Resource Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBT) Teens and Young Adults
This guide doesn’t represent a comprehensive or exhaustive list of LGBT resources available at the Tulsa City-County Library (TCCL), but provides you with a starting point in using them. If you are unable to locate what you need, please ask a librarian for assistance.
Introduction to the Topic
GLBTQ
(Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Questioning): The Survival
Guide for Queer and Questioning Teens
306.766 H871g 2003
This book is located in virtually all branches of TCCL and is a great place to begin. It provides an overview on the topic, including issues such as homophobia, coming out, life at school, dating, sex and sexuality, and more.
Catalog
The library catalog gives
you a book’s call number (its ‘address’ on the shelf)
and status (checked out, reference, check shelf, etc.). You can access
the catalog from home or at the library and you can request materials
if you have a library card. You can search library materials by Title,
Author, Keyword, and Subject.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Here are just some of the 243 Library of Congress subject headings
pertaining to LGBT individuals.
Bisexual
youth
Coming
out (sexual orientation)
Gay
couples
Gay
teenagers
Homophobia
Homosexuality – Religious
Aspects, Christianity
Lesbian
couples
Lesbian
literature
Lesbian
teenagers
Sexual
Orientation
Transsexual
youth
Call Number Ranges
If you prefer browsing the shelves, or you can’t find a specific title
you are looking for, the numbers below provide the call numbers where you can
find books related to the topic. For example, you may find the book indicated
below (Understanding Sexual Identity) if you go to the non-fiction section
of the library and look in numerical order for the call number 306.766 R292
1990. If you can’t find it, ask a librarian for assistance. Librarians
get these types of questions all of the time!
305 – Social Groups
306 – Culture & Institutions
307 – Communities
Understanding
Sexual Identity: A Book for Gay and Lesbian Teens and Their Friends
306.766 R292 1990
Reference Sources
All of the reference books listed below can be found at the Central
Library. Remember, your library is always purchasing new books, so
make sure and ask your librarian if any new book has arrived.
Gay
Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia
306.766 G25 2000
Intended for scholars of all disciplines as well as a broad general audience,
this encyclopedia encompasses entries relevant to virtually every field, e.g.
AIDS, anthropology, architecture, art, Asian-Americans, Black studies, classics,
dance, education, fashion, film, law, and literature, just to name a few.
Lesbian
Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia
306.7663 L563 2000
The editors note that this book is not intended to be "truly comprehensive" as
they haven’t surveyed every historical period and every region of the
world. Only individuals who were the first in their fields or who already have
had unquestionable influence and notoriety are included.
St.
James Press Gay & Lesbian Almanac
305.90664 S143 1998
This important reference work is one of the first to devote equal attention
to both gay men and lesbians. Its objective approach encourages in-depth study
of gay and lesbian history, culture, and experience in 20 th Century America.
The book's sections include a chronology, an annotated list of organizations,
significant historical documents important to the gay and lesbian movement,
and in-depth discussions of gay and lesbian involvement in such fields as politics,
film, music, science, sports, travel, leisure, and visual and performing arts.
Fiction
The library’s teen webpage features a Books & Reading
section. In Books & Reading
click What
Should I Read Next? where the list of reading categories includes
Gay and Lesbian Fiction. The following are some of the titles on the
list.
And just a reminder – fiction books are shelved in alphabetical order by the author’s last name.
Bauer, Marion, Am
I Blue? Coming Out From the Silence
Levithan, David, Boy
Meets Boy
Taylor, William, The
Blue Lawn
Vande Velde, Vivian, Alison,
Who Went Away
Watts , Julia, Finding
H.F.
Weyr, Garret, My
Heartbeat
Yates, Bart, Leave
Myself Behind
Periodical Indexes – Electronic Resources
The library subscribes to a number of online databases – you
can use many of them from home or school with your valid library card.
The list of subscription databases is titled Online
Reference Sources and can be found under Research Tools from the
library’s main webpage.
Many magazine or journal articles can be found using Academic Search Elite, Electric Library, MAS Ultra or MasterFILE Premier. Lesbian News Online, for example, is indexed in several of these databases; the popular magazines Advocate, Out, Curve, and In the Family are indexed as well. When you need help, please don’t forget to ask your favorite librarian for assistance. You can also find many interesting electronic magazines for LGBT teens on the Internet under Web Sources in this guide.
Academic
Search Elite
This database gives you access to peer-reviewed journals and publications with
full-text articles covering the social sciences, humanities, general science,
multi-cultural studies, education, and more. You can start your search by using
the same search terms you used when looking for books, and/or other keywords
(see Catalog above).
Electric
Library
This resource provides full-text access to a wide variety of newspapers and
magazines, TV & radio transcripts like NPR’s Fresh Air, and reference
books.
MAS
Ultra School Edition
Designed specifically for high school libraries, use this collection of research
tools to locate articles from general interest and current events magazines.
It includes primary source documents, biographies, and an image collection
of photos, maps and flags.
MasterFILE
Premier
This multidisciplinary product provides articles from general reference publications
dating as far back as 1975. Covering virtually every subject area of general
interest, it includes material from reference books, biographies, primary source
documents, and an image collection of photos, maps and flags.
Print Resources
Again, articles cited in these sources may not be readily available
at the library. Consulting with Reference Services at your library
is the best way to obtain the article that you need.
The
Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature
You can find this index on the 3 rd floor at the Central Library. This extensive
printed resource is an author and subject index to selected general interest
periodicals of reference value in libraries.
Alternative
Press Index
Although not strictly a lesbigay index, this source indexes The Advocate, Gay
Community News, Lambda Book Report, Lesbian Contradiction,
and RFD, as well as a wide range of politically-oriented alternative
publications that publish occasional articles on lesbigay issues.
Government Sources
Government documents and information sources often provide good,
positive information about LGBT issues, particularly health-related
topics.
Maintained by MedlinePlus, the gay and lesbian health webpage covers topics such as sexual orientation and what is the meaning of LGBT sexual identity. Links include the American Psychological Association (Answers to your questions about sexual orientation), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Who is Gay?), Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (Hepatitis, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases), National Mental Health Association, Center for Disease Control, and many more. The Teen Health section of MedlinePlus provides links to information about bullying in schools, facts for teens, youth and suicide, and more. This site is highly recommended.
Web Sources
AfterEllen.com
Reviews and Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual Women in Entertainment
and the Media.
Agencies and Non-Profit Organizations
Available through several agencies and non-profit organizations,
there are many resources for LGBT youth.
Advocates for Youth
Advocates for Youth is dedicated to creating programs and advocating for policies
that help young people make informed and responsible decisions about their
reproductive and sexual health.
Cimarron Alliance Foundation
A non-profit agency committed to equality and education to advance LGBT equal
rights.
Oklahoma Freedom and Equality Coalition
This is a group of organizations, faith-based groups, supportive businesses,
and individuals working together to achieve equal rights for lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender people, carrying out this mission through education,
advocacy, and grassroots organizing.
Open Arms Youth Project
Bringing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth and their
friends together to build a peer-based community that empowers them to end
isolation, create a progressive youth voice, increase well-being and self
esteem, and change the communities in which they live.
Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights
TOHR operates the Tulsa GLBT Community Center, coordinates the Annual Diversity
Celebration and Pride Parade, documents GLBT history in Oklahoma, and works
for the equality of GLBT persons in Oklahoma through education and advocacy.
Faith Groups
Organizations
If you have any questions, contact your local library or ask a librarian!