Homosexuality January 2009 Verdadera is a publication created by and for Monta Vista teens for the purpose of instigating communication concerning the “real world” of high school within the community. Each month, an issue on a topic relevant to the lives of our students is sent home for reading by parents and students alike. We encourage you to discuss and explore the issues and stories, as the publication aims not only to offer an outlet for expression but to improve our lives. Keep in mind that the emotions that flow through the text and the feelings behind the words could be those of your child, your classmate, or your best friend. While we do not edit submissions, we aim to publish personal experiences, not opinion articles. Please utilize all the resources present in the publication. Please feel free to email comments and feedback. The Verdadera staff thanks you for your interest and support. This issue includes stories about homosexuality, how it has affected students, and their experiences regarding this topic.
Student Submissions To be honest, I don't have anything too eventful to say about my experience as a gay student at Monta Vista, but I guess that in itself says a lot about the climate at Monta Vista. I started coming out to my friends near the middle of my freshman year; I start ed with those I was less close to because I was afraid of rejection, and I had figured I would test the water with them because they didn't matter as much to me at the time. Well, fortunately I did not lose any of my friendships during the process, and I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. It was great, but I was still uncomfortable with the idea of people knowing, and I still am sometimes. I believe I have become more reserved as the years have gone by, and I have never thrown my sexuality around like it's everybody's business, but I'm still open to talk and share if people approach me. I actually found it a little humorous that so many people didn't know about my sexuality despite my presence on campus, but I guess that shows that the people who truly matter and care about you won't betray you in the long run; I'm lucky I found those people so early in my life. Anyway, I had a great time at MV; I
found a great group of people who didn't judge me and a student body that (at least to my face) accepted me. If you're reading this and you are in the closet, I am just saying that you might want to consider Mon ta Vista to be a place to really grow and develop this piece of your identity. Monta Vista is really a unique place in terms of atmosphere, and I am truly glad that I was able to see that and discover a world be yond its façade. I took the time to consider who I wanted to be, the people I surrounded myself with, and how I wanted to live life. I can happily say that it turned out fine. It always seemed to me a bit pointless to disapprove of homosexuality. It's like disapproving of rain. ~Francis Maude I can never understand the hatred some people hold. Why would you hate someone just for their sexual orientation? How can they harbor those feelings to wards people they could very possibly love? Some
times, I just want to hate those people back for hurt ing my faith in humanity. But some of them I can’t hate, because they’re my friends. And it only makes me confused. One of my friends is very homophobic. He hates gay people. And whenever the mention of a gay person comes up he would say mean things like “they should go die” or he would just shake his head and look disapproving. There are a lot of guys like this at our school actually. I don’t get why guys feel like they have to be homophobic to fit in. It’s not like if you support gay people it means automatical ly that you’re gay. I think that hating on gay people is just a fad or a trend sometimes. The haters don’t have any reason to hate. They just do because they think they have to. If you’re a real man then you would be able to accept people for who they are, and say that outloud. Maybe I wouldn’t be so confused if my friend was a dumbass. But he’s not, he’s really smart. He’s in telligent and can think underneath the surface. So why does someone who is so brilliant have such a narrow mind? Don’t lie and say you’re nice. Be cause people who say things like that are not nice at all. It disgusts me. Humans are humans, so why do we even need to argue about it. I don’t hate you for be ing you. So why would you hate him for liking him? Or her for liking her? Maybe you just don’t have a life and you like to hate people based on who they’re attracted to. Maybe that’s why you don’t have girlfriends. Because you’re too interested in who’s gay or not. Well good luck in life, jackass. You sure as hell don’t deserve it. Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands? ~Ernest Gaines My perception of homosexuals remained constant throughout high school experience and in subsequent years. I grew up in a single parent family and was raised by mother. She was in to progressive thinking metaphysics etc. Even as a young person, I had a pretty open mind. But, the problem that you experience as a teenager is how you interact with your peers and how your peers interact with the world. My high school experience involved participating in a lot of activities I should not have been participating in. My peers were social misfits
