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Novel, fiction - Nicole Melleby - 2019 - middle grades

"Fig, a sixth grader, loves her dad and the home they share in a beachside town. She does not love the long months of hurricane season. Her father, a once-renowned piano player, sometimes goes looking for the music in the middle of a storm. Hurricane months bring unpredictable good and bad days. More than anything, Fig wants to see the world through her father’s eyes, so she takes an art class to experience life as an artist does. Then Fig’s dad shows up at school, confused and looking for her. Not only does the class not bring Fig closer to understanding him, it brings social services to their door.

As the walls start to fall around her, Fig is sure it’s up to her alone to solve her father’s problems and protect her family’s privacy. But with the help of her best friend, a cute girl at the library, and a surprisingly kind new neighbor, Fig learns she isn’t as alone as she once thought . . . and begins to compose her own definition of family." (from the publisher)

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Documentary - 2019 - TV-14 - available to watch on Netflix

This is a short documentary (40 minutes) following the experiences of a gay, Chinese filmmaker named Hao Wu as he returns to his traditional Chinese family after making a family for himself in America, including having children through surrogacy with his partner. The film shows raw footage of his family's reactions to his lifestyle and reckoning with their relationship, cultural norms, and bigotry.

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Watch All In My Family | Netflix Official Site

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After starting a family of his very own in America, a gay filmmaker documents his loving, traditional Chinese family's process of acceptance. Watch trailers & learn more.

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Everything is Beautiful and I'm Not Afraid

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Everything is Beautiful and I'm Not Afraid

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Graphic Novel, fiction - Yao Xiao - 2020 - some selections may be inappropriate, up to discretion of teacher

This is a graphic novel by Yao Xiao detailing the life of a fictional character inspired by the author's own experiences as a queer immigrant in America. Xiao touches on bigotry, racism, fatphobia, and the process of coming out to her family as a bisexual woman through the experiences of the protagonist, all told through whimsical and eye-catching illustrations.

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Spoken Word Poem - Mila Cuda - 2019 - recommended for 15+ - full poem available on YouTube

Cuda's spoken word poem mixes humor with solid truth as she discusses what it means to be a lesbian in today's youth society -- from family members' refusal to understand and accept, to not knowing what is platonic or romantic with gay friends, to having to re-enter the closet in public to avoid being harassed or discriminated against.

"We love so hard sometimes / I forget holding hands is a risk. / I forget each intersection kiss is a death wish."

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All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages 

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All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages 

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Short Story Anthology, fiction - edited by Saundra Mitchell - 2018 - teen/young adult - available on Amazon or through the library

"From a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood set in war-torn 1870s Mexico featuring a transgender soldier…to two girls falling in love while mourning the death of Kurt Cobain…to forbidden love in a sixteenth-century Spanish convent…and an asexual girl discovering her identity amid the 1970s roller-disco scene, All Out tells a diverse range of stories across cultures, time periods, and identities, shedding light on an area of history often ignored or forgotten." (from the publisher)

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"Coming Out": Gay Teenagers, in Their Own Words

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"Coming Out": Gay Teenagers, in Their Own Words

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NYTimes article - 2011 - Sarah Kramer

This article from the NYTimes by Sarah Kramer was written shortly after the death of Tyler Clementi, during Glee's original run, and right after the It Gets Better Project was begun. While only 10 years old, it will feel like ancient queer history to high school students. Kramer discusses the Trevor Project and interviews with queer teenagers, who get quoted in their own words about their sexualities and gender expression.

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The suicide of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman who jumped from the George Washington Bridge last year after discovering that his roommate had secretly streamed his romantic interlude with another man on the Internet, captured worldwide attention. In the wake of his death, stories of gay youths being bullied and taking their own lives proliferated.

The subsequent outpouring of concern from parents, educators and those who had survived bullying themselves inspired It Gets Better, a campaign led by the columnist and author Dan Savage in which thousands of lesbian and gay adults shared their stories to assure all teenagers that society has a place for them.

Popular culture has reinforced this message of acceptance. For example, the hit TV show "Glee" has had three storylines involving gay teenagers this season, including the matter-of-fact courtship, with rare onscreen same-sex kissing, of characters played by Chris Colfer and Darren Criss. Lady Gaga has countered the antigay rhetoric that many young people hear in their churches and communities with the song "Born This Way," increasing her already large fan base among gay and lesbian teenagers.

"The amount of attention that has been given to debates over L.G.B.T. issues in the last year is another sign of how deeply American society remains divided over L.G.B.T. issues," said George Chauncey, a Yale University professor of 20th-century United States history and lesbian and gay history, referring to lesbians, gay men and bisexual and transgender people. "And it has made it clear to young people just how much opposition remains."

The New York Times embarked on the project Coming Out as an effort to better understand this generation's realities and expectations, and to give teenagers their own voice in the conversation.

The Times spoke with or e-mailed nearly 100 gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender teenagers from all of parts of the country - from rural areas to urban centers, from supportive environments to hostile ones. The newspaper contacted them through various advocacy groups, as well as through social networking sites like YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

The Trevor Project, which provides counseling to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youths in crisis, among other services, posted a call for teenagers to tell their stories to The Times, resulting in nearly 250 responses. At times, young people led The Times to others.

The youths who participated were in different phases of coming out: some had come out only to themselves, some to people in certain realms of their lives, some to only one trusted friend or family member. Some had come out to their family or community, and then, realizing they lacked the support they needed, rescinded the declaration - and came out again a couple of years later. Others spoke of hating themselves in the process of accepting who they are.

Some flaunted their sexuality, while others adhered to traditional gender norms. In English, Ind., one boy said that when he first came out, he wore eyeliner and skinny jeans. "But then when I stopped it and decided to be myself, it was like I no longer fit the stereotypes," he said.

In the face of competing messages, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youths just want to be teenagers. While they envision a world where they can get married and have doors open to them, they do not want to be defined by their sexuality, regardless of how they are received by their community. It is just one part of their identity.

As Kailey Jeanne Cox, 15, said in her story: "I don't want to have myself being seen by people as 'Oh, she's - she's gay.' I want them to see me as 'Wow, she loves God, who cares what kind of people she likes? She is a Christian, she leads by example and she's a wonderful person.' That's what I want people to think when they see me."

Or Joel Brimmerman, 17, who cannot wait for the day he can begin the physical transition to male from female, summed it up this way: "I'd rather just get done with it and get on with my life. I mean, I have stuff to do besides transition."

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'Coming Out': Gay Teenagers, in Their Own Words (Published 2011)

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The suicide of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman who jumped from the George Washington Bridge last year after discovering that his roommate had secretly streamed his romantic interlude with another man on the Internet, captured worldwide attention. In the wake of his death, stories of gay youths being bullied and taking their own lives proliferated.

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Movie, fiction - 2018 - PG-13 - available to watch on Hulu

This movie follows a gay teenager named Simon as he navigates coming out to his friends and family, being afraid his life is about to change forever, and falling in love for the first time to another queer teenager from his high school over email without knowing who is the person behind the other's email address.

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