Author of Contemporary Gay Romance
Here’s a video from a close friend specifically for parents of LGBT children coming out. Probably the most important point to convey before I step off this stage and let David talk to you is the fact that children simply want to be loved, but his video goes beyond that and is well worth watching.
Note: I’ve also added a few resource link below for parents seeking more information, and you can also click over to LGBT Youth Orgs for more.
The Lost and Found Organization is a grass roots Atlanta based movement working to get LGBT kids off the street right now, at this very moment. It is still in its infancy, but it is already changing lives. Below is just one of the latest updates about what’s going on with the movement and with the organization. I am very proud to say that this is one of the nonprofits that benefits from sales of Rain and one of the very few I have ever worked with that is out there going to the kids instead of waiting for them to show up. This is the gay community helping lgbt youth. Read below how such simple acts of kindness change lives, perceptions and eventually… life outcomes. And please consider a donation. $20 gets one kid off the street for the night and gives him/her a warm bed, and the hope that tomorrow will be a better day.
FIRST – I am happy to report that the Lesbian couple and baby get to meet their GOSTER= Gay Foster Family tomorrow nite. If all goes well and they approve of each other, they will be moving in next week. [Read more…] about Lost and Found Youth
Meet Tyler.
Tyler’s dad found out he was homosexual and disowned him, denied that he ever existed, and threw him out of the house after beating him unconscious. Tyler is 14.
When he is on the street picking through dumpsters looking for something, anything, to eat, he thinks of all the times he heard his parents tell him that they would love him no matter what.
He recalls when he lay curled in his father’s lap while his daddy read to him. He remembers that he would drift off to sleep in his arms only to awaken the next morning tucked safely in bed. He thinks that this memory, which has suddenly left him trembling and near tears again, is only three years old. Just three years, when he was eleven, and didn’t really understand all the names and rage his father would throw at him later.
He wonders what his mom is doing now, why she never stepped forward and said, “Enough!” Why she never did anything on that night but cinch the curtain a little tighter when he turned and looked back at what used to be his home. Did she hate him too? [Read more…] about What Do You Tell Him?
rendered like a stillness
in the eyes
where it flashes
its teeth
a full skeleton
under all we do
The title of this post reflects an email I received from a fan after he read The Value Of Rain.
And while I very much appreciated the sentiment behind his words, I never wrote Rain to do anything other than make people think and feel. As one recent reviewer wrote “If you are looking for something light to read, then The Value of Rain isn’t for you, but if you want to read a story that will wrench your heart and make you feel something, then give it a go.”
And please don’t misunderstand, because I enjoy escapist writing as much as anyone else. I’m a massive sci-fi fan and will quickly chomp down a series like a fat greasy cheeseburger, licking my finders and all!
But when atrocities come close to home; when you become witness to suffering that you could never imagine, then a voice must be made, a voice must heard. The Value Of Rain is a voice; the voice of people I knew and of things they suffered. It’s also voice of my own conscience trying to deal with the horrifying sorrow of what they felt comfortable talking with me about. And yes, several of the characters in the book are/were real people; some of the most humorous and some of the most tragic. I will leave you to decide for yourself which are real and which are fictional, and will not discuss that further. [Read more…] about You don’t let my conscience sleep
Guest post by by James Robinson, Director GLBT Advocacy & Youth Services
Two Steps Beyond ProseWords are power. Anyone who is a writer, or a speaker, knows this instinctively; as do those that try to suppress the words they don’t agree with.
Words can change geography, nations, politics and move an entire people to action. But sometimes it is those small changes; those seemingly insignificant burst of prose that make a difference and touch lives that you, as a writer, will never know about or see. Two steps beyond your prose is an action, a caress, a thought that changes even the smallest part of history and you may never know that impact. [Read more…] about How Writing Makes a Difference
There’s been a lot of discussion about bullying in the recent weeks since Jamey Rodemeyers death. Once again, it is in the international spotlight after a tragedy that should have never happened. As offline and online communities (of all ages) step up to the plate and tackle the issue I am especially heartened to see the youth of the world move to make changes within their own environment.
As a parent, I knew that I could not police my sons’ actions all the time, nor be there to protect them every single minute of their lives, and so it falls to those whom we seek to protect to take action with the full knowledge that we support them in their endeavors to aid those people less able to help themselves. Teaching them respect for all is a great part of that, but teaching them by example is an even greater part.
So there is also a point where we, as adults, must step forward beyond our own homes and say NO, this is not how you treat people.
I saw a shining example of that this morning and wanted to share it with you. Ali you have my utmost respect.
Guest post by by Andrew J. Peters
Pride for Youth is a not-for-profit organization that is a service and an advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teenagers. Located in Bellmore, NY, fifteen miles east of New York City, Pride for Youth serves Long Island, an area that is geographically diffuse and densely populated. The mission of the agency is to enhance the health, wellness and cultural competency of LGBT youth through education, supportive services and youth development.
It’s a cause that has been a central part of my personal and professional development. I started working there as a social work intern in 1994. As a fledgling initiative, we offered a safe place where kids could gather on a Sunday afternoon, and school-based LGBT-sensitivity workshops to outreach to isolated teens and combat prejudice and bullying.
[Read more…] about PRIDE FOR YOUTH – SAVING LIVES IN THE SUBURBS
It has been an interesting week of self reflection.
In the beginning of last week I lost a gay friend of over twenty years (via email) who suddenly decided that he was not gay (and no longer my friend) and was going to get married to a woman. He’s been a Christian his entire life and has struggled with his sexuality forever. This loss bothered me more than I can simply put into words here. I was angry, very angry. I immediately wanted to send him off a tirade on his hypocrisy and ignorance and spew as many other hateful things as I could think of to lessen the my own pain.
And this is really what we do as people, we look for a target outside of ourselves where we can lay blame and lessen the emotional impact upon ourselves. In reality, what I was fighting was NOT his decision, but the fact that after twenty years he didn’t think I would support his decision and do what I could to help him in his new life. Somehow his lack of faith in our long friendship made me a failure, and that alone was what my anger was really about; my own self doubt. Had my friendship been so lacking? Had I done or said something that would make him think this? Did I say something hateful against his wife, or all females at some point in our past? The list of questions and the doubt went on and on, until finally I just sat with it. [Read more…] about Friendships Lost?