FICTION
Luna by Julie Ann
Peters
Luna chronicles the life of a transsexual
teenager, Liam, who, even as a small child, felt a yearning to be something
beyond his male form. This desire to
become his female self, who Liam names Luna, is kept a secret from everyone
save his loyal sister Reagan. As Liam nears finishing high school, he realises
that he wants to be Luna all of the time. Liam’s parents are unapproachable, the
general world seems prejudiced and it seems it is up to Reagan to support
Liam’s desire to be Luna even as it is taking a toll on her sleep, relationships
and a chance to live her childhood. Luna is not only a compelling and
compassionate story of transgenderism and an insight of what it might be like to
be born into the wrong body, but a story of family, loyalty, compassion and the
courage and cost of daring to be your true self.
Skim by Mariko Tamaki &
Jillian Tamaki
Skim is a vividly drawn and moving coming of age graphic
novel that tells the story of “Skim” Kimberly Keiko Cameron, a bi-racial, overweight,
Wiccan dabbling goth who goes to a private girls' school. Skim is confronted
with school-wide grief when a classmate commits suicide, and the school
unleashes grief counsellors, peppy clubs and lectures which sinks Skim into
depression. And when she falls in love with her quirky English and Drama
teacher Ms Archer, Skim’s teenage life gets even more complex. Skim is a brave
work that approaches big themes such as sexual orientation, first loves,
suicide, friendships, cliques, depression and personal identity with an
authentic teenage voice. The story and its themes are unflinchingly edgy, but
also retains a sensitivity that allows the reader to live this heartfelt
chapter of a young girl’s life. The panel layout is exciting and the general
artwork blends artfully with the writing, resulting in a graphic novel that
will inspire readers to linger over the pages to the very end.
The Miseducation of
Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth (eBook)
When Cameron Post's parents die in a car crash, she is
ashamed of the relief she feels in knowing that they will never find out that
she was kissing a girl that very day. Cameron’s life soon changes as she is given
over to her grandmother and her Aunt Ruth who live in rural Montana. Surrounded
by conservatism and prejudice, Cameron learns to hide her true self in order to
survive her new life. Her life has little meaning until she meets Coley, a
cowgirl that she quickly forms a strong bond with, and it seems that Cameron
and Coley might become more than friends until her Aunt intervenes and resolves
to “fix” Cameron by sending her to a religious summer camp where she is asked
to believe all her feelings for Coley are wrong. These trials will force Cam to
choose between pleasing others and choosing to be herself, even if she’s not
sure who that is yet.
Boy Meets Boy by David
Leviathan (audio book)
Paul is an openly gay senior at a high school where sexual
orientation is a non-issue, to the point that the homecoming queen is
transgender and also the star quarterback for the football team. His parents
are supportive, and he is happy with who he is. When Paul meets Noah, who could
be “the one”, he thinks life couldn’t get any better. But soon he messes thing
up, and it looks like it’s all over. Adding to the drama is Paul’s best friend
Joni, who is drifting away from him and his other best friend Tony, who has to
hide the fact that he’s gay from his religious parents. It all seems like it’s
falling apart, but Paul won’t give up without a fight. Boy Meets Boy is a
classic coming-of-age story acted in this recording by a full-cast that brilliantly
convey the humour and witty observations to be found in this story that talks about
love, trust, relationships and the teenage condition whether you’re straight,
bisexual, gay or anything in between.
Boyfriends with
Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez
Four teenagers, with very complicated love lives intertwine
in this bubbly romantic comedy. Lance who knows he’s gay, but has never had a
boyfriend falls for Sergio, who is bisexual, but has only been with a girl.
Lance is into Sergio, but has trust issues with Sergio’s bisexuality. Will he
be able to accept Sergio the way he is? Kimiko, a lesbian with a serious crush
on straight Allie, is as surprised as Allie when she starts having feelings for
Kamiko. Allie has had a boyfriend for two years – do these new feelings mean
that she’s gay? Does it mean she’s bi? Will our star-crossed lovers reconcile
their heads with their hearts? And just what does happily ever after mean to
them anyway?
Boyfriends with Girlfriends addresses bisexuality, and the
misconceptions and prejudice that are often associated with it. The different
viewpoints throughout the novel makes for a fast paced, fun read that offers
the reader new perspectives on love and choice.
Seven Days: Monday →
Thursday (Seven Days #1) by Venio Tachibana & Rihito Takarai
Meet Touji Seryou, a pretty and popular high school boy, who
has made a habit of going out with anyone who asks him out on a Monday morning.
