If you are dealing with LGBTQ issues in your family, here is a list of resources you may find helpful in your search for understanding.
PFLAG National Website – https://www.pflag.org/
Support resources and free downloads of booklets:
- “Our Daughters and Sons: Questions and Answers for Parents of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual People” (also available in Spanish)
- “Faith in Our Families: Parents, Families and Friends Talk About Religion and Homosexuality”
- “Guide to Being a Straight Ally”
Other suggested resources:
Books
“Beyond Acceptance” – Carolyn Griffin
Insights from parents who have gay or lesbian children.
“Cleaning Closets: A Mother’s Story” – Beverly Cole
How one family made the loving journey toward affirmation of having a gay son.
“Death by Denial” – Gary Remafedi
A study of suicide in gay and lesbian teenagers.
“The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart” – Peter Gomes
In Chapter Eight, the late Harvard chaplain and preacher explores the real meaning of the biblical texts usually used to bash gay and lesbian people.
“For the Bible Tells Me So” – Daniel Karslake
A marvelous DVD in which five Christian families share insight into how they handled having a gay child. It also explores the context of the biblical texts often used to justify prejudice.
Genderbound: An Odyssey from Female to Male -Calvin Payne-Taylor
Genderbound: An Odyssey From Female To Male centers on the spiritual and emotional dimensions of a gender transition undertaken between the author’s final year of study at a Massachusetts women’s college and first year of doctoral work in California’s Bay Area
Not the Son He Expected: Gay Men Talk Candidly About Their Relationship With Their Father -Tim Clausen
Not the Son He Expected explores the powerful and emotionally complex bonds between gay sons and their fathers. Not the Son He Expected is available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle
Links
College Scholarships for LGBTQ Students
GLSEN – GLSEN advocates to make schools safer and more inclusive for both queer students and staff.
LGBT National Help Center – A list of hotlines and other resources for the queer community.
National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center – An excellent resource for healthcare providers, this site has numerous publications on how to become a more affirming provider for each part of our community.
LGBTQ Addiction Guide – A research-based awareness guide on a niche that is often overlooked – addiction in the LGBTQ community. Finding help with substance abuse is often more difficult for LGBTQ people, as many other obstacles are prevalent along with the fight with addiction – this in depth resource helps alleviate that stress by facilitating help in the form of useful information and support systems.
Substance Abuse and Cannabis Usage: Supporting and Affirming the LGBTQIA+ Community and Youth – An in-depth analysis of the complex relationship the queer community has with cannabis. Discussed in an affirming and non-biased way.
Workplace Guide for Transgender Individuals – LearnHowToBecome.org is a comprehensive career resource with a mission to help students and aspiring professionals understand what it takes to land their perfect career.
LGBTQ+ Elder Health Care Guide – RetireGuide has an excellent resource for queer seniors, with a special section for trans seniors.