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Learn more about GSA and how to get started in your own school!

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Iowa GSA Network

The Iowa GSA Network is a program of Iowa Safe Schools, with the mission of empowering students to create safe spaces in Iowa schools through youth activism and community support. It is designed to provide resources and support to LGBTQ and allied students in Iowa, as well as educators and GSA advisors. The Network connects GSAs across the state, and assist students interested in starting a GSA get their group off the ground.
Join the Iowa GSA Network

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The Iowa GSA Network is a program of Iowa Safe Schools, with the mission of empowering students to create safe spaces in Iowa schools through youth activism and community support. It is designed to provide resources and support to LGBTQ and allied students in Iowa, as well as educators and GSA advisors.

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Read this short article for an explanation of what gender identity is and links to more resources that you may have questions about

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Understanding Gender Identities | The Trevor Project

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It’s important to remember that gender roles aren’t set in stone.

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Children's & YA books about Gender Identity

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Children's & YA books about Gender Identity

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See this list of books that discuss Gender Identity - try reading one!

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21 children’s and YA books about gender identity - Allison Tait Author

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Books about gender identity for kids of all ages. Nevo Zisin curates a book list for Your Kid’s Next Read on gender identity.

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Use this resource to help plan GSA events in our own school

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There are many ways to push for change in your community. GLSEN is here to help you get started and come up with ideas.

Make a powerful statement by participating in the Day of Silence. Bring your school community together with Solidarity Week. Teach respect in and out of the gym/field by learning about GLSEN's Changing the Game. Foster connections and organize together year-round by starting a Gender and Sexuality Alliance at your school.

Student leaders are the most valuable, powerful base of action that exists in our country today. When students lead the way, real change happens. Use these resources to work for positive change and build community in your school!

GLSEN's Youth Membership Program

Are you interested in growing your leadership skills? Join GLSEN's Youth Membership program! For youth ages 14-19.

GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliances)

You can make a difference! LGBTQ student-led clubs and GSAs (Gender and Sexuality Alliances) are leading the work to create safe and LGBTQ-inclusive schools, and student organizers are the nation's most powerful base for creating change. Along with providing space to organize, GSAs are spaces where students can receive support, socialize, and find community together.

GLSEN research indicates that students at schools with a GSA were less likely to feel unsafe because of their sexual orientation or gender expression and missed less school than their peers who attended schools without a GSA. LGBTQ students with a GSA at their school also reported less anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

Find out how to start a GSA, get free resources to support your GSA's work, take part in the Day of Silence, Solidarity Week, and GLSEN's Changing the Game, and join the national network of more than GSAs by registering your student club today!

GLSEN Programs

GLSEN's Day of Silence, Solidarity Week, and Changing the Game are designed to give you the tools that you need to urge your school to address and help end anti-LGBTQ+ bullying and help build a school community around solidarity and respect for all.

GLSEN School Calendar

Every school year, we put together a calendar of GLSEN events that address LGBTQ+ and social justice issues, and that allows youth and educators to learn about diverse communities and take action to create safe inclusive schools for all.

Check out our 2022-2023 School Year Calendar

Want to make a lasting difference in your school?

GLSEN proudly supports student organizers in schools across the country. As a student, you have the power to make change in your school and community.

Need some ideas for inspiring GSA meetings, information to provide to teachers, or suggestions for events to engage the entire student body? We have resources to help make your GSA an awesome engine for change as well as a fun, safe space for LGBTQ youth and allies.

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Make a powerful statement by participating in the Day of Silence. Bring your school community together with Solidarity Week. Teach respect in and out of the gym/field by learning about GLSEN's Changing the Game. Foster connections and organize together year-round by starting a Gender and Sexuality Alliance at your school.

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Looking for some short stories to read about Gender Identity - check out this collection!

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So the lovely people at Walker Books were kind enough to send me a copy of Kindred for review, however, I was only about half way through the book when my water bottle leaked all over my back and pretty much destroyed the book! I was very angry with myself, as I'd been looking forward to reading the rest, and was especially excited for the Benjamin Law story (which is unfortunately last in the book). As such, I won't give it a star rating, but I will share my thoughts on the stories I did read.

R...more

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So the lovely people at Walker Books were kind enough to send me a copy of Kindred for review, however, I was only about half way through the book when my water bottle leaked all over my back and pretty much destroyed the book!

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see a list of LGBTQ tagged book on Goodreads!

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LGBT is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the term is an adaptation of the initialism LGB, which was used to replace the term gay in reference to the LGBT community beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s.

The initialism LGBT is intended to emphasize a diversity of sexuality and gender identity-based cultures. It may be used to refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual or non-cisgender, instead of exclusively to people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. To recognize this inclusion, a popular variant adds the letter Q for those w...more

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LGBT genre: new releases and popular books, including Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian ...

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Historical Figures of the LGBTQ Community

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Historical Figures of the LGBTQ Community

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read this article to learn more about people throughout history who identified with the LGBTQ community

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Historic LGBTQ activists and artists who changed the world

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These activists, artists, doctors, and writers had a lasting impact on communities around the globe.

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See this article for books written recently by LGBTQ+ authors!

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Casey McQuiston, whose work is featured in NBC OUT's Pride 30, told OUT they write romantic stories with queer people in mind because they grew up in a conservative, evangelical environment - and they want readers, especially queer readers, to feel less alone. McQuiston's books could be reaching at least 20 million LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S., according to a survey by the U.S. Census Bureau (the Human Rights Campaign wagers that number is even higher). With Pride Month in full swing, now is a great time to browse books that explore the LGBTQ+ experience - or, better yet, are written by LGBTQ+ authors.

To help you narrow down your choices, we tapped into Goodreads data about books written by LGBTQ+ authors and spanning various genres - from political family dramas to southern Gothic fables, from straightforward essays around self actualization to lyrics collections of short stories and poems - and tackling a variety of universal themes, like identity and love. Based on that data, we recommend the following books based on a combination of their reviews, average ratings and how often they landed on Goodreads members' "want to read" lists.