so to speak…some of them were more aggressive personalities than most. As kids usually are, they were pretty harsh: very critical and very judgmental. Those people didn't change my point of view but I had a tendency to refrain from interjecting when I saw something inappropriate. When most people see that kind of behavior you are usually labeled guilty by association and people naturally assumed that I had the same viewpoint as others. Regardless of how I felt, people tended to judge me based on my inaction. My mom had homosexual friends and I had always been comfortable around them. I have since had friends of my own who were homosexual. I have recently met a young man. We will call him James. It was not difficult for him to come right out and say it. I was taken by surprise. I asked him to clarify what he had meant by partner and the second time was just as clear as the first. I just couldn't believe that this young man was so comfortable with who he is that he was not afraid of me or my judgment. He had no clue that there would be none. I applauded him for his strength of character. He did not portray himself as the self righteous, proudtobegay and cram it down your throat type of person. That person is not comfortable with themselves. They are just yelling loud enough so that they can convince themselves that they are proving their self confidence to you. James just simply was who he was and you either accepted him for it or you didn't: that type of character is rare. I truly am glad to have met him. Today, I would stand by James' side and boldly announce that he is more of a man than the socalled friends I had once known. I am more vocal now to attempt to share with the ignorant, the idea that we are truly all one and that unconditional love and understanding is a quality that we all should be striving for I am no longer silent and am now outspoken. I am not homosexual but I accept those who are because one choice does not define an individual. We are far too complicated for that type of oversimplification and ignorance of that fact and a general lack of compassion is something I will not tolerate in my life. I don't care who the offender is regardless of gender or sexual preference. When it comes to exploring the sea of love, I prefer buoys. ~Andrew G. Dehel I usually try not to use the word hate, but I have to say, I hate it whenever I hear someone say, “That’s so gay.” Most of the time I believe that people don’t even realize what they are saying; they just use the same words as their friends do. One time I actually did use the word “gay” as an equivalent
for stupid and quickly learned how hurtful it can be. I was having a conversation with my best friend about this guy I didn’t like and ended up saying that he was “being gay.” Unfortunately, I had used these choice words in front of the only person I knew who had lesbian moms. As soon as the words left my mouth I wanted to take them back so I wouldn’t have to see the pain in her eyes as she said, “Could you please not say things like that? My moms are gay.” Since that day I have made it a point to always be respectful of gays, no matter who I was speaking to, because gays are still human beings; it doesn’t matter who they choose to love. Who would give a law to lovers? Love is unto itself a higher law. ~Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, A.D. 524
Society has always regarded marital love as a sacred expression of the bond between man and woman. It is the means by which families are created and soci ety itself is extended into the future. In the Judeo Christian tradition it is the means by which husband and wife participate with God in the creation of a new human life. It is for these reasons, among oth ers, that our society has always sought to protect thus unique relationship. In part the erosion of these values has given way to a celebration of forms of ex pression most reject. We will resist the efforts of some to obtain government endorsement of homo sexuality." Ronald Reagan America's greatness is due to the freedom of its peo ple. Any individual has the freedom and the right to make their own choices and to bear the conse quences for those choices whether for the better or for the worse. People have the freedom to be homo sexual and they should always be able to make that choice for themselves but it does not mean the gov ernment has to endorse it buy giving them extra rights. In fact, the government should not because, as President Reagan indicated, it is a corruption of the relationship between a man and a woman. It isn't healthy much like being addicted to drugs isn't healthy. Now how should society such as our handle people in this unhealthy situation? I didn't really know how to react at first. When I was about eight years old I remember going over to a friends house and there was a homosexual man there visiting them. This was the first time i had ever met someone was gay. I had never given the issue much thought but i remember the Bible saying it was wrong and it seemed unnatural. Since I didn't know what to do I just greeted him politely then avoided him. I went
home and took some time to sort out my thoughts and then talked to my parents about it. Through their guidance and some limited personal experience with homosexual friends and family I have figured out the answer to that question; I say treat them with love. There is a homophobic stereotype associated with those who are conservative like myself but in reality we want to help. If a close family member has a drug abuse problem loving them would include getting them help to fix their problem and providing support. In the same manner as we should help those who are homosexual; is not appropriate to ostracize them from society. Some people were abused as children or have gone through horrific and messy di vorces and never want to deal with the opposite sex again. In those cases counseling and loving support should be provided to start a healing process. Some times some people are simply more inclined to be at tracted to members of their own sex because of a hormone imbalance or for no particular reason at all, much like some people are prone to be alcoholic. In these cases loving support and perhaps treatment should be given to help homosexuals. Whatever the reason, we should give help to our fellow Americans in love as long as they are willing to receive it. This approach would actually start to fix this problem rather than add to it buy encouraging gay behavior through government support. Labels are for filing. Labels are for clothing. Labels are not for people. ~Martina Navratilova
Homosexuality Homosexuality or gay It doesn’t matter if you’re that way How is it wrong? How is “man and woman” right? I admit, I feel uncomfortable when first meet a gay couple But don’t get me wrong I don’t hate or fear homosexuals It’s just something new, Something I have to get used to. I’m afraid of offending gays What should I say? How should I act? I think they have a right to get married I think they should be treated equally I just need to learn. How are they different from “normal” couples?
