Gender and Sexual Diversity

The discovery that a child is lesbian or gay can send shockwaves through a family. A mother will question how she's raised her son; a father will worry that his daughter will experience discrimination. From the child's perspective, gay and lesbian youth fear their families will reject them and that they will lose financial and emotional support. All in all, learning a child is gay challenges long-held views about sexuality and relationships, and the resulting uncertainty can produce feelings of anger, resentment, and concern. Through a qualitative, multicultural study of sixty-five gay and lesbian children and their parents, Michael LaSala, a leading expert on this issue, outlines effective, practice-tested interventions for families in transition. His research reveals surprising outcomes, such as learning that a child is homosexual can improve familial relationships, including father-child relationships, even if a parent reacts strongly or negatively to the revelation. By confronting feelings of depression, anxiety, and grief head on, ...

Nicholas Guittar draws on deeply personal interviews with young people to enhance our understanding of "coming out," revealing the changing dynamics of sexual identity. Guittar explores how mainstream norms continue to assert their influence over those with non-normative sexualities. He also highlights the wide spectrum of coming out experiences. His important work sheds light on why, even though fewer people may remain closeted today than in the past, coming out is not a one-time event, but a lifetime process.

Summary: A collection of original essays and expanded testimonials written to teens from celebrities, political leaders, and everyday people. While many of these teens can't see a positive future for themselves, we can. We can show LGBT youth the kind of happiness, potential, and satisfaction their lives hold if they can just get through these early years.--Book Description

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 andnbsp;educators, community groups and counselors will find the tools needed to facilitate nurturing and safe environments for our LGBT youth.

A groundbreaking look at the lives of transgender children and their families Some "boys" will only wear dresses; some "girls" refuse to wear dresses; in both cases, as Ann Travers shows in this fascinating account of the lives of transgender kids, these are often more than just wardrobe choices. Travers shows that from very early ages, some at two and three years old, these kids find themselves to be different from the sex category that was assigned to them at birth. How they make their voices heard--to their parents and friends, in schools, in public spaces, and through the courts--is the focus of this remarkable and groundbreaking book. ...

Summary: A comprehensive guide to the medical, emotional, and social issues of trans kids. These days, it is practically impossible not to hear about some aspect of transgender life. Whether it is the bathroom issue in North Carolina, trans people in the military, or on television, trans life has become front and center after years of marginalization. And kids are coming out as trans at younger and younger ages, which is a good thing for them. But what written resources are available to parents, teachers, and mental health professionals who need to support these children? Elijah C. Nealy, a therapist and former deputy executive director of New York City's LGBT Community Center, and himself a trans man, has written the first-ever comprehensive guide to understanding, supporting, and welcoming trans kids.

According to the Youth Suicide Prevention Program, "more than 50% of transgender youth will have had at least one suicide attempt by their 20th birthday." This data demonstrates a dire need for caregivers, educators and providers to have a better understanding of youths experiencing gender dysphoria (and gender non-conforming youth, who are often mistaken for transgender youth). Presently, our binary society makes the lives of transgender youth more challenging than they need be. Childhood and adolescence mark the start of our gender identity development, our sexual orientation development, and our racial identity development. Those intersections create enough interpersonal and intrapersonal challenges without the added stress of rejection for belonging to a minority group in one or more of those three developmental areas. ...

LGBTQ kids reveal what it’s like to be young and queer today Growing Up Queer explores the changing ways that young people are now becoming LGBT-identified in the US. Through interviews and three years of ethnographic research at an LGBTQ youth drop-in center, Mary Robertson focuses on the voices and stories of youths themselves in order to show how young people understand their sexual and gender identities, their interest in queer media, and the role that family plays in their lives. The young people who participated in this research are among the first generation to embrace queer identities as children and adolescents.

An in-depth study of lesbian, bi, and queer women's experiences of thinking about and trying to become a parent, Beyond Expectation draws on eighty-two narrative interviews conducted during the late 1990s in British Columbia.

First published in 2003, GLBTQ quickly became the indispensable resource for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning teens (often referred to as LGBT or GLBTQ). 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 homosexuality and transgender people. Included are updates on efforts to promote equality regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, the current status of legislative initiatives concerning safe schools, gay marriage, workplace equality, and transgender expression, and the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Resources point the way to books and websites with more information, and quotes from GLBTQ teens (and allies) who have - been there - share stories of personal experiences.

Featuring a spectrum of families from diverse backgrounds, this book reveals the joys and challenges of adoptive and foster parenting. The authors outline how the experience of adopting and fostering has changed for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people over the years, major changes in policy, and what the research can tell us about LGBT parenting. They interview families involved at different stages of the fostering and adoption process, from those undergoing assessments through to the experienced foster carers and adopters who were interviewed for the first edition of this book 20 years previously. While the number of LGBT people adopting or fostering has increased since then, some of the very real challenges still endure - including social stigma, homophobia and discriminatory policies - and families...

Part of the SAGE Contemporary Family Perspective series, this book presents a comprehensive yet accessible understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender families today by drawing upon and making sense of the burgeoning scholarly literature about LGBT families from the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. It pays particular attention to how structures of race, class, gender, sexuality, and age shape LGBT families, and how members of such families negotiate the social landscapes within which they exist. The book will help readers better understand the formation, experiences, challenges, and strengths of LGBT families, and address two main questions: Why are new family forms so threatening to certain groups of people in society? and How are new family forms beneficial to the society in which they exist? ...

Exploring the experiences of LGBTQI+ parents and their children and their relationship with schools, this book illuminates how these families work with schools, and how schools do, or do not, support children of LGBTQI parents. Based on empirical research and making space for the voices of both parents and children, the research extends beyond previous studies of gay and lesbian parenting to include bisexual, transgender, queer, non-binary, and intersex parents. The authors consider the influence of pressure groups, school inspection frameworks, legislation, and the media, and examine the ways in which some schools are working to become more inclusive.

Hunter (social work, U. of Texas at Arlington) provides counselors, social workers, mental health therapists, and undergraduate and graduate students with a reference on lesbian and gay couples that describes basic issues they deal with, their differences from and similarities to heterosexual couples, and how they deal with heterosexism and the marriage issue, as well as interventions. She discusses their demographics, research history, and postmodern and queer theory, then describes how these couples meet; those who have or want children; their relationship satisfaction, benefits, maintenance, dissatisfaction, and breakup; and practice issues such as bias, behaviors, gender issues, battering, interracial couples, relationship ambiguity, conflicts over disclosure, sexual issues, nonmonogamy, and safe sex.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people often face unique challenges as they grow older. It is vital that those providing them with care and support understand their needs, wishes and experiences. This book demonstrates how biographical approaches can increase understanding about the distinct perspectives of older LGBT people, enhancing inclusive care and support. Chapters explore people's expectations and fears surrounding care and service provision, the impact of discrimination, and specific issues such as HIV, dementia and end-of-life care. The importance of understanding people's whole lives in order to meet their needs is demonstrated, drawing on the examples of community projects that provide services and build networks. The voices of older ...