Come out, come out, wherever you are...

[piasharn]

Gah, I can't believe that I almost forgot! It's National Coming Out Day! Admittedly, I haven't gone through the final phase of coming out; phase One is coming out to yourself, phase two is coming out to family and close friends, and phase three is coming out to the general population.

No, I don't think that being openly gay on a blog counts as completing phase three. My (former) coworkers and classmates didn't know. (Well, for all I know, they may have suspected. That's not the same thing, though.) I was tempted to on occasions. As a gay-rights activist, I know that coming out is one of the best things that you can do. The more people come out, the more straight people become conscious that GLBT people are normal, just like them. It also makes heterosexuals more aware of what GLBT people go through.

However, due to some of the viewpoints expressed by some of the people I worked and studied with, I wasn't comfortable with the idea of being out to them. Oh, I know there were people who would have been fine with it. I also knew that there were people who wouldn't, though, and I just didn't feel up to dealing with their reactions. I had enough problems with people knowing that I am agnostic and socially liberal.

Anyhow, in honor of this day, I decided to post links to some of my favorite GLBT websites.

Androphile

History is written by the victors, which means that more often than not, history is written by heterosexuals. This site provides a great resource into how homosexuality and/or same-sex relationships were treated in different times and places. The site acknowledges that it is mostly oriented towards a male-male bias. This isn't intentionally done, it's simply that more of these stories have survived the course of time.

Box Turtle Bulletin

I know you've seen studies that "prove" that homosexuality is dangerous and a threat to children. You know, the ones that show how gay people have an insane number of sexual partners per year, how they are drug addicts and alcoholics, that they have shorter life-spans, and how they prey on children. Perhaps you've just come across a person who used these studies to support their actions and beliefs. This site takes those studies and breaks them down section by section to show you how they misquote researchers and twist information (and sometimes make it up entirely) to support their claims. If you want arsenal for your debates, this site has it.

Coming Out Stories

How to come out of the closet, and how not to come out of the closet. Real people share their coming out stories.

Ex-Gay Watch

A blog that tracks the actions and words of groups promoting repartive therapy, such as NARTH, and other groups who have made anti-GLBT policies a part of their message.

Families Like Mine

A resource for the children of GLBT parents. I saw a presentation by Abagail Garner, the founder of the organization, that was both entertaining and poignant, how she felt growing up that she and her brother were the only people (or normal ones, anyway) who had a gay parent, her fear that the government would prevent her from seeing her dad, and how she created this site for others like her.

GLSEN

The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network. Another general information and resource center with news, activism resources, and more. I met Kevin Jennings, one of the founders of the organization, a few years ago, and he was not only eloquent and passionate, but a big inspiration to me.

Human Rights Campaign

A U.S. site with information on politics, laws, activism, coming out, and so on. You can also win some of the clothing worn by Jake Gyllenhaal and Heith Ledger in Brokeback Mountain. Come on, I know at least one person reading this has wanted their pants...

PFLAG

Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians And Gays. A site for those of you who are not queer, but have a loved one who is. How to be straight, but not narrow, and how you can help out the GLBT people who are close to you.

Sexual Orientation: Science, Education, and Policy

This site documents the work of Dr. Gregory Herek on homosexuality and homophobia. He also looks at issues such as GLBT people in the military and AIDS awareness.

The Straight Spouse Network

Sometimes a gay person gets married and starts a family out of fear, denial, or the hopes that if they work hard enough at it, they'll become straight. When they come out of the closet, there's often a bewildered spouse left questioning what happened. This site is to help and support the heterosexual spouses of GLBT people.

OCRT: Homosexuality and Bisexuality

The OCRT (Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance) website deals with religious issues. Whether it is giving backgrounds and beliefs of the different theological systems worldwide, or discussing issues in which religion plays a major role (such as abortion, evolution, and so on), they have a wealth of information here. Translations and interpretations of biblical passages, investigation of repartive therapy groups, and polls on feelings towards GLBT rights all make up this particular section.

Whoa... two posts in one day! I think I need to sit down for a bit...