Please note: Our Stories and Links pages will contain links to some sites and some
stories which may include, or link to, things that may be considered by some to be "adult
content." We believe that the content we link to has far greater potential for benefit
than for detriment. Teens know how to search for porn all around the Internet. Aiding
that quest is not our purpose.
__________________________________________________________________________
BEFORE COMING OUT TO YOUR PARENTS, please read this.
What might happen if you never come out? Read here a
contribution from a nice gentleman from Texas who has remained
in the closet for all of his 62 years.
INFLUENCES: How much do you let outside influences shape
your life? Check out Above the Influence to find some things that
might surprise you. Try the "Feeling Pressured?" quiz, and just
have fun touring the whole site. Way cool! Are you above the
influence? Or...are you under it?
CHECK YOURSELF: If you haven't always been exactly above
the influence, maybe it's time to face up to some things and really
check yourself. At CHECK YOURSELF ("A place for teens to check
where they are with drugs and alcohol") you'll find MOMENTS OF
TRUTH postings from teens who have realized they were out of
control. You'll find true stories from teens and also short video
clips and movies, as well as helpful quizzes, games and resources.
Check it out and check yourself. It's never too late.
DIVORCE: We're realizing that many teens -- especially GLBT
teens -- whose parents are getting (or have gotten) a divorce are
experiencing the same feelings that Trey of our crew had when
his parents decided to divorce less than a year after Trey had
come out to them. They feel it's their fault. If you're in that
divorcing-parents situation, please read these articles: When
Parents Divorce at teenwire.com, Dealing With Divorce at
TeensHealth, and Your Parents' Divorce at the UIUC Counseling
Center.
SUICIDE: Some of the sites listed here and on our Stories page
include links to suicide prevention information. Here's a direct link
to a good suicide prevention resource.
BULLYING: This is a universal problem in schools across the
world. Check out SAVE, Students Against Violence Everywhere, to
find out what you can do to help. Also, check out this cool
Australian site about bullying: Bullying. No Way!
GayBoySupport is a site in The Netherlands that is a must-see for
gay teen guys. It is very well written and covers just about any
question or problem that gay teens might have. GayGirlSupport is
under construction.
Check out the Links section of It's Only Me from Across the Sea
for great resources for teens and young adults.
Please visit The Bonus Round's Gay Youth Page for links to sites
that are major sources of support and information for gay,
lesbian, bi, and not-sure teens.
My Child Is Gay! Now What Do I Do? contains the most fantastic
and complete information we've found for parents of GLBT teens.
Teens can learn from that site, too, and feel good about
themselves after reading some of its information. It's linked from
our For Parents page, too.
Whosoever and The Gay Christian Network are important sites for
Christians who are gay, lesbian, bi or not sure. Click HERE for links
to sites of interest to GLBT folks of the Jewish, Mormon and
Muslim faiths.
After Pedro Zamora was diagnosed HIV+ at age seventeen, he
fought heroically from then until his death at age twenty-two to
educate high school and college students about AIDS prevention.
One of the sites honoring Pedro is this one.
Gabi Clayton, whose son Bill committed suicide shortly after he
was a victim of a hate crime, has a website that includes Bill's
Story and much more. Please visit her site.
Mr. Alex Sanchez has a great site for gay teens, with useful links
and information about his novels of love and friendship. Take a
look.
You've Got a Friend is a very good site by Sue and Mat. It
includes helpful information about depression, sexuality,
self-esteem, relationships, abuse, addiction, etc. It's an
important site. The site is dedicated to -- among others -- Dalton
Knauss, who died at the age of 15 while practicing AEA. If you
haven't done that, please don't, and if you are doing it, please
stop. Read here about another teen, Justin, who died the same
way. UPDATE: You've Got a Friend is undergoing changes. We
hope to see it back up soon.
PiNKBOOKS is a source of fiction and non-fiction books for gay
and lesbian teens and young adults. You'll find brief descriptions
of the books and even pictures of their covers. The non-fiction
section includes several important books for parents of GLBT kids.
QUITNET is a site that can help you quit smoking. About 25% of
teens smoke cigarettes or use other tobacco products. If you do,
and want to quit, check out that site.