Absolutely, Positively Not. David Larochelle, $11.50

Steven doesn’t know if he’ll pass his driver’s test or if he’ll ever understand his parents, but there’s one thing he knows for sure: He’s absolutely, positively NOT gay.  Right?

A funny and poignant look at the life of a boy who’s finding out what it means to be himself.

Acting Out!  Combating Homophobia Through Teacher Activism. Mollie Blackburn, Caroline Clark, Lauren Kenney & Jill Smith, $29.95

In this volume, teachers from urban, suburban, and rural districts join together in a teacher inquiry group to challenge homophobia and heterosexism in schools and classrooms. To create safe learning environments for all students they address key topics, including seizing teachable moments, organizing faculty, deciding whether to come out in the classroom, using LGBTQ-inclusive texts, running a Gay-Straight Alliance, changing district policy to protect LGBTQ teachers and students, dealing with resistant students, and preparing preservice teachers to do anti-homophobia work.

Dead Boys Can't Dance: Sexual Orientation, Masculinity and Suicide. Michel Dorais & Simon Lajeunesse, $19.95

This provocative, groundbreaking study looks at the tragic consequences of homophobia. Recognizing the link between the stigmatization of homosexuality and the high level of suicide attempts by youths who are homosexual or are perceived as such by their peers, authors Dorais and Lajeunesse prove that homophobia is a serious social problem. Their call for preventative measures, social education and recognition of the prevalence of the problem is urgent and clear.

The Full Spectrum: a New Generation of Writing about Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Other Identities. David Levithan & Billy Merrell, editors, $12.95

“Teens are more aware of sexuality and identity than ever, and they’re looking for answers and insights, as well as a community of others. In order to help create that community, David Levithan and Billy Merrell have collected original poems, essays, and stories by young adults in their teens and early 20s. The Full Spectrum includes a variety of writers — gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight, transitioning, and questioning—on a variety of subjects: coming out, family, friendship, religion/faith, first kisses, break-ups, and many others. This one of a kind collection will, perhaps, help all readers see themselves and the world around them in ways they might never have imagined.”

Gay Marriage, Real Life: Ten Stories of Love and Family. Michelle Bates Deakin, $18.95

“This intimate account of ten same-sex couples brings to life how the decision to marry has affected them and their extended families. These personal journeys present a range of experiences, from a mother who became a gay rights activist when her youngest child came out as a lesbian, to a girl whose realization that her fathers were not married spurred the men to join the gay marriage lawsuit in Massachusetts, to a lesbian couple and devoted mothers of twins who fight for same-sex adoption rights in Oklahoma. Deakin chronicles both their private strides toward acceptance and their public struggles to advance gay rights.”

King & King. Linda de Haan & Stern Nijland, $23.95

"The queen decrees that it's time for the prince to marry and the search is on! Princesses come from far and wide hoping to catch his eye. Will the prince be charmed … or will he simply follow his heart?"

“A collection of parents' honest and revealing responses to the news their child is gay, My Child is Gay is a compilation of letters written by parents. The letters have been written to be shared — both to help parents come to term with their feelings, and for gay men and women who are contemplating sharing the truth. Together these letters reaffirm the regenerative power of love and allow those with first hand experience to outline the important steps on the road to understanding.”

The Other Side of the Closet: the Coming-Out Crisis for Straight Spouses and Families. Amity Pierce Buxton, $26.99

This candid, compassionate book is a unique source of information, insight, and moving personal narratives. Amity Pierce Buxton looks at homophobia, deception, family breakdown and the practical coping strategies which can help the family journey from initial trauma to eventual transformation.

Parrotfish. Ellen Wittlinger, $19.99 (novel, ages 14 and up)

“Angela Katz-McNair has never felt quite right as a girl. Her whole life is leading up to the day she decides to become Grady, a guy. While coming out as trans-gendered feels right to Grady, he isn't prepared for the reaction he gets from everyone else … Grady's life is miserable until he finds friends in some unexpected places like the school geek, Sebastian, who explains that there is precedent in the natural world (parrotfish change gender when they need to), and Kita, a senior who might just be Grady's first love.”

Partnered Grief: When Gay and Lesbian Partners Grieve. Harold Ivan Smith & Joy Johnson, $4.50

Insightful and compassionate, this is a unique guide for partners, family, friends and professionals.