People are a mystery Everybody's journey is individual. If you fall in love with a boy, you fall in love with a boy. The fact that many Americans consider it a disease says more about them than it does about homosexuality. ~James Baldwin
This has recently become a very tough issue for me because I personally am part of a group of people that has gotten a very bad rep for being haters towards gays. I'm Christian, yes, and I feel that yes our culture has become VERY liberal and yes I am against gay marriage and all of the new rights that are being gained. In my mind, it just doesn't seem to be the way that we were meant to be. Honestly, I'm still figuring out how controlable or not being a homosexual is, but from anatomically speaking, we wouldn't be able to procreate if we were made to love people of the same sex. This makes sense to me, yet I feel that by my saying this I'm becoming part of a group categorized as unaccepting. I've talked to friends of mine who are much more liberal and they feel that I'm against people just because of their sexual preference. It's been especially tough learning that one of my close friends was bi. I know that what comes with my relationship with Jesus is a desire to follow him and know that his plan is best. However that gets into some very tough issues. 1 Cor 6:9 says “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals.” What do I say to my friends then? How does someone truly love and care for a friend then? I believe what the Bible says. It hasn't failed me and I don't think it will. So it still is a struggle, and honestly a very painful struggle. From my stance, it becomes loving to tell someone of actions that, well, lead to hell (honestly took me some time to write that). I think too, that there's a lot of emphasis by Christians to condemn and be totally against people who we label as “sinners.” I think some times I forget, though, that God extends his mercy and grace to everyone. We all fall short of perfect ant that's why we need a savior, regardless of sexual preference. No government has the right to tell its citizens when or whom to love. The only queer people are those who don't love anybody. ~Rita Mae Brown, speech, 28 August 1982
Every year, the GayStraight Alliance hosts The Day of Silence on April 17 to remember and respect all those who have been persecuted because of their
race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender expression. Countless numbers of students participated in this event nationally, and here, in Monta Vista, many did as well. Though people par take in this event with good intentions, the real con sequence is that they are separating the gay from the straight. With sexual orientation being such a per sonal matter, no one should be singled out like that, even if it is to appreciate them. By saying that we accept gay people for who they are, we emphasize the fact that they are different. As it is, society’s condescending attitude towards gay and lesbian peo ple is atrociously hateful. By essentially making the students proclaim their sexual orientation, we are practically setting them up to be bullied. Also, I can’t help but wonder if the Day of Silence really changes anything. Does it raise awareness in any way? Gay people are still mistreated, and many students use “gay,” and “faggot” as terms of distain. Some people may argue that it helps people to un derstand what gay people have to go through, but I think it’s patronizing and produces mostly superfi cial responses. We give gay people one day in the year to appreciate them and, “feel their pain,” but the rest of the year we can call them names and disre spect them? It doesn’t seem fair. And although many students participate, they make it seem like it’s a contest: Who can keep quiet the longest. “Oh I only made it through second period,” one of my friends sighed; while the other jubilantly proclaimed he last ed the entire day. I don’t mean to say that The Day of Silence should be stopped or anything, but I just want people to think first before acting. Think of what you are hon oring when you participate in such serious events as this. You'll never find peace of mind until you listen to your heart. ~George Michael, "Kissing A Fool"