Goodreads: 4.45-star average rating from 6,616 reviews

" Young Mungo " is a coming-of-age story about a fifteen year-old boy named Mungo in 1980s Glasgow, Scotland, who falls in love with another boy named James. We follow Mungo as he struggles with his identity as a gay person (and hiding it from family). The novel begins when his mother sends him on a fishing trip with two strangers she's met at her Alcoholics Anonymous group, who promise to teach him to be more masculine. Throughout the rest of the book, we learn more about Mungo's relationship with James and his home.

Goodreads: 4.02-star average rating from 7,372 reviews

We highlighted " Afterparties" in our guide to the best books from AAPI authors - its author Anthony Veasna So posthumously won the John Leonard Prize for Best First Book. At its simplest, "Afterparties" is a collection of short stories that center on the children of Cambodian-American refugees who move to California, as characters struggle with their status as immigrants and their sexuality, as well as their fraught relationships with their families. Veasna So's work has been described as "mindfryingly" funny by author Mary Karr, and "deeply empathetic" by his editor at Ecco, Helen Atsma.

Goodreads: 4.04-star average rating from 125,601 reviews

McQuiston, whose work was highlighted in NBC OUT's Pride 30, has followed up their massively popular " Red, White & Royal Blue" with the romantic comedy " One Last Stop." It's a love story about two girls, August and Jane. There's just one issue: Jane is "literally displaced in time from the 1970s." (McQuiston said that she was inspired by the TV show "Outlander.") August, a pseudo detective who just recently moved to New York City, is going to have to use her investigative skills to figure out how to get Jane home.

Goodreads: 4.2-star average rating from 75,339 reviews

Like many popular fantasies told recently, T.J. Klune's " Under the Whispering Door " begins with death (think of the workplace/afterlife-combo comedy, "The Good Place"). Wallace has died having not done a whole lot with his life - at least not a whole lot of good. It then becomes the job of Hugo, who helps the dead transition into the afterlife via ferry, to help Wallace come to terms with his situation. In the process, Hugo hopes to teach Wallace about all of the things he missed in life, things like love and beauty. Maybe Wallace will even become a better person because of it.

Goodreads: 4.18-star average rating from 5,132 reviews

Ocean Vuong follows his 2016 critically acclaimed poetry collection " Night Sky With Exit Wounds" and his 2019 bestselling novel " On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" with another bestselling poetry collection called " Time Is a Mother." Using poetry as his vehicle, Vuong innovatively explores deep and heavy subjects like grief in response to his mother's death, as well as the meaning of family and his own identity as a Vietnamese American in 2022.

Goodreads: 4.07-star average rating from 2,347 reviews

" Yerba Buena " is Nina LaCour's debut adult novel after writing primarily for young adults. It follows two women's journeys: Sara, who runs away from home at sixteen to eventually become a sought-after bartender in Los Angeles, and Emilie, who struggles with her longing for the community established by her Creole grandparents against her desire for independence. The two women meet at the titular Yerba Buena, a glamorous restaurant, and the story becomes at once about love as well as finding your purpose - and forging your own path.

Goodreads: 3.77-star average rating from 1,205 reviews

If your brain has become a cesspool where only news about politics lives, give it a place to rest with this democratic comedy. Grant Ginder's " Let's Not Do That Again " is about a woman named Nancy who is running for Senate and her grown kids, who might stand in the way of her dreams - especially her daughter, Greta, who went to Paris to partake in an extremist demonstration (throwing champagne bottles through business windows, no less). Nancy and her son, Nick, have to go to Paris and find Greta before it gets worse. (To save her campaign. Or, I guess, her family.)

Goodreads: 3.97-star average rating from 1,466 reviews

" You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty," by Akwaeke Emezi, is a book that's title describes its plot well: a young bi woman becomes entranced by a man five years after the love of her life's death. Of course, it's not quite that simple - the man that she's taken with is actually the father of her new boyfriend. Emezi poses difficult questions through their work that should resonate with readers. Questions like, is it possible to embrace your future while honoring your grief? And how far would any of us be willing to go for another shot at true love?

Goodreads: 3.83-star average rating from 4,680 reviews

" Summer Sons," by Lee Mandelo, is a Southern gothic tale with a modern twist. It tells the story of Andrew and Eddie, two best friends, who do everything together - that is, until Eddie dies of an apparent suicide. Andrew then sets out on a quest to learn the truth about Eddie's death and discovers secrets that he never knew existed, as well as a family history that's filled with blood and death. Additionally, Andrew has a phantom to contend with, who's only begun to show up after Eddie's death - a phantom with bleeding wrists who wants revenge.

Goodreads: 3.59-star average rating from 10,253 reviews

Nghi Vo's " The Chosen and the Beautiful," which was also featured on our list of the best books from AAPI authors, is a retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald's " The Great Gatsby," but from the point of view of Jordan Baker, who's recast as a queer, adopted, Vietnamese socialite who's grown up in the wealthiest and most exclusive circles in the Jazz Age. Unfortunately, privilege does not protect her from discrimination, and Jordan finds herself exoticized by her peers - and possibly discriminated against by Congress.

Goodreads: 4.29-star average rating from 750 reviews

You (should) know David Sedaris. The man wrote some of the most formative essays of my youth, some about his dysfunctional upbringing in North Carolina as a gay kid and other about his obsessive tendencies as an adult man, found in 2000's " Me Talk Pretty One Day" and 2004's " Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim." " Happy-Go-Lucky " is another collection of personal essays, this time exploring the pandemic and what he called "battle-scarred America" in the aftermath of our political and societal struggles. That said, he continues to be very funny - vacuuming his apartment twice a day and considering, through the written word, how sex workers and acupuncturists make a living in lockdown.

Goodreads: 4.02-star average rating from 1,466 reviews

Jill Gutowitz always brings a smile to my face on the hellsite that is Twitter dot com, and now you can read a collection of her essays - which describe the ways her life has been impacted by popular culture (from Taylor Swift to "Orange Is The New Black") - to see what I find so charming and remarkable about her perspective. " Girls Can Kiss Now: Essays " examines identity, desire, self-worth and how pop culture reflects back to us what's already there - and shines a light on the path for us to move forward.

