Rosh HaShana - Happy Jewish New Year - and a New Queer Spin on the Ancient ceremony of TASHLICH

Apples and Honey.

The Sound of the Shofar.

And an ancient ceremony that, updated, is pretty cool.

The idea of Tashlich is that you can take your "sins," symbolically put them into something (usually crusts of bread), and then throw them away (usually into a river or the ocean). Thus, you are "cleansed" and ready for the 10 day period of contemplation in between Rosh HaShana (literally "head of the year") and Yom Kippur, the day of atonement.

The idea is that those 10 days are when you are supposed to take stock of how you're living your life, ask forgiveness from anyone you've wronged, and set yourself on a path to be the best you possible in the year ahead. That's the whole Jewish New Year thing, and why there are two holidays, 10 days apart.

I'd like to suggest this update to the ancient Tashlich (literally "sending out") ceremony:

As opposed to thinking of it as casting away (or the first step to absolution for) your sins or mis-deeds, I think it's a great way to symbolically free yourself from negativity.

I like the idea of imagining all my negative thoughts - my self-doubt, my cynicism, my lack of respect for myself I sometimes feel - and putting those emotions symbolically onto scraps of bread. Throwing THOSE negative things away, and freeing myself from them.

And then, into that space, letting myself be filled up with positive thoughts and energy. With belief in myself. With hope. With respect for my efforts.

It's a way to remind myself that in my life, I should be my own biggest cheerleader, not my main obstacle to achieving what I want.

So try it. Go down to the river, or the ocean, or heck, flush some cracker crumbs down the toilet. Free yourself from negativity. Then leave the bathroom, and go outside, and breath in the clear positive energy of a new year.

Ancient wisdom, made new.

L'Shana Tova u Metuka u Briah (Here's to a good and sweet and healthy New Year!)

Namaste,


Lee

GSA Monday Topic: Queer Heroes

Hi, and welcome back to our Gay Straight Alliance feature: GSA Mondays!

This week's topic is Queer Heroes: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Straight Allies who inspire YOU.

What to do: Challenge everyone to come to the GSA meeting with one Queer Hero - and of course, you're welcome to discuss the ones I highlight below!

Remember, a Queer Hero doesn't have to be a PERFECT person or role model, just someone that it's really cool to know that they're part of our GLBTQ&A community!

Here are some of my heroes and heroines, as a starting point for your discussions (I've blogged about most of them, and provided links for more information as well):

GAY HERO

Matthew Mitcham, Gold Medal-winning Olympic Diver, and OUT gay man. The only OUT gay man at this summer's Bejing Olympics, Matthew won Gold, and was there with his mother and his partner!



Also, I love how he helps debunk the whole "if you're a gay man you can't be athletic" stereotype!

LESBIAN HEROINES

Okay, I'm a little Olympics-happy, but Gro Hammerseng and Katja Nyberg are a couple who are so sweet - and the fact that they play Handball together on Norway's team, and won GOLD together at the Bejing Olympics, just makes me so happy!



And I love that they challenge the stereotypes about lesbians as well - Gro and Katja are great athletes, AND also very feminine and beautiful women!

BISEXUAL HERO

Shakespeare!

Who knew? Did you know? I only found this out recently. But check this out! The incredibly famous "Bard" was Bisexual, and loved woman AND men!

TRANSGENDER HERO

Georgina Beyer was born a Maori boy in rural New Zealand. How she came to be the first transgender woman elected mayor and then elected MP in the New Zealand Parlament is an incredible story.

QUESTIONING HERO & HEROINE

You.

Anyone who is brave enough to explore their true nature, and wants to live their truth, is a hero. Figuring it out is sometimes a journey. Always remember, your sexuality is not a choice. Being honest (with yourself and others) about your sexuality is.

STRAIGHT ALLY HEROINE

Ellen Wittlinger, author of Sandpiper and Parrotfish.



Ellen's a straight woman who is not afraid to write novels about lesbian and transgender Teens. In fact, she sees including Queer characters in all her books as an important matching up of the fictional world of her novels with the REAL world Teens are in today - a world that includes Queer people! Her books are banned and challenged so much, but she keeps writing them! She does her research, is full of respect for members of our community, and opens hearts and minds.



some ideas to continue the discussion:

How about Clay Aiken, coming out last week as a gay man?

Or Lindsay Lohan, coming out earlier last week as a lesbian?

Does being a celebrity who is part of our Queer community automatically make them Heroes and Heroines?

