Queer Kids: The Challenges and Promise for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth

by Owens; Robert E

• ISBN13: 9781560239291
• ISBN10: 1560239298
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 1998-06-01
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Packed to the hilt with living narratives, scholarly research, and problem-solution scenarios, Queer Kids: The Challenges and Promise for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth examines the unique challenges faced by today'¬"s homosexual young adults. You'¬"ll learn what modern-day queer kids do to cope, survive, and find understanding in a world riddled with homophobic intolerance. Queer Kids is a lens of clarity that will help the average straight adult--and maybe even the average gay adult--see things from a kid'¬"s point of view. Its detail-oriented, well-wrought chapters will provide you with literally hundreds of stories of young people who are trying to define themselves sexually and emotionally in a society of criss-crossing judgment, stereotyping, anger, and expectation. Aimed at three target groups--counselors, parents, and youth--this book introduces you to a variety of interesting kids, offers you a look at the process of coming out, and helps you grasp the experience of queer identification. Specifically, you'¬"ll read about: queer kids and their families and peers the medical/health care profession'¬"s impact on queer kids the teachers and counselors of gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth how to alleviate harrassment, abuse, withdrawal, and loneliness the effects of familial denial, prejudiced counselors, and standoffish gay adults Being a kid is tough--but being a queer kid can be even tougher. Fortunately, Queer Kids is available for students, ministers, teachers, youth- and health-care workers, and especially the friends and families of teens who are working through the personal turbulence that too often accompanies sexual and emotional definition. Guided by its upfront approach and practical resource list of written, computer, and telephone aids, you'¬"ll see that a solution is not as distant as you think. Read it, and relearn what it means to be a kid again.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Acknowledgments	xv
Who Are Queer Kids?	1	(14)
A Working Vocabulary	2	(9)
Conclusion	11	(4)
``Becoming'' Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual	15	(24)
Feeling Different	16	(2)
Awareness of Same-Sex Attractions	18	(12)
First Sexual Contacts and Dating	30	(5)
Self-Identification	35	(2)
Conclusion	37	(2)
Coming Out of the Closet	39	(14)
Stages	43	(8)
Conclusion	51	(2)
Challenges for Queer Kids	53	(30)
What Challenges?	54	(27)
Conclusion	81	(2)
The Special Problem of Schools	83	(18)
School Personnel	86	(5)
Curriculum	91	(4)
Harassment and Violence	95	(2)
Extracurricular Activities	97	(1)
College Campuses	98	(1)
Conclusion	98	(3)
Outcomes for Sexual-Minority Youths	101	(22)
Statistics	103	(19)
The Pluses	122	(1)
Addressing the Needs of Queer Kids	123	(42)
Change Societal Attitudes	124	(1)
Provide More Role Models	125	(1)
Educate Families	126	(1)
Eliminate Untenable School Conditions	127	(18)
Monitor Juvenile Courts	145	(1)
Establish Special Programs and Schools	145	(4)
Open All Youth Programs to Lesbian and Gay Youth	149	(1)
Involve the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Community	149	(11)
Train More Knowledgeable and Unbiased Professionals	160	(1)
Organize College Students	160	(2)
Conclusion: Who Owns the Problem?	162	(3)
Counseling	165	(24)
Difficulties in Serving Queer Kids	166	(4)
Education of the Counselor	170	(2)
Getting 'Em in the Door	172	(1)
Keeping 'Em There	173	(11)
Counseling Beyond the Individual Teen	184	(2)
Helping Suicidal Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youths	186	(1)
Conclusion	187	(2)
Counseling for Coming Out	189	(10)
Challenges to Coming Out	190	(6)
Counseling Others	196	(2)
Conclusion	198	(1)
Parental Acceptance	199	(20)
Acceptance of a Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual Child	200	(13)
Acceptance of a Partner or Lover	213	(2)
Sharing with Others	215	(1)
Conclusion	216	(3)
Letter to a Queer Kid	219	(18)
Who Are You?	219	(2)
Being Different	221	(1)
Take Pride in Yourself	222	(5)
Coming Out	227	(3)
A Relationship: That Special Someone	230	(2)
Gender Needs	232	(1)
Choosing a Counselor	232	(1)
Living with Parents	233	(2)
Celebrate Yourself	235	(2)
Conclusion	237	(4)
Resources	241	(48)
Useful Books for Youth, Counselors, and Family	241	(7)
Videos	248	(2)
On-Line Resources	250	(1)
Talk Lines/Hotlines/Crisis Lines	250	(4)
National Organizations	254	(2)
Youth Groups and Support Services	256	(31)
Pen Pal Services	287	(2)
Notes	289	(54)
Index	343