I am a girl, 16 years old, and very confused. I know, lame, what kind of lame problem does another teenage girl have with homosexuality. I have always considered myself a very straight heterosexual, I never even bothered to question that fact; not that I wasn't exposed to homosexuality. I had absolutely no problem with homosexuality, ever, my friends and family members had always been very open about it. But very recently I have began to question myself. Suddenly I realized that it was so much easi er for me to look at a girl a see that she was beautiful or gorgeous or just plain hot. Yet with men, I always had a problem with thinking of them as good look
ing o anything of the kind. So I've run into confu sion, I don't know what to do about and I'm not sure what the next step is suppose to be. I don't know if it's really something, if I should be questioning or if I think I should let it go and pretend I never even though of myself like that. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem if I was lesbian, but I'd hate to confuse myself to think that I was something that I'm not. So I'm at a problem, a pretty big one, at least I think. I can't decide if I really may be homosexual or if it's just something I have began to question be cause of me surroundings. I won't pretend I'm fine with this confusion, it's real ly killing me slowly because I have so many other things to think about and I hate being so unsure about myself. So yes, I am a confused 16 year old girl who is confused about my sexuality. There is nothing wrong with going to bed with someone of your own sex. People should be very free with sex, they should draw the line at goats. ~Elton John
Following the demise of pop band Wham!, yet well before George Michael's public acknowledgement of his sexuality I entered Monta Vista High School as a freshman. During this time there were perhaps a half dozen students who were openly homosexual. For purposes of this story I will refer to one homosexual student of interest as Simon. Simon was a sopho more and well liked both by his social clique and the student body at large. For the most part his sexual preference was of little consequence to his social stature, in some ways it made Simon more attractive to various crosssections of the student body. Even with the general indifference to homosexuality, some students believed that homosexuals were infe rior examples of humanity in physical, intellectual, and moral standing. The jocks were one group that took particular exception with the homosexual popu lation of Monta Vista in the late nineteeneighties. So when Simon intellectually jabbed Steve's ego during class it could only be reconciled through a proper fisticuffs to demonstrate the superiority of the straight jock, Steve. Perhaps unlike the modern high school fight, Steve would "callout" Simon to meet after school in the slip between Lincoln Elementary and Monta Vista High School along the far side of the black top. This method of physical engagement allowed ample time for the wealth of the student body to learn of the afternoon entertainment, but oddly the faculty would be none the wiser. Needless to say this was a loselose situation for Steve. Either Steve would not show and simply bow to Simon, the inferior homosexual, lose the fight to Simon and lose
his falsely founded pride and ego, or beat up Simon and fulfill that which is expected of him. At the clo sure of the sixth period myself and several dozen students descended upon the predetermined location for the fight. Both Simon and Steve arrived with their respective entourage's escorting them to the meeting place. A circle formed allowing the two space to engage while a variety of verbal chants en sued egging the two on. I can still recall quite clearly the action that followed. Steve would throw a right hook that Simon would literally catch in his hand and quickly deliver a counter to Steve's nose. Again, Steve would strike, Simon would block and counter with a strike to Steve's nose. Undoubtedly, Steve's nose had been broken as blood streamed over his lips and mouth. Within about 5 minutes the shouts of the basketball coach would be heard echoing across the black top. Quickly the fighters dispersed, wor ried more about their academics than their winloss record. That night there was a school dance to which Simon attended but Steve could not be found. That night the outcome of the fight spread twice as quick ly as news of the fight had spread earlier that day. Steve laid low for months following that incident while Simon continued life as though the whole thing was just a small blip during his otherwise satis fying high school career.
