advocacy, and educational work in all areas of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights and the rights of people living with HIV, GLAD has a full-time legal staff and a network of cooperating attorneys across New England."
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
The Task Force builds the political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community from the ground up by training activists, organizing broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation, and by building the organizational capacity of the movement.
Good As You
The Good As You site represents a new generation of GLSBT activism by using humor and irreverence rather than anger and protests. Strives to provide a safe, progressive and positive forum in order to eliminate discrimination and intolerance.
Gay Health Web site
"Health and wellness site dedicated to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender men and women." Serious info on all kinds of issues; intended audience is adults.
SAGE Web site
It's true we have a lot of work to do in our quest for equal rights for the GLBT community, but we wouldn't be as far as we are today if not for the courage and determination of those who are now in their later years. SAGE (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders) is the world’s oldest and largest non-profit agency addressing the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender elders, working with the community to overcome discrimination in senior service settings and to help create informal caregiving support and development of new “family” networks.
Articles of Interest
For Gay Men, an Attraction to a Different Kind of Scent
(NY Times, Nicholas Wade) Describes studies showing how homosexuals and heterosexuals respond to human pheromones
On the scent of a sexual match
(London Times, Mark Henderson) Describes studies showing how homosexuals and heterosexuals respond to human pheromones
Gay Youth Resources
Alex Sanchez' Web site
Hotlines, issues with parents, HIV info, G/L youth groups, and more. If you visit, let Alex know you found his link here; he'd love to know that!
Outright Vermont
Their mission is to build safe, healthy, supportive environments for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth. While their primary focus is Vermont, they offer guidance and general resource info (see their Links page in particular), and they provide a beautiful example to follow.