Goodreads: 4.2-star average rating from 347 reviews

Edgar Gomez's " High-Risk Homosexual " is a very funny memoir that sits on my fireplace mantel with more-pages-than-is-useful earmarked - the universally accepted sign of a great book. Gomez describes his journey towards self-acceptance (the acceptance of both his queer identity, as well as his identity as a Latinx man) from Orlando to Los Angeles, where he was deemed - by a doctor, no less - to be a high-risk homosexual, the book's title. Though he was taught to keep these important parts of himself stashed away, we watch as Gomez defies his upbringing and learns to love himself.

Goodreads: 4.05-star average rating from 371 reviews

Dylan Marron is an actor, writer and activist, whose award-winning podcast, " Conversations with People Who Hate Me," has turned into a book with a similar - but longer - title: " Conversations with People Who Hate Me: 12 Things I Learned from Talking to Internet Strangers." The premise is simple: Marron flips back through years of talking with strangers who hate him on the internet for his socially progressive views - and what those conversations revealed. It serves as both a reflection of Marron's experiences, as well as a guide for anyone hoping to have a difficult conversation with someone who feels distant to them.

Goodreads: 4.26-star average rating from 73 reviews

In 2017, Danica Roem became America's first openly trans person to be elected to US State legislature, when she was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates - and, in the process, unseated Virginia's anti-LGBTQ incumbent Bob Marshall. In this her memoir, " Burn the Page: A True Story of Torching Doubts, Blazing Trailers, and Igniting Change," Roem gets real with her readers and details how to turn the lowest points of your life into your greatest strengths. She describes how to become the author of your own destiny -how to take back the narrative that was given to you and rewrite it in your own words.
Catch up on Select's in-depth coverage of personal finance, tech and tools, wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.

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Casey McQuiston, whose work is featured in NBC OUT's Pride 30, told OUT they write romantic stories with queer people in mind because they grew up in a conservative, evangelical environment - and they want readers, especially queer readers, to feel less alone.

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Student Voices: Why we need to teach kids about gender identity

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Student Voices: Why we need to teach kids about gender identity

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Read this student's perspective about their journey with their own Gender Identity

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Student Voices: Why we need to teach gender as a spectrum

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Most transphobia stems from a lack of understanding of what it means to be trans or genderqueer. Providing comprehensive education on gender identity to all students can help to change that.

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Check out this Spoken-Word Poet and her work that addresses her own experiences with gender identity

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Andrea Gibson, Poet, Writer, Activist, Author, Performer - Andrea's New Book "You Better Be Lightning" Available Now

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Andrea Gibson is one of the most celebrated poets and performers of the last two decades. Andrea Gibson's trademark honesty and vulnerability are on full display in their new book "You Better Be Lightning", welcoming and inviting readers to be just as they are. Known as AndrewGibby on some

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High schoolers may be more gender-diverse than previously thought, new study says

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High schoolers may be more gender-diverse than previously thought, new study says

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see this article about a recent study that shows high school students are more diverse in their gender identity than previously thought!

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high schoolers may be more gender-diverse than previously thought

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High schoolers may be more gender-diverse than previously thought, new study says

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Some 9.2% of kids consider themselves gender-diverse in some way, according to a study of a US urban school district, to be published in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics. Many kids are looking for more creative and expansive ways to articulate themselves.

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this article breaks down a lot of confusing questions about what goes into your gender identity

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Use this resource from the Department of Education to help better understand our school's current practices or if something needs to change

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harassment; sex discrimination; complaints; compliance (legal); gender equity; student rights; sex harassment; sexual harassment; lgbt

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Title IX protects all students, including transgender and gender-nonconforming students, from sex discrimination. Title IX encompasses discrimination based on a students nonconformity with sex stereotypes and gender identity, including a students transgender status.

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A Guide for Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students

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A Guide for Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students

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See this document for more information on your rights in school as a student. This can help you protect yourself and your peers.

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Explore Eric Thomas's website to learn more about his life, speaking engagements, and books.

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R. Eric Thomas is the national bestselling author of Here For It, or How to Save Your Soul in America a Read with Jenna book club pick featured on Today and "a laugh-out-loud memoir strongly recommended for everyone" (Library Journal). Hailed as "infused with all the joy of the best teen movies" by Buzzfeed, his YA novel, Kings of B'more, was also featured on Today as part of the inaugural Read with Jenna Jr. book list. His biography of Rep. Maxine Waters, Reclaiming Her Time, co-authored with Helena Andrews-Dyer, makes "the case that political biographies shine bright when they have as much panache as their subject" (Washington Post). He is also a television writer (AppleTV+'s Dickinson, FX's Better Things), a playwright, and the long-running host of The Moth in Philadelphia. For four years he was a Senior Staff Writer for Elle.com where he wrote " Eric Reads the News ", a daily current events and culture column. For his playwriting, he won the Barrymore Award for Best New Play, the Dramatists Guild Lanford Wilson Award, and the Lambda Literary Award.

He has been published multiple times in The New York Times, TIME, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Magazine,and others. He has been heard on Pop Culture Happy Hour, It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders, Jen Hatmaker's For the Love, and other podcasts.

His play, TIME IS ON OUR SIDE, was commissioned by Simpatico Theater Project and developed with PlayPenn. It was the recipient of two 2016 Barrymore Awards, including Best New Play, and was named one of six finalists for the Harold and Mimi Steinberg American Theater Critics Association New Play Award. Of the play, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, "it's a superbly crafted two-hour mystery... Thomas creates an entire world with seeming room for all of humanity's hopes and dreams, foibles and longings."

The world premiere of MRS. HARRISON was produced by Azuka Theatre, won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Drama and was nominated for 3 Barrymore Awards, including Best New Play. About it the Philadelphia Inquirer raved "Every once in a (great) while, a new work in Philadelphia premieres with such power and promise that it demands to be seen by a much wider audience. That play is Mrs. Harrison at Azuka Theatre. That playwright is R. Eric Thomas."