For more Queer Heroes, check out GLBT HISTORY MONTH over at Equality Forum, where they're celebrating October 2008 as Gay History Month. They're going to feature 31 GLBT Role Models - one for each day of the month!

No Sex Education Means More Pregnant Teens, doesn't it? Let's ask Sarah Palin. And YOU! "DOES SEX EDUCATION MATTER?" SURVEY!

'The Only Good Kind Of Sex Education For Children Is No Sex Education'

We've all heard it.

Conservatives are so against teaching Teens how to protect themselves from disease and from pregnancy - they push their "abstinence only" programs - and the result is...

Universal abstinence?

Far from it.

The result seems to be two things:

1. More young men who have sex with men are getting HIV.*

2. Even the teenage children of these anti-sex education conservatives are getting pregnant in High School.

Look at Sarah Palin.



She's the Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States of America.

She's staunchly AGAINST any funding for sex education in schools.**

Her 17 year old unmarried daughter is almost 6 months pregnant - that means she got pregnant back in April, when she was a junior in high school!

Does this seem like a learning opportunity to anyone else?


But maybe I have it all wrong.

Would it actually make any difference to have every Teen in America watch their teacher put a condom on a banana? Do you think Sex Education would help?


Click Here to take the "Does Sex Education Make A Difference?" survey

I can only number-crunch the first 100 responses, so go ahead and answer now! (I promise it'll be quick!)

Thanks, and Namaste,

Lee

* In the Sept. 23, 2008 issue of "The Advocate," Bob Adams cites (pg. 16) that "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the number of new HIV diagnoses in the United States has exceeded 56,000 per year - a jump of 40% over previous estimates - with half of the new cases among gay and bisexual men. Researchers from Brown University also found that it's younger men who binge-drink and abuse drugs who are fueling the epidemic.

**Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches. "The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008
In 2006, the Eagle Forum Alaska asked Palin whether she would “support funding for abstinence-until-marriage education.” Palin replied, “Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support.” [Politico, 9/1/08]

Courage in Patience

By Beth Fehlbaum

Ashley is 15 when she finally tells her mother about her stepfather's sexual abuse. Her mom doesn't believe her, and she's sent to live with her Dad, his new wife, Beverly, and their son in a small town in Texas called Patience.

Ashley joins a group of other high school students who have a lot of challenges to overcome in Beverly's summer school English class.

The novel "Ironman" by Chris Crutcher (which includes a plotline where the main character discovers his teacher and mentor is Gay and has to come to terms with that) is included in the class readings.

When the head football coach finds out his son has read this book with gay content, he blames the book for his son growing away from him and is afraid the book made his son gay.

A huge controversy ensues, and throughout, Ashley and the other teens struggle to find the strength to claim their own lives and their healing. To find...

Courage in Patience.



Add your review of "Courage in Patience" in comments!

Out Of The Pocket

By Bill Konigsberg

Bobby is a 17 year old High School senior in conservative Orange County, California. He's the star quarterback on his school's football team, and his teammates are like brothers.

Except, they don't know he's GAY.

When Bobby is OUTED against his will by a student reporter, it's like everything in his life is rushing to sack him.

But he's a quarterback, and he's going to have to figure out a way to earn back his teammates' trust.

He's also going to have to figure out how to get to his future - a future that's going to be more difficult, and more public, than he ever imagined.


Interesting notes: This is Bill's debut novel, AND he's a professional sports writer (I bet that had a lot to do with the cool football setting.)

Add your review of "Out of the Pocket" in comments!

GSA Mondays: Sparking Discussion & Building Community! "Does This Make Me Look Gay?"

Hi everyone, and welcome to a new feature of this blogsite,

GSA MONDAYS

It's the start of the new 2008-2009 school year, and as GSA clubs all over are gearing up, I thought I'd contribute to the conversation by offering up a weekly topic, something to spark the creative fires and get Teens (and the rest of us) thinking and talking and listening to each other.

For those of you lucky enough to be part of a GSA club at your school, feel free to use these ideas to start off your meetings. Of course, these are just my suggestions, and you can certainly choose to do your own thing - that's cool, too!

For those readers who aren't part of a physical GSA club, I invite you to consider this blog another kind of SAFE SPACE, an internet-based Gay Straight Alliance community where you can be part of the discussion and the community (add your thoughts in "comments.")

And of course, even if you ARE part of a GSA club at your school, you can join in the conversation here as well!

