Useful Links
These links are provided for further information of interest to gays and lesbians, as well as their families and friends.
General Knowledge
Coming Out Stories.com: (www.comingoutstories.com) With more than 1,000 stories, this web site offers examples of how to come out (and how not to come out!) to family, friends and coworkers.
Dr. Herek’s Sexual Orientation: Science, Education, and Policy: (psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/index.html) Dr. Gregory Herek is an internationally recognized authority on sexual prejudice (homophobia), hate crimes, and AIDS stigma.
Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies (IGLSS): (www.iglss.org) The IGLSS is an independent think tank that examines issues that affect the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities.
National Sexuality Research Center (NSRC): (nsrc.sfsu.edu) The NSRC gathers and disseminates the latest accurate information on sexual health, education, and rights.
For Family and Friends
Children of Lesbians & Gays Everywhere (COLAGE): (www.colage.org) COLAGE provides support and information for the children of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents and families.
Families Like Mine: (www.familieslikemine.com) A web site by author Abigale Garner (Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell It Like It Is) dedicated to decreasing isolation for people who have parents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, and bringing voice to the experiences of these families.
Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG): (www.pflag.org) PFLAG supports GLBT people, their families and friends through local PFLAG chapters and support group meetings. PFLAG also provides fair and accurate information in order to educate families and provides public education on sexual orientation, gender identity and GLBT issues.
Straight Spouse Network (SSN): (www.ssnetwk.org) SSN provides personal and confidential support and information to current and former heterosexual spouses/partners of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender mates dealing with coming-out issues.
For Youth
Coming Out Stories.com: (www.comingoutstories.com) With more than 1,00 stories, this web site offers advice and examples of how to come out (and how not to come out!) to family and friends.
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN): (www.glsen.org) GLSEN is a national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students.
Gay-Straight Alliance Network: (www.gsanetwork.org) The Gay-Straight Alliance Network works to connect school-based Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) to each other and community resources. Through peer support, leadership development, and training, GSA Network supports young people in starting, strengthening, and sustaining GSAs in their schools.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) Policy Institute: (www.thetaskforce.org/theissues/issue.cfm?issueID=13) The NGLTF’ Policy Institute provides information on the issues facing (GLBTQ) youth.
OutProud: (www.outproud.org) The web site of the National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Youth, OutProud serves the needs of young men and women by information, resources and support. They also provide outreach and support to teens who are coming to terms with their sexual orientation and to those thinking about coming out.
The Point Foundation: (www.thepointfoundation.org) The Point Foundation provides financial support, professional guidance and a network of contacts for undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students who are underprivileged and/or have been socially marginalized, especially those who have been cut off from their families by reason of sexual orientation or gender identity
Youth Resource: (www.youthresource.com) A project of Advocates for Youth, Youth Resource was created by and for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (GLBTQ) young people 13 to 24 years old.
For Seniors
Lesbian and Gay Aging Issues Network (LGAIN): (www.asaging.org/networks/index.cfm?cg=LGAIN) A project of the American Society on Aging, LGAIN works to raise awareness about the concerns of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (GLBTQ) elders and about the unique barriers they encounter in gaining access to housing, healthcare, long-term care and other needed services.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) Policy Institute: (www.thetaskforce.org/theissues/issue.cfm?issueID=24) The NGLTF’ Policy Institute provides information on the issues facing (GLBTQ) seniors.
SAGE: (www.sageusa.org) SAGE is a social service organization serving the unique needs of the senior gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, providing high quality programs and services in an intergenerational environment. SAGE also works to foster a greater understanding of aging, to promoting positive images of life in the later years, and to advocate for the rights of senior gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in both the gay and straight communities.
Health Information
AEGIS: (www.aegis.org) Begun as a grass-roots joint project by Jamie Jemison and Sister Mary Elizabeth of the Sisters of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, AEGIS has become the largest online repository of AIDS information in the world. Their mission is two-fold: 1) to make clinical information, reference material, and news from around the world easily and freely accessible; and 2) to provide for future generations a full documentation and permanent archive of how humanity has faced and dealt of HIV and of AIDS.
AVERT: (www.avert.org) AVERT is an international HIV/AIDS charity based in Great Britain, with the aim of averting HIV/AIDS worldwide. The web site is a tremendous source of information on HIV/AIDS around the world.
CDC Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention: (www.cdc.gov/hiv/) The CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention works to to prevent HIV infection and reduce the incidence of HIV-related illness and death, in collaboration with community, state, national, and international partners.
CDC Division of STD Prevention: (www.cdc.gov/std/) The CDC’s Division of STD Prevention provides national leadership through research, policy development, and support of effective services to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV infection) and their complications such as enhanced HIV transmission, infertility, adverse outcomes of pregnancy, and reproductive tract cancer.
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation: (www.kff.org) The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit, private operating foundation focusing on the major health care issues facing the nation. The foundation’s website provides excellent policy and statistical analysis on issues related to HIV/AIDS and STD’s.
