Support Groups & Services

• Life Line -Provides 24-hour emergency help, information and referrals. Call 2-1-1 or 1-877-FLNY2-1-1 (1-877-356-9211) 
• Threshold -Provides low and no cost health care and counseling as well as GED programs for 12-25 year olds in Rochester.  145 Parsells Ave. (585) 454-7530.
• The Center for Youth 905 Monroe Ave, provides free counseling, a 24-hour help line, and emergency housing. Call them anytime at (585) 271-7670 or 1-888-617-KIDS(5437)
• AIDS Care - Provides HIV testing and education as well as services for those who are HIV+.   Contact Erik Libey, Associate Director of LGBT and Rural Services at at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 585-545-7200.
• EveryBody's Good  Website celebrating LGBT life and health in Rochester. Blogs, comprehensive health related resource directory, surveys and more.
• MOCHA Center  Resources specifically for LGBT people of color.  All ages welcome, active youth program, health and wellness programs. 

National Resources

See also Cool Links for more resources!

• Trevor Project Helpline A 24-hour national hotline for queer youth who need someone to talk to. Call them anytime at 1-866-488-7386.
• Trevor Space Trevor space is a social networking site for LGBT and questioning youth 13-24 years old, and their frineds and allies.
• National Runaway SwitchboardA 24-hour hotline that is both confidential and free. Whether you have run away and need housing and food, or are thinking of leaving home, people here can help you. They can also help with transportation to get you back home. Call them at 1-800-621-4000
• Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG) A great website to tell your parents about or even to check out before you come out to them.
• NY Civil Liberties Union  LGBTQ Youth Project. Includes a guide for LGBTQ youth in schools.

Books

TEEN FICTION:

The Trouble With Emily Dickinson by Lyndsay D'Arcangelo

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden - A story of first-time love.

Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez

The Order of the Poison Oak by Brent Hartinger

Geography Club by Brent Hartinger

Hero by Perry Moore

Luna by Julie Ann Peters

Dare Truth or Promise by Paula Boock

Empress of the World by Sara Ryan

Not the Only One: Lesbian and Gay Fiction for Teens ed. by Tony Grima

 NON FICTION:

Before Night Falls by Reinaldo Arenas

This celebrated Cuban writer's memoir is a fascinating and frightening tale of growing up extremely poor in rural Cuba, of varied personal and political relationships, of rebelliousness, homosexuality, suppression, and persecution.

 

A Boy's Own Story by Edmund White

A story about growing up gay.

 

Am I Blue? by Marion D. Bauer

Short Stories written for gay and lesbian youth.

 

Becoming Visible: A Reader in Gay & Lesbian History for High School and College Students ed. by Kevin Jennings

 

Bi Any other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out

by Loraine Hutchins and Lani Kaahumanu

 

Brother to Brother: Collected Writings by Gay Black Men ed. by Essex Hemphill

 

Deliver Us from Evie by M.E. Kerr

A story about a teenage girl's coming out experience in a small farm community.

 

Does Your Mama Know?: An Anthology of Black Lesbian Coming Out Stories ed. by Lisa Moore

 

Free Your Mind: The Book for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth - and Their Allies by Ellen Bass and Kate Kaufman

Personal accounts of coming out by gay & lesbian youth.

 

The Shared Heart: Portraits and Stories Celebrating Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Young People by Adam Matsoon

 

Is it a Choice: Answers to 300 of the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Gays and Lesbians by Eric Marcus

 

Two Teenagers in Twenty ed. by Ann Hexton

Personal accounts of coming out by gay and lesbian youth.