Other plays include THE FOLKS AT HOME (Baltimore Center Stage), (Single Carrot Theater; 2020 Lambda Literary Award finalist), BACKING TRACK (commission: Arden Theatre Company), MERLAND (commission: Baltimore Center Stage), THE EVER PRESENT (commission: Theatre Exile), CRYING ON TELEVISION (Everyman Theatre; development: Ingram New Works Fellowship), INFINITY JONES NEEDS SOME SPACE! (development: Act II Theatre), NIGHTBIRD (development: Interact Theater Company/NNPN Commission), HUMAN RESOURCES (City Theatre Summer Shorts, 2015, Finalist: 2015 City Theatre National Award for Short Playwriting, published: City Theatre Anthology 2015).

Eric is an alumnus of The Foundry, a Philadelphia playwrights lab and InterAct Theatre Company's Core Playwrights program. He was a 2017 Lambda Literary Fellow, a 2018-2019 Ingram New Works Fellow, a member of Baltimore Center Stage's Playwright's Collective and the Cohesion Theater Company 2017 Playwright's Fellowship.

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R. Eric Thomas is the national bestselling author of Here For It, or How to Save Your Soul in America, a Read with Jenna book club pick featured on Today and "a laugh-out-loud memoir strongly recommended for everyone" (Library Journal). Hailed as "infused with all the joy of the best teen movies" by Buzzfeed, his...

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read more about Elliot's journey as an actor, transitioning while in the spotlights of Hollywood.

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In December 2020, after disclosing that he is transgender, the Oscar-nominated actor and star of Netflix's The Umbrella Academy(Season Three out June 22) became the most famous trans man on the planet. That's made him the target of indescribable hate but has also brought him unimaginable joy. Here, in his own words, he talks about his childhood, his career, his transition, and his life, though not necessarily in that order.
What have I learned from transitioning? I can't overstate the biggest joy, which is really seeing yourself. I know I look different to others, but to me I'm just starting to look like myself. It's indescribable, because I'm just like, there I am. And thank God. Here I am. So the greatest joy is just being able to feel present, literally, just to be present. To go out in a group of new people and be able to engage in a way where I didn't feel this constant sensation to flee from my body, this never-ending sensation of anxiety and nervousness and wanting out.

When I say I couldn't have ever imagined feeling that way, I mean that with every sense of me.

My dad had a cabin on the south shore of Nova Scotia with no running water or electricity. I was obsessed with tree frogs. I would watch them hop along for hours, probably because of how tiny they were. I've noticed as an adult how nourishing and crucial it is for me to feel connected to nature. I need it. When I'm in those spaces, my whole body will relax. My stress dissipates. I can get quiet.

I spent a lot of my childhood in the woods.

When I was a little kid, all I wanted my parents to play was the Bodyguard soundtrack. Loved. And Annie Lennox, Medusa. I think that had a lot to do with the cover. I'd just stare at Annie Lennox. My mum's music was a lot of Cat Stevens and Sting. The Tragically Hip-they're fantastic. My dad was more jazz-Shirley Horn, Ruth Brown.

I don't think I ever actually saw The Bodyguard. I should watch it. Now I'm feeling embarrassed.

I went to a different school every year during high school, so I never really had that single teacher mentor. When I left Halifax to go to Toronto in grade eleven, I thought the bullying would lessen, in regard to what people were clearly bullying me about. And that wasn't the case at all. Bullying puts you in a place where, later, you have so much un learning to do. If you're getting teased and made fun of and called names on a daily basis, there's no way that's not going to get inside of you-particularly when you're already feeling so much shame. Nobody even needs to open their mouth and you're already feeling it.

Those kids left a whole bunch of shit that I had to dig through and unlearn. I'm sure I could bring up a moment and one of them wouldn't remember it, because it didn't mean anything to them. I'd like to think they regret it now.

I always wanted my mum to take me to the school plays, even if I didn't know what they were about. There was some kind of urge to be in places like that.

I so rarely read novels, but I did just-not just, but a few books ago-I read Real Life, by Brandon Taylor. It's fantastic. He's such a phenomenal writer, it just floors you. That I really, really loved. And it's quite rare. I read novels more when I was younger, in high school. I didn't go to college, or university, so I'm adamant and disciplined to read a lot. Nonfiction, pretty much.

My childhood best friend and I are still very, very close. His name is Mark, and what I've learned from him-and what's so astounding about him-is his strength and sensitivity. Not being afraid to share your emotions, your pain, to not compromise who you are. Mark quarantined and came to Toronto to take care of me after my top surgery, and we recorded an EP on his four-track while I recovered. That's what we were doing-writing these little songs. That sound was just us having fun. There's nothing better than creating things with friends.

Mark's initials are tattooed under my right collarbone.

I was a pretty serious soccer player as a kid. I loved the discipline. I loved learning about teamwork. I loved even the more spiritual elements of it-what it means to find and create empty space.

As a kid, it was complicated in relation to my gender. I remember the year the genders were separated. I was so distraught, so inordinately distraught. I was crying to my mum, "Please, one more year, one more year!" When I was playing with the boys-soccer, touch football, out back during recess and lunch-I was having a blast. They did let me play one more year, then I had to go to the girls' team. I looked like the other boys, which I was. I'd be on the field about to kick the ball when a ref would say, "I don't think boys are allowed to play on this team." I still played soccer for years, but a lot of love for it was not there.

What else have I just read that's so good . . . oh: Somebody's Daughter, by Ashley C. Ford. Fantastic.

The reaction to my transition? I didn't expect it to be so big. In terms of the actual quality of the response, it was what I expected: love and support from many people and hatred and cruelty and vitriol from so many others. I came out as gay in 2014, and it's different. Transphobia is just so, so, so extreme. The hatred and the cruelty is so much more incessant.

Ace Ventura was like my favorite movie when I was a kid. I was doing impressions. And I've been in films with super-problematic things. But it's funny now when people are like, "You're too sensitive about jokes." If you look back, all the stuff that's so horrible, I mean the ending of Ace Ventura is deeply transphobic. I was going home and watching some sitcom with constant gay jokes after school every day. As were the kids who ended up being bullies.