I am also really interested in your suggestions for topics for upcoming weeks, so feel free to add those ideas in "comments" as well.

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC: "Does This Make Me Look Gay?"

Watch this short video:




Some questions to discuss:

1. Was it funny or offensive?

2. How many definitions are there for the word "gay"? What about other words we use to describe/label people in our community? How about making a list... (Look how many words in your list have the word "sex" in them. i.e., homoSEXuality. Is that helping?)

3. How much of the prejudice against GLBTQ people in our culture is a result of people not following the rigid gender roles that are expected of us all? (i.e., a boy wearing pink is called "gay" or a girl who is good at certain "boy" (read: aggressive) sports is called a "dyke.")

Bonus book connection: If you like the idea of superheroes who actually ARE gay, check out these two great YA books:

"Hero" by Perry Moore

And "Masks: Rise of Heroes" by Hayden Thorne



I'm really excited about GSA Mondays, and I thank you all for being part of it!

Namaste,

Lee

Gift #4: A Way To Heal Our World, One Spoonful At A Time

I stumbled upon this old Buddist allegory the other day, and it's so beautiful and profound that I can't get it out of my mind:

"Life is like a banquet where everyone is sitting around and starving. The table is piled high with lavish food, but nobody can eat anything... because their only utensil is a spoon that's three feet long, and they're required to hold it by the handle, so they can't reach their own mouths with the bowl!

As death by starvation approaches, someone gets smart and realizes that she can feed her neighbor, and her neighbor will respond in kind. Thus the deadlock is broken and everyone can feast."

Think about it.

How can you feed your neighbor?

Sometimes we focus so much on ourselves, we forget that by helping others, we can truly become the people we are meant to be.

Sometimes, feeding your neighbor (translation from the metaphor: doing something kind for someone else)

is the best way to be fed yourself (translation: you'll feel great, make a friend (or build on an existing friendship), and have your soul nourished!)

Try it.

Do one kind thing over this weekend.


One spoonful of something for someone else.


And see where it takes you.

And we'll see... where it takes the world!

Thanks for celebrating my blog-a-versary all week with me.

Namaste,

Lee

Gift #3: Dance Like No One Is Watching

Me: "Where's the party?"

My Daughter: "Here."

Me: "Why's the party here?"

My Daughter: "'Cause we're here!"

Smart kid!

Be the party. And remember, like the lyric from the great song, "Unspeakable Joy," if they did not give it, they cannot take it away!

Go ahead, and Dance like no one is watching!
(I won't look, I promise)

But look what amazing things happen when you dance for yourself!

Suddenly, you find you're Dancing with the world!

Where the Hell is Matt?

We are the party... And we get to enjoy that every day of our lives!


Namaste,

Lee



ps- I do try to not repeat things on this blogsite, but these three songs (two of them videos) are so full of joy for me, and are so much the soundtrack to my party, that I had to include them here in this blog-birthday celebration!

I hope you enjoyed them again with me.

Gift #2: Your Mission

Okay, that sounds pretty heady, but go with me on this.

Really.

Get out a piece of paper and a pen, and try this exercise. It'll take less than five minutes, and it's really powerful.

Write down three people, real or imaginary, who are your heroes.

Got them?

Then list three qualities you admire in each one, such as courage or superpowers, deep wisdom or great sacrifice for humanity.


Look at your list. Do you know what those nine qualities are?


They are a mission from the mythic level. Your soul wants you to perform this mission in your lifetime by displaying the qualities you listed. Since they come from the mythic level, each one is in you, planted like a seed for the future.


As the years unfold you will be given opportunities to learn each quality. People who admire courage are magnetized to situations that require bravery. People who admire wisdom will be magnetized to completely different situations. Never fear, your soul isn't going to forget your mission.

And what about superheroes with supernormal powers? Every kid admires them, because what they stand for isn't flying or turning invisible. They stand for freedom. A supernormal power is like a hint from the soul that you are more than human - you are a free spirit.

If you want to love yourself, grasp every opportunity for growing into your own hero.

We were born to be the heroes of our own story.

That's it. Gift #2. Your mission. And the knowledge that YOU are the hero (or the heroine) of YOUR own story.


This amazing exercise is by Deepak Chopra, from his really great book "Fire in the Heart: A Spiritual Guide For Teens," on pgs. 127-128


Check it out.


And my fellow heroes and heroines - good luck on your missions! (But this message will not self-destruct!)

