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Here is a selection of books that you may find useful reading for either yourself or a friend / releative.
 

Outing Yourself

No matter how much you prepare, coming out as gay or lesbian is a difficult, emotional process -- a process that will continue long after the words are spoken and the secret is out. There's no magic formula, but Outing Yourself by Michelangelo Signorile offers structure, guidance, and straightforward advice.
 

Is It a Choice?: Answers to 300 of the World's Most Asked Questions About Lesbians and Gay People

Covers a variety of topics dealing with homosexuality and its historical and societal ramifications.
 

The Other Side of the Closet: the Coming Out Crisis for Straight Spouses and Families

An invaluable book incorporating the author's seven years of research and interviews with hundreds of spouses with insights derived from her own teaching and counseling work. Contains stories and tactics for straight spouses and their families to constructively cope with a mate or family member who declares his/her homosexuality. Analyzes six key issues a straight spouse faces when a partner `comes out' including damaged sexuality, threatened marital relationships, conflicting spouse/parent roles, devalued self-concept, destroyed integrity and shattered belief systems.
 

How to Be a Happy Homosexual

"It's very easy to believe the media hype that gay people are now all well-adjusted and open about their sexuality. As someone who works on a gay helpline, I know this is not true. Many of the problems that tormented people in the sixties are still tormenting young gay people today. This is why How to be a Happy Homosexual is such a valuable resource. It hasn't lost sight of those young people who are still having problems coming out and making the adjustment. I always recommend it to those youngsters who are frightened and hesitant about what to do about their feelings."
 

Stranger in the Family - How to Cope If Your Child Is Gay

"When I discovered my son was gay I was desperate for something to read on the topic. I am grateful that I found A Stranger in the Family. It gave me all the information I needed, set out in plain language and with a humane and understanding author to guide me. I really feel that I know Terry Sanderson after reading this book. He feels just like the perfect friend for someone in this situation.I would recommend any parent who is struggling with the knowledge that their son or daughter is homosexual to read this book. It will help them through the crisis and perhaps save their family from unnecessary break-up."
 

Coming Out to Parents: A Two-Way Survival Guide for Lesbians and Gay Men and Their Parents

Listed by American Bookseller as "among the most important gay and lesbian books that should be represented in any general bookstore," Borhek's original edition of this book (1983) has also been praised as "sound, sympathetic, and helpful" (St. Luke's Journal of Theology). In this thorough revision, Borhek brings an additional decade of personal knowledge and experience to bear on the subject of coming out.
 

Straight Parents, Gay Children: Inspiring Families to Live Honestly and With Greater Understanding

The courageous and levelheaded Straight Parents, Gay Children, Armistead Maupin comments, "shows the parents of gay children how to stop merely tolerating their kids and start being their heroes." Robert A. Bernstein made this essential move to "heroism" himself after his daughter Bobbi came out to him and her stepmother in the mid-1980s, when she was 19. Soon after, they attended a meeting of P-FLAG (Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays) at a nearby church, and Bernstein realized that he had joined a small but powerful group of people unable to support the continued oppression of their gay loved ones. Bernstein brings together stirring quotes (even from such unlikely sources as the late Senator Barry Goldwater) and inspiring stories, like those of Jane Spahr, the first openly gay minister to be called as a pastor of the Presbyterian church (and later denied the post) and of Dr. Roscoe Thorne, a former lumberjack and weightlifter who spoke to a packed room at a military hearing set up to discharge his son from the navy despite his brilliant career as a "Top Gun" pilot. A useful book for therapists, clergy, and educators, and an essential resource for parents of gay and bisexual children. --Regina Marler
 

My Child Is Gay: How Parents React When They Hear the News

"Thank-you so much for writing this book.This was the first book I read after learning my eighteen year old son is gay. It brought me great comfort to know other parents went through the same kinds of feelings I did. I cried and yes laughed a little with each new story. It was easy to read, like reading someones diary but with their permission. The stories were honest and heartwarming. I am in the process of reading it again. This should be a must read for all newly told parents, their son or daughter is gay. Thank-you."
 

What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality

Believing that the translation of the Bible they use consists of the inerrant word of God, some Christians cite a handful of passages to justify their condemnation of homosexuality. But historical biblical scholarship holds that these believers' conception of inerrancy is naively based, for English versions of the originally Hebrew and Greek scriptures are rife with problematic translations. Some scholars further maintain that the supposedly antihomosexual passages are not blanket condemnations of homosexual persons and acts. Indeed, in some cases, these verses aren't about homosexuality at all; they meant quite different things to those for whom they were first written, peoples whose social conceptions of sexuality were vastly different from ours. Helminiak provides cogent, accessible precis of these revisionist findings on the Bible's six major passages and few minor references that seem to denounce homosexuality. The Bible does not condemn gay sex as we understand it today, he concludes; those who seek to know outright if gay or lesbian sex is good or evil . . . will have to look elsewhere for an answer. An extremely valuable contribution to popular gay and biblical studies.
 

Openly Gay, Openly Christian: How the Bible Really Is Gay Friendly

"When my 18 year old daughter came out as a lesbian two years ago I began desparely seeking guidance from God. My two daughters, son and myself are all Born Again Christians, but I was having a difficult time reconciling my faith (based on what I'd been taught and studied) with her sexual orientation. Openly Gay Openly Christian exposes the God-given truth about homosexuality and the church and takes an in-depth look at those passages that would suggest homosexuality is an awful sin, then goes right to the source (Hebrew & Greek alike) for the true definitions of these biblical texts. The author presents the facts in a loving but firm manner. The book is easy to read and defines the Christianity in my and my children's hearts. It's a must read for any parent, sibling or Christian in search of the truth!"
 


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