|
Order A Signed Copy
Author's Blog - Recent News
Recommended Reading
Law Enforcement Groups
GLBT Support Organizations
Comments and Questions
Submit Your Story
Ask About How To Come Out
For Book Retailers
“Being a cop is tough, being a gay cop is tougher; being a gay
cop having to remain hidden for fear of losing the profession
they have chosen is not comprehendible to me.”
–
Chief David O’Malley, Retired, Laramie, Wyoming PD |
|
There are many excellent books and DVDs that we
recommend for consideration before and during coming out. We
also recommend these books for friends and family of GLBT
officers. If you don't feel comfortable talking with a friend
about your sexual orientation, consider offering a book to help
facilitate your coming out process.
Recommended Reading List
I've included links to Amazon.com for convenience. Move
your mouse over the titles for a brief book review.
Is
It A choice? - 3nd edition: Answers to 300 of the Most
Frequently Asked Questions About Gays and Lesbian People
- This is the book I sent to my
parents and close friends as an “owner’s manual for
their new gay son.” It can be read a little at
a time and deals very directly with stereotypes and
common fears. I recommend this book to anyone
with a friend or family member who is coming out.
- While preparing to write this
book, I read a number of anthologies from various
types of people about their coming out experience.
This book is goes beyond coming out stories and
evoked a strong emotional reaction from me.
The stories are incredible and will make you feel
really good.
- The five books above were all
put together by a good friend of mine, Shane
Windmeyer. They contain many coming out
stories and offer inspiration to anyone who is
beginning or in the midst of that process.
Shane is a excellent writer and someone who is
making a difference in this world.
- This book is really unlike
the others and has nothing to do with coming out.
But, I include it as recommended reading because of
how Matthew Shepard’s story impacted me. This
book was written by one of Matthew’s best friends,
Romaine Patterson. She is an amazing woman who
took on a religious fanatic after Matthew died.
You can read about her courage in her own words.
- This is another book of
anthologies from teachers who came out on the job.
Teachers and police officers have a lot in common
and I found this book to be very supportive and
inspiring.
- This is a newer book about
coming out and offers some different perspectives.
It tells a tough story and is definitely worth
reading.
-
I'm not a huge fan of
"self-psychotherapy," but this is a good straightforward
book with a very positive supporting message that isn't
preachy or self-indulging. There are stories that will
sound familiar and that do a good job of reinforcing the
fact that you are not alone. There are many self-help
exercises that you can choose to do or not without taking
away from the rest of the book's valuable content.
-
When the idea of
writing a book about coming out in law enforcement first
came to my mind, this book is what I had in mind.
However, the stories in this book represent a different
generation of law enforcement officers who came out in
the early and mid 1990’s. What I discovered in
reading these stories was that our profession has grown
in a very positive way since then. It made me feel
good about how far we have come.
If you are a struggling
to understand what the Bible really says about
homosexuality and same-sex marriage, then this book is
perfect for you. Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly
gay man to be consecrated at an Episcopal Bishop,
provides an extraordinary look at how to logically
interpret the words of the Bible in 2008. His
insight makes so much sense. I found this book to
be inspiring and rejuvenating. As a Catholic with
a strong faith, this book empowered me and gave me
confidence about my beliefs.
This is an ideal book for everyone
who has a stake in the same-sex marriage issue. It's
perfect for gay and lesbian people as well as straight
allies who are still undecided about this civil rights
issue. The author, Evan Wolfson, recounts the history
of marriage from both an historical and religious
perspective. He does a most excellent job of analyzing
marriage and demonstrates why this issue is
the
civil rights issue of our time. If you are interested
in the law, you will find detailed case law citations and
clear explanations of how the past is linked to the present
on the issue of marriage equality.
Beth Loffreda was a professor at the University of Wyoming when Matthew Shepard was murdered in 1998. She writes about the real story of how the people of Laramie reacted to this horrific crime. This is an excellent book if you want to know more about what happened beyond what was reported by the media. She tells this story from her own unique perspective as local.
Recommended
Movies And DVDs. I've included links to
Amazon.com for convenience. Move your mouse over
the titles for a brief movie review.
One of the most challenging
aspects of coming out as gay or lesbian is reconciling religious
values in yourself and with your family and friends. This
documentary provides powerful insight and perspective into
sexuality and the Bible.
"For the Bible Tells
Me So is a compassionate and insightful documentary
about the contemporary face of an old conflict between
Christian fundamentalists and gay and lesbian people.
The film looks deep into the hearts of several
families--a few of them quite famous--that have
struggled with making sense of having a homosexual son
or daughter in the fold. At the same time,
For the
Bible Tells Me So is a deconstruction of thin
arguments that the Bible actually condemns homosexuality
in a few passages and through the story of Sodom and
Gomorrah's destruction. A number of clerics and scholars
explain the cultural and historical context for Old
Testament quotes routinely referenced as arguments
against homosexuality, and point out translation
confusion about the real meaning of the Sodom story.
Unquestionably, the most compelling part of the film is
its focus on various families, including that of former
U.S. presidential candidate Dick Gephardt, who has a
lesbian daughter for whose safety he worries. Also among
the interviewees is Gene Robinson, a gay man who became
bishop of New Hampshire’s Episcopal church in 2004, and
his parents, as well as a gay teen whose folks joined
him on the front line in protest of their church’s
negative stance on gays." - Tom Keogh
Coming out is a process
shared by family and friends. Although you've
probably always known you are gay or lesbian, it's
probably very new for your family and friends.
This documentary shares the coming out process for
several families from across the country. These
families discuss how they processed their son or
daughter coming out with their own deeply rooted
religious values. One Mormon family is particular
demonstrates incredible courage and loyalty to their gay
son. I think you will find this movie inspiring.
It's excellent to share with your family and friends as
it demonstrates the common experience shared by others
in the coming out process.
"The parents also talk about struggling with the pain of
their sons and daughters dealing with not being accepted
by relatives or friends, and being ostracized by
religious congregations. "It was so evil and so bad that
we almost couldn't talk about it... You just had the
idea it was so terrible that it was unspeakable," said a
Mormon mother in the film. "Having heard all these awful
things and what homosexuality was and then having a
member of your family, a person that you have seen, a
child that you have seen since the child was born, a
person that was absolutely wholesome, good, kind, gentle
and that put together with the word lesbian didn't add
up," said a Hispanic mother. This film is especially
important since up to 26% of gay teens who come out to
their parents or guardians are told they must leave
home. Of the approximately 1.6 million homeless American
youth, 20-40% identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or
transgender. Nearly 40% of LGBT (GLBT) students report
being physically harassed. In a 2001 Department of
Health study of youth in Massachusetts, about 40 percent
of gay and lesbian students attempted suicide, compared
to about 10 percent of their heterosexual peers." -
Amazon.com
Have you read a book that you
would recommend to others related to coming out?
Did you read or watch something on this list and want to give us
some feedback?
Click
Here.
. |