However, he finds that he always tires of his girlfriends within the week and
breaks up with them. One Monday morning everything changes when the first
person to ask him out is a boy! His name is Yuzuru Shino, Seryou’s senpai at
the archery club. What
starts as a joke quickly develops into romantic feelings, much to the surprise
of both boys. Yuzuru expects that the courtship will definitely be over by
Sunday, since they are both guys. What starts as a joke quickly develops into
romantic feelings, much to the surprise of both boys. Will Yuzuru change
Seryou’s one week policy? This first volume of a two-part manga series is a sweet
shounen-ai (boy love) manga that lets a romantic well-written story unfold and
will appeal to yaoi and shounen-ai readers alike.
Empress of the World/
Sara Ryan
Spending her summer at the exclusive Siegel Institute, Nicola
Lancaster finds friends among the throng of intense and intelligent teenagers
in Katrina (Manic Computer Chick), Isaac (Nice-Guy-Despite-Himself), Kevin
(Inarticulate Composer) and Battle, a beautiful blond dancer. Battle and
Katrina quickly develop a friendship that evolves into romance. Falling in love
is scary enough, but even scarier when you think you like boys and fall for a
girl. Nicola knows she’s not gay, she knows she’s not straight, but she feels
uncomfortable with the bisexual label. With bullying coming as part of the
package of being with Battle, will Nicola risk it all for a summer romance? Empress of the World is an engaging read
that approaches the topics of friendship, female romance and sexual identity
with skill, subtlety and plenty of humour. This edition also contains including
three graphic novel stories by Sara Ryan (and artists Steve Leiber, Dylan
Meconis, and Natalie Nourigat) about the characters.
NON-FICTION
Transparent: Love,
Family, and Living the T with Transgender Teenagers/ Cris Beam
Transparent: Love, Family, and Living
the T with Transgender Teenagers is a non-fiction memoir by Cris Beam. The book chronicles
her experiences volunteering as a teacher in a transgender school for kids in Los
Angeles, and her later adoption of one of her students. The book primarily
discusses trans girls of various races, and introduces four of the students—Christina,
Domineque, Foxxjazell, and Ariel, and gives an insight into how they deal with
the routine pains of adolescence and the heartbreak of being socially outcast.
The challenges, struggles and triumphs of trans girls to reconcile how they
feel inside to how they look on the outside are told through personal
experience anecdotes, research and interviews. The book does not shy away from discussing some of the
serious issues affecting transgender teenagers such as homelessness, sex work,
family rejection, violence, and transition issues. Beam’s book blends facts and
statistics with compassionate and heartfelt anecdotes to create an enlightening
and informative read.
GLBTQ*: The Survival Guide for Queer
& Questioning Teens by Kelly Huegel & Steven Cozza
It’s no secret that the teenage years are stressful and for many
GLBTQ teenagers, these challenges can be intensified by isolation, intolerance,
insensitive remarks (even among friends and families) and in extreme cases,
suicide and violence. Often being a GLBTQ teenager can make teenagers confused
and unsure where to find answers and advice. The Survival Guide for Queer & Questioning Teens is a
comprehensive and large resource, but the table of contents and index make it
easy for teens to find information on specific topics. The book addresses
topics that GLBTQ teens may encounter such as family, homophobia, coming out
(pros and cons), school, friends, relationships, sex and sexuality, religion and
culture. Quotes from GLBTQ teens and helpful hints throughout keep the book
positive and warm in tone and could be a great starting point for teenagers seeking
information, help, advice or just a feeling of comraderie on their sexual
orientation journey.
It Gets Better: Coming Out,
Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living by Dan Savage
The "It Gets Better Project" was created by Dan
Savage and his husband Terry Miller. They were motivated by a deep concern at
the prevalence of GLBTQ teen suicide due to the high rate of bullying that
makes them feel ostracised and unaccepted. Their goal was to reach GLBTQ
children and youth who felt they had to hide their sexuality for fear of
prejudice and violence. They recorded and posted a video for this audience on
YouTube with the theme of "It Gets Better”. This resulted in a phenomenal
movement of thousands of videos from everyday people, celebrities, companies
and politicians providing messages of hope that was reciprocated with messages
of thanks from GLBTQ people and their allies. This book contains a collection
of writings, resources and new content from celebrities and contributors that
want to let GLBTQ kids and teens know that they are not alone – and it will get
better.
Visit the YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbetterproject/
MOVIES
Geography Club (movie)
At Goodkind High School, a group of GLBTQ
students form an after-school club they are sure no-one else will join as a way to share their feelings
and experiences. The club includes Russell, who has a secret relationship football
quarterback Kevin, who will do anything to prevent his football teammates from
finding out. Min and Terese, who are in love but tell everyone that they're “just
friends.” And finally Ike, who can't figure out who he is or who he wants to
be. The Geography Club becomes their refuge, where they are sure they’ll be
safe because who else would ever want to join? But when their safe haven
collapses around them, their secrets are at risk of exposure and they have to
face the possibility of coming out to others and themselves. Geography Club is based on the book by
Brett Hartinger of the same name. The movie balances comedy and drama while
dealing with the serious issue of teen sexual identity and the pressures from
family, friends, peers and the public that GLBTQ teens can face. Geography Club is a fun, feel good high-school
drama about having courage, making friends and choices and embracing everyone
just the way they are.