Queer Questions Straight Talk: 108 frank & provocative questions it’s OK to ask your lesbian, gay or bisexual loved one. Abby Dees, $18.95

Queer Questions Straight Talk is a permission slip to go ahead and ask those questions that seldom get asked and help you get beyond awkward silence and into real communication. The book includes questions about identity, coming out, stereotypes, marriage & relationships, homophobia & politics, religion & spirituality, sex and more. Queer Questions Straight Talk is fun, cheeky, deep and wise. It’s not about getting everyone to agree, but simply understand each other a little more.

10,000 Dresses. Marcus Ewert, $35.95   

Every night, Bailey dreams about magical dresses: dresses made of crystals and rainbows, dresses made of flowers, dresses made of windows. . . . Unfortunately, when Bailey's awake, no one wants to hear about these beautiful dreams. Quite the contrary. "You're a BOY!" Mother and Father tell Bailey. "You shouldn't be thinking about dresses at all." Then Bailey meets Laurel, an older girl who is touched and inspired by Bailey’s imagination and courage. In friendship, the two of them begin making dresses together and Bailey’s dreams come true!

This gorgeous picture book—a modern fairy tale about becoming the person you feel you are inside—will delight people of all ages.

Together Forever: Gay & Lesbian Couples Share Their Secrets for Lasting Happiness. Eric Marcus, $22.95

Eric Marcus traveled across the United States interviewing gay and lesbian couples who have worked hard to achieve the dream of a happy, lasting relationship. Together Forever is a peek into their lives and the secrets these couples have learned that contribute to their long-term happiness. Their experiences offer lessons to everyone.

The Transgender Child: a Handbook for Families and Professionals. Stephanie Brill & Rachel Pepper, $22.00

Covering developmental, medical, social, school and legal issues, The Transgender Child is a comprehensive, first-of-its-kind guidebook for the unique challenges that families face when raising a child who steps outside of the “pink or blue box”.

Transparent: Love, Family and Living the T with Transgender Teenagers. Cris Beam, $15.95

“When Cris Beam first moved to Los Angeles, she thought she might put in just a few hours volunteering at a school for gay and transgender kids while she got settled. Instead, she found herself drawn, more deeply than she could ever have imagined, into the pained and powerful group of transgirls she discovered.

”In Transparent she introduces four of them and as she earns their trust she shows us their world, a dizzying mix of familiar teenage cliques and crushes with far less familiar challenges like how to morph your body on a few dollars a day. Funny, heartbreaking, defiant, and sometimes defeated, the girls form a singular community. But they struggle valiantly to resolve the gap between the way they feel inside and the way the world sees them. Beam's astute reporting, sensitive writing, and passionate engagement with her characters place this book in the ranks of the very best narrative nonfiction.”

Uncle Bobby’s Wedding. Sarah Brannen, $17.50

Chloe loves her Uncle Bobby, and he loves her. When she finds out that he is getting married, Chloe worries that Uncle Bobby won’t love her anymore. Instead, she discovers that she now has two uncles who love her very much.

Undoing Homophobia in Primary Schools. The No Outsiders Project Team, $310.95

This book is a celebration of recognition, affirmation and inclusion. Primary teachers tell the story of how they have challenged the taken-for-granted norms and silences in primary schools around sexual orientation and gender expression. These norms and silences have left lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families marginalized, unrepresented and subject to multiple discrimination, and have allowed embedded homophobia and transphobia to go largely unchallenged. Through their accounts of practice, reflections and interpretations, vignettes and images, the teachers describe how they have challenged this unaddressed area of inclusion across sites across England ranging from a tiny village church school to urban and suburban settings. Working within and beyond the curriculum, teachers have broken boundaries in primary practice for sexualities and gender equality.

This book shows it is not only through planned innovations and policy developments that change happens but also, and crucially, in the day-to-day moments where new thinking leads to new action for equality and social justice.

What If Someone I Know is Gay? Answers to Questions about What It Means to Be Gay and Lesbian. Eric Marcus, $12.99

Eric Marcus candidly and clearly pushes aside the myths and misinformation about being gay and lesbian, answering more than one hundred questions asked by teens. No questions go unanswered and the answers contain all the information you — and perhaps your parents — want to know.