Namaste,

Lee

Gift#1: Happily Ever After is for Us, Too! Luke and Noah's Happily Ever After Kiss...

How this would have ROCKED my world to see when I was a teenager:




Frankly, it kinda rocks my world now!

This made me so happy, I had to share...

Happily Ever After is for ALL of us:

gay,

lesbian,

bisexual,

transgender,

queer,

questioning,

straight allies...

And knowing that each of us is worthy and capable of getting to that happy ending is probably the best gift around!

So when you walk around today, know how worthy of joy and love you are, and keep a smile on your lips...

Namaste,

Lee


ps- Luke and Noah are from the daytime Soap Opera "As The World Turns"

Happy Birthday, To My Blog... 1 Year, Over 29,000 readers from 106 countries!!!

Sept 15, 2008

It was a year ago today that I welcomed you all to this blog adventure.

And what a year it's been...


Over 29,000 different readers have stopped by to check out all the cool things going on here!

The Books! (213 books so far, to which your reviews are added daily...)

The Great bits of hidden GLBTQ history and fabulous quotes and poems (52 entries under "Bitchin' Queer Quotes and Poems")

My quirky thoughts on culture and GLBTQ teens, from American Idol to the Bejing Olympic Closet (41 of them, under "Lee's Musings")

There have been surveys you've answered ("What Do You Think"),

dilemmas you helped me resolve (my anguish over the middle-school library GLBTQ book donation),

and celebrations we've thrown together on love and poetry.


Most of all, we've been growing - all of us - into a global community.



And when I say "global" - I mean it!

You, my wonderful readers, my fellow community members, came from all over - from all the locals marked in red on this map!

"I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I Read?"
has been visited by people in 106 countries!

(How cool is that map? This blog is way better traveled than I am!)


While big numbers are fun, and lots of countries are cool, maybe best of all is that I've gotten some great comments from my visitors:

that knowing these books are out there, and learning about all this cool queer history, and reading my musings, and doing the surveys... that having "I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I Read?" as a presence in the world is having an impact, and making a difference, an important difference, in the life of one person.


Things like:

It's terrific. I can't even imagine how my life would be different if there had been resources like that available to me in high school, and your book list is fabulous.

I've been reading your blog for a while now and really hate the effect it's had on my wallet (no, really, I find more new titles here than just about anywhere else).

I just wanted to say thank you for making this site available to teens. I am straight, but I have friends who are gay. I think anyone can relate to stories about people of a different sexual preference because we all deal with things that we want to hide. I have recommended this site to many friends and I will continue to do so.

I love your blog

And one person at a time is how we'll change the world for the better!


Thank you to each one of you - knowing this is important to you as well makes me feel awesome.


So, to celebrate my blog turning 1, I've a week of gifts for you.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride of year #2. 'Cause

I'm Here.

I'm Queer.

And there's a Hell of a lot of great things in store for us all...

Namaste,

Lee


ps- Click here to go to this awesome site and create your own visited map of The World

Pretty Things

By Sarra Manning

Setting:

England, at a Summer Theater Workshop.

Cast:

Brie, who loves her gay best friend Charlie.

Charlie, who falls for the very straight Walker.

Walker, who is crushing on the lesbian Daisy!

It's a summer of hookups while these four Teens rehearse and then perform "The Taming of the Shrew."

Each of them is trying to figure things out, as shown beautifully in this quote by the character Daisy, the lesbian, after she fools around with a guy!

"Maybe I should stop defining myself through the people I slept with and start trying to work out who the hell I actually am."

Add your review of "Pretty Things" in comments!

Oh, and Sarra has a very fun blog, here.

9/11 and our culture of fear: Let's say NO to fear and YES to Living with Joy and Passion!

There's a sadness to today, the seven year anniversary of the terrorist attack on the USA, the deaths of so many innocent men, women, and children - straight and gay - in New York, in Pennsylvania, and in Washington, D.C.

It's a good idea to pause for a moment, in respect.

New York City Skyline,
without the Twin Towers,
and what they looked like before the attack...

It's also a good idea to think about how the fear that we all felt then is being used every day now to manipulate us and world events - from politics at home to global wars and international profiteering...



Fear is what terrorists hope for.

Fear is what cynical politicians and others in power use to wedge us apart and take more power and amass more money.


You cannot live your life if you're consumed by fear - you can only survive it.

And life is for more than just surviving!

"Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!"