In itself, homosexuality is as limiting as heterosexuality: the ideal should be to be capable of loving a woman or a man; either, a human being, without feeling fear, re straint, or obligation. ~Simone de Beauvoir
“That’s gay” or “That’s homo”. Unfortunately those are two commonly used phrases among our society today, especially by our generation. In the dictionary of teenagers, that directly translates to “That’s stupid”, so why can’t we just say what we mean? It’s sad to realize that I myself have used those phrases many times, and only completely dropped them out of my vocabulary around last year. I can’t say that I randomly just started thinking and realizing how mean and discriminating I’ve been, even if uninten tional. I never had a problem with the lesbian and gay community but I never paid attention to them ei ther, so I just went on expressing how I felt in a dis tasteful way. In a way I’ve always supported the gay and les bian community but I never defended them. Last year I found out that my cousin was lesbian. She was someone who I’ve always looked up to, a very im portant person in my life. She’s always been there when I needed someone to talk to. She’s taken care
of me when I was very young and even until now. She’s very much like a big sister to me, someone I’d really come to when I mess up. Knowing that she was lesbian, I can’t say that shocked me, but it made me became more aware of the word choices and phrases I was using. I can’t help it but think every time I’ve used those phrases, and if she’s ever heard me and what goes through her mind each time. It’s extremely offensive and if I were in her shoes, my feelings would be hurt or I’d be angry with what I heard. I’m sure that she never got mad at me, be cause she just knows that I didn’t mean anything in a bad way, but I can’t imagine how many times she has to hear that in one day. Too many people around us use “that’s gay” without thinking twice that the person that hears it might be gay or lesbian. I’m sure that many don’t mean to be offensive but this kind of carelessness can hurt someone’s self esteem, pride, and feelings, just for being themselves. There are so many narrow minded people who don’t accept the gay and lesbian community. Whether it’s their self morals or their religion, the discrimination is incredibly strong and hurtful to wards homosexuals. But what religion teaches to discriminate? To hate? I can’t find the answers to those questions, but yet there is so much hate around. Many claim to be homophobic; that is the most ignorant biased thing I’ve ever heard. What has being gay have to do with straight people? It’s not like they’re harming anyone; it’s not a crime to be who you want to be and choose who you want to be with. The gay community isn’t getting enough sup port with all their hardships, with coming out, and dealing with the rest of the majority straight world; why add on more unnecessary weight on their shoul ders? There’s so much that we don’t understand, so it’s not our place to judge or disgust on what we don’t know. I know I can’t make everybody change the way they talk, but I’d really like more people to know how just saying two words could affect another hu man being in a negative way. It’s not like it’s un bearable to go on with life without those using those words in a pessimistic matter. I’m glad I’ve dropped those phrases from my word bank and I’m sure my cousin is too. I love her and I would never want to say anything hurtful and wounding to her or another person, especially when I just want to say, “that’s stupid”. Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; de fine yourself. ~Harvey Fierstein
There is a girl (isn't there always) who means a lot to me. She is attractive, smart, and a good per son. I like her, a lot. We talk to each other all the time, and I like to think we understand one another. Problem is, she is attracted to other girls. This doesn't stop me from being her friend, and by no means makes her less attractive, smart, or a good person. Heck, I didn't even know for a long time, but once I did the only negative aspect was that I can't ask her to go out with me. I must say, its weird wanting to be together with someone who you just can't be with, even though you can be great friends. I see how she struggles with her sexual orientation, how it makes her differ ent in the eyes of part of the student body. I have seen plenty of arguments break out over this delicate issue, and it has been debated in classrooms and po litical campaigns. To me, she will always be special. Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another. ~Homer
Anyone who followed the class of 09 message boards last year will remember the gay marriage posts, a seemingly never ending chain of arguments where the structure and intelligence was soon cast aside in favor of heated mudslinging. I had never before paid any attention to the issues on schoolloop, but this one caught my attention. It started as a survey on what we MV'ers thought of gay marriage, if it should be legalized, what it should be called, and so forth. I read some of the first posts, simple answers listing response choices. As my eyes found their way to the lower responses, huge debates had started to form. People were argu ing about their views on gay marriage, which was quickly escalating to a standoff between religious views. What hurt me was the few people who attempted at solid conversation and were being undermined by the kids who couldn't form their opinions but had to insult the other party in order to get their point across. I posted what I believe was a legitimate re sponse, asking questions and giving answers to oth ers. I soon regretted it, as the wave of mudslinging grew and started clogging up the forum.
I never knew this was such a touchy issue, and how hurt anyone can get from the other side. What I can say is that I have turned away from the forums because of the sort of conversations Monta Vista students ruin through shorttempered curses. The delicate issues need calm discussion. I really am in terested in hearing what others think, and why.