"You're too sensitive." Excuse me? The stuff trans people deal with on a day-to-day basis? Excuse me?

This article appeared in the SUMMER 2022 issue of Esquire
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This really big dude, less than an arm's length away, was just screaming at me, "You faggot! Don't look at me! You faggot, faggot!" I couldn't even just go, like, I'm not looking at you. It was the one time I'd left the hotel that whole day. I was just trying to cross the street, and I couldn't because it was Sunset Boulevard and there's traffic, so I decided in my brain-because he was so tall-that I couldn't do anything physically. If I said something, he could retaliate. If I turned around, that could trigger something else. So I thought, I'm just going to have to bet on standing completely still and staring straight ahead.

And then eventually, after him yelling, "Faggot! Faggot! Faggot!" some more, he started to walk off and I started to cross the street. And then he just started screaming, behind me, "I'm gonna kill you, you fucking faggot! I'm gonna kill you, you fucking faggot! I'm gonna gay-bash you!" So I ran-I was alone-I ran into a convenience store, and as I was opening the door he yelled, "This is why I need a gun!"

Yeah, I don't think people really get it.

Why is sensitivity weaponized? I really feel for cis men in regard to the restraints and repression and suppression that stem from the expectations of your gender. When I came out, I posted a selfie with a thank-you note, just to show how much all the love and support meant. And I saw this comment-I should very much not be looking at the comments, but this guy said, "Oh, yeah, as if a guy would ever write something sensitive like that." I feel bad for that guy. I feel bad that he's been brought up in a society that equates masculinity with emotionlessness. That's a really shitty way to live, because it's going to come out in another direction, and another.

I've never worked out more in my life. Working out always felt like such a conundrum, because it didn't feel good. I walked and I hiked, but that was it. The experience of being in my body now is so different. I'm absolutely hooked. The feeling of being really engaged with it, present, pushing it and getting stronger and gaining weight. It's thrilling. I feel like a kid doing it.

I have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven . . . nine. Nine tattoos. They're mostly references to people in my life. One is one of my best friends' nicknames. One is one of my best friends' middle names. I have a little coffee cup, which I share with a dear friend. I have friends' initials, typically from periods of my life when I don't know if I would have necessarily gotten through them without certain individuals.

spike. Spike Jonze.

ep phone home is just a sweet thing.

The word turtles is pretty much a random tattoo. I do love turtles.

The first tattoo I ever got was for Catherine Keener. It's my nickname for her, which is c keens. That's just under my top right shoulder. I've known Keener since I was nineteen-she's my oldest friend in L. A., in that whole world. Keener taught me not to take bullshit, to keep my feet on the ground, to live my truth, and to take care of my heart.

When Juno was at the height of its popularity, during awards-season time, I was closeted, dressed in heels and the whole look-I wasn't okay, and I didn't know how to talk about that with anyone. But I could with Keener. I was living in a hotel by myself, and she came and got me. I lived with her. For my twenty-first birthday, she had a surprise party for me. I didn't really know anybody, so everyone wore name tags. I wore one, too. Nobody knew me, and they brought these funny little gifts. It was really sweet. There are people I met that night who are tattooed on my body.

How does money change a person? That's a dissertation. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it because it just shocks me sometimes.

There are many different types of both sex and love. And that's what can make it confusing-hence how painful all of it can be. Love is navigating the possibility of: Am I going to be able to love someone who isn't perfect, and are they going to be able to love someone who isn't perfect? That nonperfect person being me. And if that love and beauty exists in that space, that feels a lot different from having sex and ignoring the underneath of it all, and not being true and honest, and being afraid to share your real self. I don't think that could be considered love-or true love, if that exists.

Sex can also just be its own separate, free, fun, healing, curious, hot, euphoric activity that has no attachment. Sex is great is all I'm trying to say.

Euphoria: Summer, it's hot out, and I'm just in a white T-shirt that fits me, walking down the street, shoulders back, enjoying the sun and the day. In the past, that would've been a very different walk. Instead, you have ideas blossoming in your mind, not constant feelings of shame and self-hatred.

One of my favorite books ever is In the Dream House, by Carmen Maria Machado.

I love being a dog dad. I need that in my life. I don't even know where to begin with Mo; I'm so obsessed with him. My heart breaks at the thought of mortality whenever I think of him.

Everything that's being said about us is all the same shit that was said about LGB people: pedophiles, mentally ill, should they be allowed in the changing rooms. It's the same. It's the same. But the politicians are saying, Oh, shit! This is working! And that's what's scary.

There are people in elected office saying that, essentially, transgender people are going to be responsible for the end of existence. That degree of rhetoric is really alarming and horrible. It's also endless misinformation-and people buy it. The idea of gender being a binary concept specifically based on genitalia is a very new idea in relation to human history. We existed in every culture throughout history! People don't learn about that reality. They're banning kids from learning it. It's all tactical.

I thought it was impossible how I'm able to feel now. The degree of creativity that's come out-just a surge of creativity. Mark and I were making those songs; I have just about completed the first draft of a book; I wrote a screenplay with my friend B, Beatrice Brown, who did a lot of my tattoos.

I get up at six. I have coffee and I usually try to write for two hours. I just go into a portal. I sit down, and I am processing, and I'm telling a story-versus when I would hardly allow myself to be aware of it. Then I take my dog for a really nice walk, and then I try to write for another couple hours. In the afternoon, I feel it out. Because you're writing about intense things-not only full of feelings and trauma and difficulties, but also, this is the longest I've ever even sat with so much of that. With the things that have happened. It's an interesting experience, the fact that writing certain things can trigger a physiological response. It's so fascinating, the body.

I used to wonder how humans were going about their lives. I'd just look at people. How do you do it?