-Mame, played by Rosalind Russell

Okay, read the book



and netflix, rent, or borrow from the library or a friend the movie- "Auntie Mame" - it's a classic... But THIS one, not the musical with Lucille Ball (unless you're feeling very, very brave!)
Trust me. The Rosalind Russell version is the one to see.

Though now that I think about it, if we're talking about conquering fear, perhaps getting through Lucille Ball trying to sing IS a good idea. See if you've got the stuff:


Okay, go ahead and see both.


Back to what I was talking about: let's not be taken over by fear.

Here's my favorite quote on fear, from Frank Herbert's amazing "Dune" (my favorite book when I was a teenager.)

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

Frank Herbert, Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear, "Dune"

Yeah, "Dune." Here's a HUGE recommendation - it's not gay, but it is great!


And even though it's not gay, the main character Paul feels different, and turns out to BE different - and that had very satisfying parallels to my growing up and accepting how I am different, too. (Though I don't have a messiah complex. Really.)


Each of us has the power to say NO to a life of fear. To say NO to a culture of fear. (and I don't mean in a stupid I'm gonna ride my BMX down the ski jump ramp to fly up 70 feet and then land on a rocky mountainside without a helmet way...)


I mean we can each say YES to standing up for ourselves and each other.

We can stand up with pride and say YES to hope, and to plans for today and tomorrow!

We can stand up and embrace our lives and let each of us, ourselves, be

beacons of light,

beacons of hope,

beacons of joy...

That's the best way to honor those we've lost. The best way to fight back the fear and the fear-mongers.

Shine brightly.

Be ourselves.

And enjoy the blessings in our lives.

"Living Well is the Best Revenge"

- Gerald Murphy

Some thoughts for today, and, I guess, for everyday...


Namaste, (the light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you)

Lee

Blackbird

By Larry Duplechan

Johnnie Ray Rousseau is 17 and a half. He's a senior in High School, growing up in a small town north of Los Angeles, and he has a secret - guys turn him on.

At an acting audition he meets the older (24) and white hottie Marshall - and that's the catalyst for a year of love, tests, and ultimately - Johnnie claiming his truth.


First published in 1986, and re-released in 2006, "Blackbird" is one of the first coming out novels where the Gay guy coming out is African American! It's also the author's favorite of all his own books...

Add your review of "Blackbird" in comments!

Superheroes: Were their outfits telling us they were GAY all along?

Okay, watch this:




I need a little help here. I admit - I'm completely baffled.

At first, I thought it was funny. Really funny, and I wanted to share it on this blog right away because it was so cool.

Then, when I started to think about it, I was kind of offended (I didn't like the kids pointing and laughing scene, or the "now you're thinking about stabbing me") - clearly the superheroes didn't WANT to look gay, and they were all kinda surprised by it.

But damn if they don't all LOOK really gay.

I mean, I grew up watching "He-Man" - maybe there was a reason for that?



And all of this made me want to share it with you all even more.

So, I'm super-hero curious. What do you think?

Is it Funny?


Is it Offensive?


Is it Both?

Let me know your take on this in comments.

Thanks!


Super Namaste,


Lee

Mousetraps

By Pat Schmatz, illustrated by Bill Hauser

Maxie's always doodled. In fact, years ago she had a friend Rick who'd come up with crazy inventions and Maxie would draw them out...

But something horrible happened to Rick and he disappeared.

Suddenly, Rick shows up in Maxie's high school Chemistry Class! Is he the same person she knew? Or is he... different?

Set in a brutally homophobic high school, Maxie's story is illustrated with sketches and comics from her notebook - as through her art she tries to work through the struggles and choices that may just turn out to be life or death...


Add your review of "Mousetraps" in comments!

Bejing's Olympic-Sized Closet: Survey Results! (And an Idea For Michael Phelps to change the world!)

BEST IDEA:

Michael Phelps
(and all the other Olympic Medal Winners) could hold a Press Conference
COMING OUT
- not as Gay-
but coming out
in support of GLBTQ Athletes -
And let's make sure our GLB medal winners are there, too!

Where did I get such a great idea? YOU. Thanks to everyone who answered the Bejing's Olympic-Sized Closet survey, and here are the results you've been waiting for!


1. Do you think it's possible that out of over 11,000 athletes at this summer's Olympics, only 11 are Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual?


93% to 7%! That was a huge "NO!"

2. Rank the five reasons below, from 1 (least important) to 5 (most important) for What are the biggest factors keeping GLBTQ Olympic Athletes from coming OUT?