Prejudice, Homophobia and Anti-Gay Violence
Dr. Herek’s Sexual Orientation: Science, Education, and Policy: (psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/index.html) Dr. Gregory Herek is an internationally recognized authority on sexual prejudice (homophobia), hate crimes, and AIDS stigma.
FBI’s Federal Hate Crime Statistics: (www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm) Each year, the FBI releases an edition of Hate Crime Statistics, which presents data regarding incidents, offenses, victims, and offenders in reported crimes that were motivated in whole or in part by a bias against the victim’s perceived race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.
The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP): (www.ncavp.org) The NCAVP is a coalition of programs that document and advocate for victims of anti-GLBT and anti-HIV/AIDS violence/harassment, domestic violence, sexual assault, police misconduct and other forms of victimization against and within the GLBT and HIV-positive communities. The NCAVP publishes annual reports of hate crime and domestic violence in the GLBT community.
The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project: (www.splcenter.org/intel/intpro.jsp) The SPLC’s Intelligence Project, begun in the early 1980’s as “Klanwatch”, monitors hate crimes and hate groups throughout the United States. Each quarter, the Intelligence Project publishes the Intelligence Report, which is available online.
Gender Public Advocacy Coalition: (www.gpac.org) GenderPAC works to end discrimination and violence caused by gender stereotypes by changing public attitudes, educating elected officials and expanding human rights.
Understanding Prejudice: (www.understandingprejudice.org) This is a web site for students, teachers, and others interested in the causes and consequences of prejudice, with more than 2,000 links to prejudice-related resources, as well as searchable databases with hundreds of prejudice researchers and social justice organizations.
Marriage, Adoption, and Family
2Moms2Dads.com: (www.2moms2dads.com) 2Moms2Dads.com provides resources for gay and lesbian parents or gays and lesbians interested in becoming parents, through adoption, surrogacy, in vitro, egg donors, sperm donors, etc. They provide links to articles and resources specifically for gay and lesbian parents and potential parents
ACLU Get Busy, Get Equal: (www.aclu.org/getequal/) The American Civil Liberties Union’s Get Busy, Get Equal web site provides tools to reach out to neighbors, schools, employers, and elected officials.
Families Like Ours: (www.familieslikeours.org) Families Like Ours reduces barriers within the foster care and adoption communities, working primarily with gay and lesbian pre- and post-adoptive and foster families so they can be permanent families for children in the US foster care system.
Family Pride Coalition (FPC): (www.familypride.org) The FPC is a national non-profit organization solely dedicated to equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) parents and their families. FPC supports nearly 200 membership-based LGBT parenting groups nationwide with a base of 35,000 supporters.
Freedom to Marry: (www.freedomtomarry.org) Freedom to Marry works to win marriage equality nationwide.
Proud Parenting: (www.proudparenting.com) ProudParenting.com is an online portal for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender parents and their families.
Political Organizations
Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund: (www.victoryfund.org) The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund is a non-partisan organization to provide strategic, technical and financial support to openly GLBT candidates and officials.
Log Cabin Republicans: (www.logcabin.org) A GLBT group advocating policies for equality within the Republican Party, and promoting the conservative fiscal and political values (if not necessarily all of the social values) of the Republican party with the GLBT community.
Stonewall Democrats: (www.stonewalldemocrats.org) A GLBT group advocating policies for equality within the Democratic Party, and promoting the election of Democratic candidates with the GLBT community.
Professional Organizations
Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists: (www.aglp.org) The AGLP is an association of psychiatrists who work to educate and advocate on Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender mental health issues, and to Develop resources to promote LGBT mental health
American Psychological Association, Committee on Lesbian and Gay Concerns: (www.apa.org/pi/lgbc/) Sponsored by the American Psychological Association, the Committee on Lesbian and Gay concerns works to study and evaluate the issues and concerns of lesbian, gay male, and bisexual psychologists; encourage objective and unbiased research in areas relevant to LGB adults and youths; examine the consequences of inaccurate information and stereotypes about LGB persons in clinical practice; develop educational materials for distribution to psychologists and others; and offer recommendations to the APA on issues of concern to gays, lesbians and bisexuals in society.
Gay and Lesbian Medical Association: (www.glma.org) The GLMA works to ensure equality in health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and health care professionals.
National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals: (www.noglstp.org) The National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals serves the scientific, engineering, and technical communities by fostering inter-city contacts among its members.
Society of Lesbian and Gay Anthropologists (SOLGA): (www.uvm.edu/~dlrh/solga/) SOLGA promotes communication, encourages research, develops teaching materials, and serves the interests of gay and lesbian anthropologists within the association.
Religious Organizations
Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry (CLGS): (www.clgs.org) CLGS’s mission is to advance the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people and to transform faith communities and the wider society by taking a leading role in shaping a new public discourse on religion and sexuality through education, research, community building and advocacy.