Probably my favorite thing to cook is a big spread of roasted vegetables of all kinds. Fennel, broccoli, cauliflower. Ummm. Japanese sweet potatoes, I love. And then brown rice, I love. And then I just kinda make some tofu in the pan, then steam or boil it-do you know kombu? Seaweed? You boil it, and then-this is funny-and then you mix it all in with some tahini or something, and then you roll it in the kombu. I'm telling you, it's good.

Then other times I eat like a teenage boy. I'm like, cereal: Good to go. Or I get fancy and make a frozen burrito.

I love making The Umbrella Academy. I've learned how special it is to play one character for so long, to evolve with a family of characters. All of us have gone through a lot. Years have gone by, and we've changed and grown in our own ways. I love watching the growth happen alongside the show, our personalities interweaving and all of us having our own moments. I'm just learning to love the whole journey of it.

Activism, for me, feels natural and organic. It feels worse when I'm not actively engaged. And I don't think it stems from feeling some sort of pressure or obligation. I hope it comes from a place of, inherently, empathy. I like to think I'm an empathetic person.

But then on some level, yeah, activism is something I must do. I think we need to utilize all of our privilege in our own ways. We all have some version of it, you know?

I've had to have plenty of devil's-advocate conversations with cis people who were like, "Well, I'm not trans and I could wear a skirt!" And it's like, cool. Okay. Great. So yeah, in my early to mid-twenties, I didn't know how to tell people how unwell I was. I would berate myself for it. I was living the life and my dreams were coming true, and all that was happening. And yet, for example, when I was shooting Inception, I could pretty much not leave whatever hotel I'd be staying in.

I struggled with food. Intense depression, anxiety, severe panic attacks. I couldn't function. There were days when I'd only have one meeting, and I'd leave my house to go to the meeting and have to turn around. Not being able to get through a script-could not. Reading is one of my favorite things to do-I couldn't read, couldn't get through a paragraph.

I could not picture myself as a woman aging. Obviously. It was just like, what is my future? There's not a future. That's kind of what it felt like. I would say, verbatim: I've never been a girl. I'll never be a woman.

Can I relate to the suicide problem among trans people? Yeah, I can relate deeply. And not only to the very conscious, direct act of doing it but also certain times when I lost so much weight or when I was having such severe panic attacks and collapsed multiple times-all these things that very easily could, and statistically do, lead to death. And that's all a manifestation of that trauma and discomfort that's a disproportionate issue for transgender people.

There were moments of wanting to not be here, but that was just the sensation that I was left with. It wasn't a movement for action-other than the ways in which I was abusing my body, clearly. I would look out the window of my apartment and think, With everything going on right now and how incredible it all is, this is how I feel? And I'm twenty-two? It was like, I don't know if I could do it.

I think of times when people actively were like, "No, you need to wear a dress" in very, very, very pivotal moments. I remember the premiere of Juno at the Toronto International Film Festival. Previously, doing press for Hard Candy, or when I went to Sundance for a film, I didn't know the concept of, like, a stylist. I grew up working in Canada! It's different. I dressed how I wanted to dress-not dissimilar to now. And I remember going and having the thing I wanted to wear, and then understanding the degree of expectation of how fancy someone is supposed to look. So I said I wanted to wear a suit, and Fox Searchlight was basically like, "No, you need to wear a dress." And they took me in a big rush to one of those fancy stores on Bloor Street. They had me wear a dress, and . . .  that was that. And then all the Juno press, all the photo shoots-Michael Cera was in slacks and sneakers. I look back at the photos, and I'm like . . .?

And it's easy for people to roll their eyes, but you know what? No. That was really extremely, extremely fucked up. I shouldn't have to treat it like just this thing that happened-this somewhat normal thing. It's like: No. Regardless of me being trans! I've had people who've apologized about things: "Sorry, I didn't know, I didn't know at the time." It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter if I'm trans or cis. Lots of cis women dress how I dress. That has nothing to fucking do with it.

It's really funny, since the book announcement, I've had three random, suspiciously timed apologies pop up. Interesting timing.

I wish I could go back and experience it now. As me.

Jokes have an impact that hurts people. I understand that people might think it doesn't. I understand that they're not meaning to. But: It's not a joke. It's not a joke. You believe what you're saying. You believe it. It's not a joke. They believe it. It's clearly not a joke. And all we're saying is: Can you just please listen and understand the harm that it causes? That's all we're trying to say. That is literally all we are trying to say. And then we get inundated with hatred for saying it. But I'm sorry: You are the ones who don't want to have the conversation. You are the ones who are so sensitive, who can't handle people saying, Hey, can you not do that?

I love hockey. I don't really have a team, I just love watching it. When I lived in L. A., I'd go to Kings games and cheer for the Kings. But if Toronto came, I'd cheer for both. I was at a sports bar last night watching the NBA playoffs, Memphis versus Minnesota. I'm not someone who is a die-hard fan of a team. Is that strange? I keep meaning to become one. Every year I say this is the year I'm picking a team and I'm staying with that team. And I never do it.

I could still skate. It's been ages, but I'd be fine. I was probably on skates at three. On a pond. Back when things froze.

Liverpool is my mum's team. She knows all the players, the coach, the drama, everything. Her number-one bucket-list thing was to go to a Liverpool game. I was doing press for Season One of Umbrella Academy in London. There was a Liverpool game. I reached out to the team and said I wanted to bring my mum to a game. They were so incredibly welcoming and kind. I brought my mum over and surprised her. Getting to watch her be at that game was truly one of the most absolute special moments in my life. In the beginning, when everyone is singing, she's just swaying and singing. I have it on video. When the game was over, they took her down to see the field and the seats where the players sit. She got to meet the coach. Seeing my mum happy makes me so happy.

Alexander Chee's-maybe you've read it- How to Write an Autobiographical Novel? Ohhhhhh. It's so good.

My mother was born in the fifties. She was a minister's daughter. You know? She definitely didn't want me to be queer. That's where there was a lot of challenge, for years. Until I was in my twenties. But I love her so much, and I totally understand, and forgive. I have a mother who loves me, and not everybody has that.