Here, in order are your answers:

Most Important Reason (5): If they come out, they might lose sponsorships and money

Next (4): If they come out, they might lose team and peer support

Next (3): If they come out, they might be rejected by family and friends

Next (2): If they come out, they might not be allowed to represent their country

Least Important Reason (1): If they come out, they might be victims of violence


Also, there was this comment suggesting another reason:

Certainly the climate of acceptance varies worldwide, so speaking strictly about American athletes... Among the thousands of athletes representing the USA, (a) how many are big enough superstars to get major media attention and interviews, a la Michael Phelps, and (b) how often do family/partners come up in such interviews, period? I'm not extremely tuned into the Olympic media coverage, but whenever I do pop in I'm hearing interviewers ask about training and performance, not the athletes' personal lives. Perhaps there are many more athletes who, in their daily lives, are out GLBTQ individuals, but haven't been asked the "right" questions for their sexuality to have attracted media attention.

3. What are some ideas you like and/or we can come up with as a community to encourage more GLBTQ Athletes to come OUT?


No-one thought that OUTING closeted atheletes by the Gay Media and blogs was a good idea.

79% of you thought that this was a good idea: The Gay community could support OUT athletes with attention/sponsorships/speaking events that could aim to make up for possible lost revenue from homophobic or nervous nelly sponsors

21% of you thought this was a good idea: Athletes could come together to support each other in coming OUT

Then there were three additional ideas suggested:

Do awareness raising, such as with books like Breaking the Surface.

Have top medal winning athletes, gay and straight, come out in support of gay athletes. The athletes have the power to change this...and they will. The athletes are the show, they have the power.

I LOVE THAT IDEA!!!

The support should also come from the straight majority, especially the sponsors who're supposed to back these athletes. If sponsors are vocal in their support of diversity and condemnation/intolerance of homophobia (and use their money and clout to show that they're not kidding around), more GLBT athletes would feel comfortable enough to be out. Hopefully, anyway.

Great ideas! So okay, Michael - you've started a foundation... Here's one more good thing you can do with your fame!

Call up some fellow athletes, gay and straight, medal winners all... and have a press conference!

You athletes have the power... and acting together, you (and we) can change the world!



Pictured above, left to right: Bejing Summer Olympics 2008 Gold Medal Winners Michael Phelps, Matthew Mitcham, and Natasha Kai

Fat Hoochie Prom Queen

By Nico Medina

Margarita "Madge" Diaz is fat, flamboyant, and hates Bridget Benson (the "perfect" student body president.)

The anti-loving is mutual.

See, Madge and Bridget were both child actors, and now as seniors, they've met again at their posh High School.

They face off and decide O.K. Corral-style that they'll compete to be named Prom Queen - one wins, and the other backs off for good.

Okay, an outrageous book about two straight girls who both want to be prom queen. Why am I including it here?

Well, there's Madge's "right-hand homo" (gay best friend), Lucas.

There's the attitude. Lines like:

"Welcome to the fucked-up, crazy story of how Bridget Benson turned mild-mannered me into a hateful rage-o-maniac hell-bent on changing the face of "prom queen" forever!! (Yes, that was a DOUBLE exclamation point!!)

And let's face it: a no-holds barred battle-of-the-bitches to be Prom Queen? Now that's Queer!


Add your review of "Fat Hoochie Prom Queen" in comments!

The Straight Road To Kylie

By Nico Medina

Jonathan is 17, gay, out and proud. And he's obsessed with pop star Kylie Minogue.

He's ready to start his senior year of high school, and at a party gets pretty drunk and ends up sleeping with... a girl!

Suddenly, every girl in school sees him as potential boyfriend material, and the rich and popular Laura makes him a deal: pretend to be her boyfriend, and in return she'll fly him to London to see his idol perform live.

So Jonathan goes BACK into the closet...

and then meets his dream guy!

How long can he stay on the "Straight Road to Kylie?"


Add your review of this book in "comments!"

Girl From Mars

By Tamara Bach, Translated by Shelley Tanaka

Originally written in Tamara's native German, "Girl From Mars" is about 15 year old Miriam, who's bored with everything in her small town life.

Then a new classmate, Laura, comes into her orbit and suddenly her world is rocked. Miriam finds herself lying to friends, avoiding questions from her family, and second guessing herself - suddenly, with falling in love, Miriam's life is pretty interesting.


Add your review of "Girl From Mars" in comments!