Christian Alliance for Progress: (www.christianalliance.org) The success of the Religious Right in appropriating the language of Christianity has led many people to become generally wary of religion in the public sphere and of Christianity in particular. The Christian Alliance for Progress is a national movement that started in Jacksonville, Florida among ordinary Americans who want to reclaim Christianity and change this current political picture.
Institute for Welcoming Resesources: (www.welcomingresources.org/) IWR was created in November of 2002 by denominational representatives of the Welcoming Church Movement, which seeks to help build church homes that are welcoming of gays and lesbians.
Religious Tolerance.org - Conservative Christian Resources on Homosexuality: (www.religioustolerance.org/hom_bull.htm) This web page is a gateway to analyses of anti-gay writings of Christian organizations and their web sites.
Soulforce: (www.soulforce.org) Soulforce seeks to achieve freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of nonviolent resistance.
Truth Sets Free: (www.truthsetsfree.net) Truth Sets Free is an inclusive, ecumenical Christian outreach to GLBTQ Christians, friends, and family.
Whosoever: (www.whosoever.org) Whosoever is an online magazine intended for the spiritual growth of anyone who believes that God made gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people just the way they are, and is not asking them to change to be a part of God's kingdom.
General Advocacy
American Civil Liberties Union’s Lesbian and Gay Rights Project: (www.aclu.org/LesbianGayRights/LesbianGayRightsMain.cfm) The Lesbian & Gay Rights Project fights discrimination against GLBT people and families, through the courts and legislatures, in educational outreach, and by creating tools for people to advocate for change.
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination (GLAAD): (www.glaad.org) GLAAD is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of gay and lesbian people and events in the media.
Gender Public Advocacy Coalition: (www.gpac.org) GenderPAC works to end discrimination and violence caused by gender stereotypes by changing public attitudes, educating elected officials and expanding human rights.
Human Rights Campaign (HRC): (www.hrc.org) The HRC is the largest U.S. gay and lesbian organization. It lobbies lawmakers, and educates and mobilizes grassroots action to advance equality based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund: (www.lambdalegal.org) Lambda Legal is a legal resource organization which carries out its legal work principally through test cases selected for the likelihood of their success in establishing positive legal precedents that will affect lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgenders, and people with HIV or AIDS.
National Center for Lesbian Rights: (www.nclrights.org) The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a legal resource center promoting the rights and safety of lesbians and their families through litigation, advocacy, counseling, and public education.
National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC): (www.nbjcoalition.org/) The NBJC is a national civil rights organization of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people and our allies dedicated to fostering equality by fighting racism and homophobia. NBJC advocates for social justice by educating and mobilizing opinion leaders, including elected officials, clergy, and media, with a focus on Black communities.
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF): (www.thetaskforce.org) The NGLTF is a national organization working for the civil rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people.
Out and Equal Workplace Advocates: (www.outandequal.org) Out and Equal champions safe and equitable workplaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
The Point Foundation: (www.thepointfoundation.org) The Point Foundation provides financial support, professional guidance and a network of contacts for undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students who are underprivileged and/or have been socially marginalized, especially those who have been cut off from their families by reason of sexual orientation or gender identity
Servicemembers Legal Defence Network (SLDN): (www.sldn.org) The SLDN is a legal aid and advocacy organization for military members harmed by the Pentagon’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and other forms of intolerance in the military.
Gay and Lesbian History and Culture
Committee on Lesbian and Gay History (CLGH): (www.usc.edu/isd/archives/clgh) The Committee on Lesbian and Gay History was founded in 1979 to promote the study of homosexuality in the past and present by facilitating communication among scholars in a variety of disciplines working on a variety of cultures. Since 1982, CLGH has been officially recognized as an affiliate of the American Historical Association and meets annually in conjunction with the AHA, where CLGH sponsors sessions on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer history. One need not be a member of the AHA to join CLGH.
The ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives: (www.oneinstitute.org) The collections of the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, located at the University of Southern California, have evolved from earlier collections beginning in the early 1940's and continuing to the present day. Among the more notable collections are those from the International Gay and Lesbian Archives, collections from ONE Inc, (one of the earliest homophile magazines in America), and the Homosexual Information Center.
The Rainbow History Project (Washington, DC): (www.rainbowhistory.org) The Rainbow History Project works to preserve LGBT history in our Nation’s capital.
About Anti-gay Activists and Organizations
Ex-Gay Watch: (www.exgaywatch.com) A group web log headed by Mike Airhart, with a primary focus on analyzing the activities of the ‘Ex-Gay’ movement.
Religious Tolerance.org - Conservative Christian Resources on Homosexuality: (www.religioustolerance.org/hom_bull.htm) This web page is a gateway to analyses of anti-gay writings of Christian organizations and their web sites.
Soulforce: (www.soulforce.org) Soulforce seeks to achieve freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of nonviolent resistance.