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss
LGBTQQI Teens Cassie Blume Director of Youth Programs Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center Two years ago a group of High School Students in San Jose surveyed their school and learned that 27% of their peers either identified as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or had immediate family members from the LGBT Community. Though nearly one third of teens are LGBTQ or are related to someone who is, there is still a great deal of misunderstanding about this particular community. Let’s start with some terms to define this community: Lesbian: a woman who is emotionally and sexually attracted only or primarily to other women Gay: sexual and emotional attraction to people of the same sex; generally used to refer to men Bisexuality: sexual and emotional attraction to people of both or all genders Transgender: a broad term for all gender variant people, including transsexual, cross dressing, and people who identify as neither of the two genders as they are currently defined Transsexual: an individual who does not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. Includes FTM and MTF trans people. Transsexual people may or may not alter their bodies hormonally or surgically. Queer: a term currently used by many LGBT people to describe their pride in being different. Historically used as a slur, this term has been reclaimed by the LGBT community. Questioning: A person not sure of their gender identity or sexual orientation. a questioning person may or may not eventually take on an LGBTQ or straight identity. Intersex: a term used to describe a person whose sex chromosomes, genitalia and/or secondary sex characteristics are determined to be neither exclusively male nor female. A person with intersex may have biological characteristics of both the male and female sexes. As you can see, the LGBTQQI community is very diverse. However a common desire to find identity and community links these various groups. Discovering and voicing a true LGBTQI identity is usually referred to as “coming out.” Coming out is no simple task especially for teens who are also in the process of forming other important aspects of their identity such as their peer groups, interests and abilities.
Unfortunately, the world is not always safe for LGBTQQI teens. The 2007 National School Climate Survey taken by the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) found that 86% of LGBTQQI students reported being verbally harassed at school. 22% of LGBTQQI students have been physically assaulted at school. While some teens are safe once they head home from school, some LGBTQQI teens are rejected from their families or abused because of their identities. All of this negativity can cause some severe problems. The LGBTQQI youth community is far more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and even attempt suicide than their peers. Thankfully, there are a number or resources out there to support LGBTQQI teens. High school GayStraight Alliances are groups formed by LGBTQQI youth and their ally friends to ensure safety for all students. Some GSAs serve as a support group. Other GSAs prefer to focus on social activities or campus activism. In any instance these student leaders offer visibility and hope for healthy teens and safe schools. For the students in schools without a GSA, a supportive family, or group of friends, or one thoughtful teacher can mean a world of difference for LGBTQQI teens. About the Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center For over 26 years the DeFrank Center has worked to provide Community, Leadership, Advocacy, Support, and Services to Silicon Valley’s LGBT people and allies. DeFrank Youth programs are free for youth ages 1324. At DeFrank you’d find: • social and recreational activities such as dances, field trips, open mic nights and movie nights • leadership development programs such as the ShOut Youth Advocacy Group, GSA Summits, and a Youth Leadership Retreat • comprehensive mental health services including free counseling for Santa Clara County youth ages 1624
Resources Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center: www.defrank.org/bdf_directory/index.php 938 The Alameda San Jose, CA 95126 (408) 2933040 Their mission is to provide a broad array of opportunities and programs, a dedicated and caring staff, a corps of volunteers, and a spirit of community that celebrates the many facets of our broadbased Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender constituency. Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays: www.pflagsanjose.org Help Line: (408) 2708182 GayStraight Alliance Network is a youth leadership organization that connects schoolbased GSAs to each other and community resources. Statewide Office: 1550 Bryant St., Suite 800, San Francisco, CA 94103 ph: 415.552.4229 gsanetwork.org Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network GLSEN National Headquarters: 90 Broad Street, 2nd Floor New York, NY 10004 P. 212.727.0135 glsen.org GLBT National Youth Hotline 18002467743 American Psychology Association on Sexuality: www.apa.org/topics/sorientation.html Answers to Your Questions for a Better Understanding of Sexual Orientation & Homosexuality Homosexuality and Civilization by Louis Crompton An encyclopedic survey of the development of homosexuality from a historical viewpoint in Western and nonWestern civilizations Pink Spots: http://www.pinkspots.biz/ A resource directory for the LGBT community that highlights LGBT friendly businesses in the bay area
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Homosexuality September 2009 Staff: Jackie Barr, Alex Cheng, Allie Choy, Natasha Desai, Dinah Drahluk, Kai Kang, Jane Kim, Kriti Garg, Brittany Hopkins, Tiffany Lau, Yifang Qiu, Robert Rodine, Shishi Wang, Tim Wheeler, Matisse Yoshihara Advisors: Hung Wei, Kathy Fetterman, Carol Satterlee Visit us or submit stories at www.verdadera.org