9781422283837

CONTENTS

Foreword by Kevin Jennings, Founder, GLSEN ............................................ 8

1 “Am I Normal?” ................................................................................................. 13 Historical Views on Homosexuality ..................................................................... 14 Close-up: Sigmund Freud in Defense of Homosexuals ................................... 15 Homosexuality as a “Mental Disorder” .............................................................. 16 Close-up: Transgender Identity and the DSM ................................................... 17 Victimized by Culture, Not Nature ....................................................................... 18 2 Depression and Suicide ................................................................................. 21 Driven Toward Self-destruction ........................................................................... 22 Close-up: “It Gets Better” .................................................................................... 23 Feeling Overwhelmed and Oppressed .............................................................. 24 Depression: A Treatable Illness ........................................................................... 26 Alcohol Abuse, Isolation, and Other Danger Signs .......................................... 28 3 Self-esteem ....................................................................................................... 31 “That’s So Gay” ..................................................................................................... 32 LGBT Self-hatred ................................................................................................... 34 The Coming-out Cure ........................................................................................... 35 Adapting to Abuse ................................................................................................. 37 Alcohol, Drugs, and Unsafe Sex ......................................................................... 37 Patterns of Self-sabotage .................................................................................... 38 Close-Up: Self-esteem and HIV/AIDS ................................................................ 39