Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies: LGBTQ Youth

Drawing from queer and feminist theory, psychoanalysis, settler-colonial studies, and cultural studies, this book helps to explain how some theories of childhood can hurt children.

Based on over three years of participant action research with queer teen media-makers and textual analysis of hundreds of youth-produced videos and popular media campaigns, the book unsettles assumptions that having a "voice" and gaining visibility and recognition necessarily equate to securing rights and resources.

Suggests how gay, lesbian, and bisexual teenagers may discover their sexual orientation, find self-acceptance, come out, cope with prejudice, and deal with religious and political issues.

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 to all those who are struggling with their sexuality and unsure of what to do.

Coming out is the process of acknowledging same-sex attractions to oneself and to others. It is both a personal and a public process. For many gay and bisexual students, college marks a pivotal point where for the first time they feel free to explore their same-sex attractions. This book is about the struggles students face in coming out.

Queer Girls in Class is a compilation of personal essays by lesbian teachers and students who speak about sexual identity and its influence on the teaching and learning process. These twenty-six essays give readers the opportunity to recognize, connect with, and critically think about the personal and political challenges and triumphs that queer women, whether out of the closet or not, have experienced in the classroom and beyond.

The book discusses the previously undiscussable--gay and lesbian identity and self-esteem at the middle and elementary school level, and gay and lesbian issues in school sports.

Recent cases of teen suicide linked with homophobic bullying have thrust the issue of school safety into the national spotlight. Exploring how students' own experiences, ideas, and definitions of safety might be translated into policy reform, this book offers a fresh perspective on a hotly debated issue.