Reading

"Someone You Love"

This book has been written to assist parents, families and friends of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, trans* and intersex people (GLBTI) with the sometimes difficult process of coming to terms with the changes that are taking place in the lives of the children whom they love.

The booklet is essential reading and answers some common questions asked by families and friends concerning their loved ones and how to help and support them. Further reading and contact information is also provided.

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the booklet.

"Someone You Love" copyright: 'Here For Life' Youth Sexuality Project 1997 by WA Aids Council. Not to be reprinted or reproduced without permission. Revised and reprinted 2004 and 2006. Edition 2008 revised and reprinted by the Freedom Centre and WA Aids Council

"My Child Is Gay" by Bryce McDougall

Parent's honest and revealing responses to the news their child is gay. A must for any parent who is struggling with their feelings.

Description

Each year a number of brave men and women will sit down and tell their parents that they are gay. By the time they tell their parents they will have lived with this knowledge for some time. It is often the parents who have only a split second to react. My Child is Gay is a compilation of letters written by parents who have a gay or lesbian child. The letters have been written to be shared - both to help parents cope with and come to term with their feelings, and for gay men and women who are contemplating sharing the truth.

Few parents are accepting from the start and many feel perplexed. They are unsure where to turn to for help and how to deal with their feelings of grief and loss. Here the parents talk about how they dealt with the many emotions they experienced - anger, embarrassment, guilt and confusion.

Together these letters reaffirm the regenerative power of love and allow those with first hand experience to outline the important steps on the road to understanding. My Child is Gay shows how ordinary families have found love and happiness again.

Available online from - Allen & Unwin Book Publishers