The Curiosity of Chance
(2007)
Welcome to Europe in the 1980’s. Chance Marquis (Tad
Hilgenbrinck) is the new kid at an international high school, and his quirky
and flamboyant style combined with being an ‘out’ teenager in a world that
isn’t all that accepting, soon makes him an easy target for the “gay-hating” school
bully. Despite this setback, Chance is not dissuaded from living his life and
soon finds purpose in the school newspaper and friends in a flamboyant drag
queen, an introverted photographer and a varsity jock, Levi Sparks (Brett
Chukerman), who Chance befriends despite Levi’s friends contributing to
Chance’s school misery. The Curiosity of
Chance follows our lovable hero through one year of high school, with fun
moments involving dim-witted teachers, sweet and clueless parents, revenge of
the outsiders and the important underlying themes of acceptance, and having the
courage to be yourself, despite pressure to be who others want you to be.
The Curiosity of Chance is a fun-filled John Hugh’s style
comedy that will appeal to all ages and sexual identities. Cheer for Chance as
he fights prejudice and seeks acceptance for who he is, even as he’s still
figuring that out himself.
DOCUMENTARIES
Straightlaced - How
Gender's Got Us All Tied Up
Straightlaced explores
modern Western conceptions of masculinity and femininity as perceived by, and
put upon Generation Z. This documentary offers a view into the world of more
than fifty American teens, as seen through the gender lens. Straightlaced captures moments in the
lives of these straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual or questioning teenagers and aims
to represent all points of the gender spectrum while investigating the effects
of society’s standards of gender on them through clothes, sexuality, sports,
dance, safety, consumerism and emotion. The teenagers interviewed reveal a variety of experiences
with how their everyday lives intersect with gender role expectations and
homophobia, and how these expectations intersect with culture, race and class
systems. From exploring how girls respond to Western body image culture and
sexuality to boys who are sexually active just to prove they aren't gay, these
teenagers share their thought and experiences with candid honesty about the
toll that rigid gender policing have on their lives and development.
Straightlaced is
filmed in an intimate style and aims to not only shed a light on the problems
facing teenagers of all sexual orientations, but to also offer hope for teens
beyond our culture of anxiety, fear and violence, to an inclusive culture that celebrates,
rather than punishes, difference.
This is what love in action looks like
This is What Love in Action Looks
Like is an inspiring
documentary about a teenager forced to attend a Christian gay-conversion camp
and the people who fought against it. In
2005, when 16-year-old Zach Stark came out to his parents as being gay, their
reaction was to send him to the relatively new "Refuge" program of
the local Love in Action ministry, a religious organization that promises to
cure homosexuality. Love in Action had recently begun a program for teens, many
of whom were sent there involuntarily like Zach. While still at Love in Action, Zach communicated his experiences at
“Refuge” through his MySpace page and his depressed and anxious posts that
described the program he was in as "a gay boot camp" concerned his friends and attracted
protesters to the Love in Action ministry headquarters in Bartlett. Filmmaker
Jon Morgan Fox captured this story starting with the protest against the Love
in Action ministry as it gained momentum and public exposure that culminated in
national coverage about Stark and Christian "ex-gay" programs in
general. This documentary includes interviews with individuals who had been
involved in the “ex-gay” programs, the then current director of Love in Action
(a self-styled former gay) and the stories of the protesters who gathered
together in defiance of the organization.
WEBSITES
Minus18
https://minus18.org.au
Exploring, questioning or knowing you identify as gay,
lesbian, bi-sexual or questioning (GLBTQ) can be difficult for teens, and it
can be even worse when you feel isolated because you don’t know any GLBTQ
people who can relate to you. This isolation, coupled with exposure to
homophobia, pressure and bullying is a leading cause of why GLBTQ youth
experience higher rates of mental illness and suicide than heterosexual youth.
Minus18 believes in youth empowering youth to stop the cycle and change the
lives of GLBTQ teens for the better. Minus18 is Australia’s largest youth led
GLBTQ organisation with a goal to improve the lives of GLBTQ youth through the
organisation and promotion of social events, dance events, resource production,
mentoring, same sex formal, partnering with community groups, and awareness
raising. Through these resources, events
and community groups Minus18 aims to empower Australian youth (with a specific
focus on Melbourne youth), connect them with others and help them understand
themselves. Each year Minus18 events and projects reach more than 60,000 youth
right across Australia. You can hang out with Minus18 on social media sites
such as Tumblr, Facebook, MinusTV YouTube channel and an online network on the
website where GLBTQ youth can socialise.