Forgiveness? Depends on the situation. There are a couple people I don't forgive. I don't know what this thing is about always having to forgive. I don't wish them harm, but I shouldn't feel obligated or forced to forgive them. Maybe at some point, but there are a couple people I don't, and I don't feel bad about it. And there are other people who, absolutely. Of course.

Do you know the book Split Tooth, by Tanya Tagaq? It's one of the best things I've ever read. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. The last two pages of her book are just this whole beautiful piece about: I don't want to forgive. But I forgive myself. I'll pick it up every once in a while just to read that.

Kids? No. I feel like I've also had to take care of myself so much. I'm obsessed with my dog. That's my kid. I'm good with that. I mean, if I met someone who had a kid, I'm not completely closed off to the idea that maybe when I'm older, I could adopt a kid who's older, you know. But no.

For me, euphoria is simply the act of waking up, making my coffee, and sitting down with a book and being able to read. I know that may sound strange, but I can't stress enough the degree of discomfort and struggle that I was experiencing that got in the way of everything. How could it not?
Production by Roger Inniss at Boom Productions Inc Set design by Charlotte Malmlöf Hair by Thom Priano Grooming by Frankie Boyd for Tom Ford Tailoring by Joseph Ting
There is a universality to that. We've all experienced similar versions. It would be so nice, the more and more we can realize how much we're all in this together. The same kind of stuff that comes at me is not not affecting cis people and making cis people be confined in spaces that are expected of them. This affects us all.

Dinner tonight? Good question. I do have some veggies and stuff. I have fennel, broccoli. . . .

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In December 2020, after disclosing that he is transgender, the Oscar-nominated actor and star of Netflix's The Umbrella Academy (Season Three out June 22) became the most famous trans man on the planet. That's made him the target of indescribable hate but has also brought him unimaginable joy.

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having a hard time wrapping your head around gender identity (or explaining it to others) here's a great short video to help!

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Watch these videos of how others view their gender.

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Gender Spectrum | StoriesGender Spectrum

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here is a good review about Gender Identity and pronouns that people choose for themselves

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Trans 101: Gender Diversity Crash Course

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Trans 101: Gender Diversity Crash Course

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this is a very informative video about how to respect and ask questions to Trans people and possibly examine your own feelings about gender identity

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Watch the TedTalk for Jesse Lueck's breakdown of their own journey with Gender Identity. there is a great breakdown and personal story to help see how experiences differ.

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Walking Through the World Non-Binary | Jesse Lueck | TEDxRanneySchool

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22 Books By LGBTQ+ Authors You Need to Add to Your Reading List

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22 Books By LGBTQ+ Authors You Need to Add to Your Reading List

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Explore this list for fiction & nonfiction book options that address gender identity

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My "to read" list on Goodreads is never-ending, it seems. I'm always on the hunt for the next new book (opens in new tab) that I can snag, read, and rave about before anyone else gets their hands on it. This may be in part of my obsession with aesthetically-pleasing covers or a plot that sounds so intriguing I have to stop whatever I'm doing to read it. Lucky for you, these books by LGBTQ+ authors hold all of these qualities.

If I asked you to take a look at your bookshelf to see how many spots were filled with a book not written by a straight white dude, most people wouldn't be counting for long. So, yes, we have a long way to go toward diversifying the publishing industry, but thankfully more stories featuring diverse authors (opens in new tab) like these ones are getting the space to be told. Ahead, here are 22 (mostly new-ish!) books by LGBTQ+ authors spanning genres from romance, mystery, science fiction, and more.

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The Books From LGBTQ+ Authors We Can't Put Down

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My "to read" list on Goodreads is never-ending, it seems. I'm always on the hunt for the next new book (opens in new tab) that I can snag, read, and rave about before anyone else gets their hands on it.

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32 Celebrities who are openly proud about being LGBTQ

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32 Celebrities who are openly proud about being LGBTQ

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Read this article to find out more about celebrities who have used their platform to support other members of the LGBTQ community

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Elliot Page described himself as trans and queer in a letter to fans.

The "Umbrella Academy" star, who was nominated for an Academy Award for the 2007 film "Juno," clarified his name and pronouns in a letter shared on Twitter.

"I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life," he wrote. "I feel overwhelming gratitude for the incredible people who have supported me along this journey. I can't begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self."

In the letter, Page denounced politicians "who work to criminalize trans health care and deny our right to exist," and "all of those with a massive platform who continue to spew hostility towards the trans community."

He added: "I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer. And the more I hold myself close and fully embrace who I am, the more I dream, the more my heart grows and the more I thrive."

Page, who is married to dancer Emma Portner, previously came out as gay during a 2014 speech at Time to Thrive, a conference to promote the welfare of LGBTQ youth in Las Vegas.

"I am tired of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission," the actor said. "I suffered for years because I was scared to be out. My spirit suffered, my mental health suffered and my relationships suffered. And I'm standing here today, with all of you, on the other side of all that pain."

Fans of Brendon Urie have always seen him as a queer icon.

As the front man of Panic! at the Disco, Brendon Urie became known for rejecting stereotypical masculinity, toying with androgyny, and embracing sexuality.

"I'm married to a woman and I'm very much in love with her but I'm not opposed to a man because to me, I like a person," he told Paper magazine in 2018. "Yeah, I guess you could qualify me as pansexual because I really don't care. If a person is great, then a person is great. I just like good people, if your heart's in the right place. I'm definitely attracted to men. It's just people that I am attracted to."

Hayley Kiyoko is known by her fans as "Lesbian Jesus."

Kiyoko hopes that, by singing about her own experiences and featuring same-sex love stories in her videos, she can help queer fans accept themselves.

"That's the whole reason for doing pop music and being in the mainstream and being bold: trying to showcase not [being] scared. I don't want people to be like, 'Well, my life's gonna suck for the next 10 years.' No! Your life can be amazing now," she told The Guardian.

Kehlani's "Honey" is a celebrated gay love song.

Kehlani clarified that she's a lesbian in 2021 after previously identifying as queer. The singer has long been a visible member of the LGBTQ community, particularly after the release of her 2017 love song "Honey."

"I mean, I've been making music about women my whole career, but I never felt the need to write 'she,' necessarily. It wasn't in the forefront of my mind," she later said in an interview with The Fader.

"But now I've seen how people reacted to my song 'Honey,' or when I've used the correct pronouns and put women in my music videos," she continued. "Just seeing how much people felt like they needed that representation or how much it inspired them definitely encouraged me to step into this new phase of making music."

Asia Kate Dillon became the first non-binary actor with a starring role on American TV.

Dillion plays Taylor, a non-binary character in Showtime's "Billions."

"I would have never wanted to play Taylor if it had been a one-off episode and in that episode it would have been all about their gender identity," Dillon told NBC News. "If it hadn't been a fully fleshed-out character, I wouldn't have wanted to do it, because that representation is old hat, frankly, and not interesting. Non-binary people are multi-dimensional human beings."

Dillion also played a non-binary character known as The Adjudicator in the 2019 "John Wick" film.

Billy Porter advocates for better roles for gay actors.

In a 2017 op-ed for the New York Times, Billy Porter revealed he had been bullied and physically and sexually abused throughout his childhood.

"None of this was easy," he wrote. "I lost high-profile roles I knew I could have gotten, and the paychecks that went with them. Homelessness and bankruptcy were part of this journey as well."

He reflected on his evolution as a gay man in theater, his recent success on Broadway, and FX's "Pose," and his refusal to keep playing stereotypes.

"The world has caught up with me," he concluded, "and I'm a living witness that dreams do come true, even if they aren't the ones you start out with."

Lauren Jauregui has invoked her bisexuality to make a political statement.

"I am a bisexual Cuban-American woman and I am so proud of it," Jauregui wrote in an open letter to Trump voters. "I am proud to be part of a community that only projects love and education and the support of one another."

Lucas Hedges says he exists on the LGBTQ spectrum.

"I owe it to this part to speak as honestly as possible," Hedges told Vulture about his film "Boy Erased," which deals with conversion therapy.

"In the early stages of my life, some of the people I was most infatuated with were my closest male friends," he continued. "That was the case through high school, and I think I was always aware that while for the most part I was attracted to women, I existed on a spectrum. Not totally straight, but also not gay and not necessarily bisexual."

Evan Rachel Wood says "labels are tricky," but has historically fought for bisexual visibility.

"I prefer 'queer,'" Wood wrote on Twitter in 2013. "Bisexual works too except I don't exclude transgender people. This is why labels are tricky."

The "Westworld" actress then addressed a variety of biphobic assumptions in a series of tweets in 2015.

"I can assure you that whatever 'straight privilege' I sometimes get accused of having, gets erased by #biphobia," she wrote. "Remember, bisexuality doesn't mean halfway between gay or straight. It is its own identity."

Kristen Stewart, who identifies as bisexual, famously joked about being "so gay" on "Saturday Night Live."

"You're not confused if you're bisexual," she told The Guardian in 2017. "It's not confusing at all. For me, it's quite the opposite."

Stewart also spoke to the complexity that comes with having her sexuality in the spotlight.

"I mean, it's hard to talk about," Steward said. "I don't want to seem presumptuous, because everyone has their own experience. The whole issue of sexuality is so grey. I'm just trying to acknowledge that fluidity, that grayness, which has always existed. But maybe only now are we allowed to start talking about it."

Sia revealed she identifies as queer in 2013.

In 2017, for Billboard's "Love Letter to the LGBTQ Community" series, Sia wrote that she "decided to dedicate myself to the queer community in a more meaningful way."

The singer largely used her brief letter to spotlight the struggles and many-varied faces within the LGBTQ community.

"I am so very grateful for my queer community and would have withered away long ago without them," she wrote. "Specifically my manager David, who has held my hand now for 12 years, through light and dark. He recently came out publicly as HIV positive, and the transformation of his shame into self acceptance has been magic to watch. I am so happy and proud of him."

When Kesha falls in love, she says it's "not about a gender."

"I don't love just men. I love people," Kesha told Seventeen Magazine. "It's not about a gender. It's just about the spirit that exudes from that other person you're with."

Amandla Stenberg identifies as gender non-binary and pansexual.

"Gender and sexuality are so fluid. It's OK to change your mind a million times and figure out what works for you. It's OK to take your time," Stenberg told Seventeen magazine in 2018. "I love that we have this umbrella term of 'queer,' and so many things can exist underneath it, but I realized that part of my journey was hiding underneath that umbrella, because I was scared - on a personal and a public level - to confront what I was."

"It was easier for me to say 'I'm bi' or "I'm pan' as I was figuring it out," they continued. "But I came to a place where I felt really proud of my sexuality, and I decided I wanted to share that pride."

Frank Ocean's celebrated music often explores his relationships with men.

Just before the release of his debut album, "Channel Orange," Ocean posted an intimate note on his Tumblr that clarified its inspiration.

"Four summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19 years old. He was too," Ocean wrote. "It was my first love, it changed my life."

"I don't have any secrets I need kept anymore," he continued. "I feel like a free man."

While Ocean has largely avoided any specific label, many fans interpret his 2017 single "Chanel" as an exploration of bisexuality.

Neil Patrick Harris came out as gay in 2006.

In his 2014 memoir, "Choose Your Own Autobiography," Harris reflected on his experience with coming to terms with his sexuality.

"After a long internal journey, you now embrace being gay, recognizing it as a wonderful and integrally important component part of the totality that is you," he wrote.

Features LGBTQ LGBTQ Issues

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32 celebrities who are openly proud about being LGBTQ

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Elliot Page described himself as trans and queer in a letter to fans. The "Umbrella Academy" star, who was nominated for an Academy Award for the 2007 film "Juno," clarified his name and pronouns in a letter shared on Twitter. "I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here.

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even though this is a college resource it still holds true for high school students!

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Allies can be some of the most effective and powerful voices of the LGBTQ+ movement. In this article, you can find some of the ways you can be a better LGBTQ+ ally!

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read this short story and consider the discussion questions it provides - talk about it with a friend!

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CommonLit | Indefinite Inevitable by Lauren Groff | CommonLit