Freak show by James St. James is about Billy Bloom, who moves in with his father in Florida and the people at his new high school don't know how to respond to him, from his fabulous outfits to the fact that his "sexuality is still largely theoretical" (p.11). Unfortunately, their responses include incessant and increasingly brutal bullying, and while Billy's experiences are unfortunately commonplace his perseverance is truly inspiring.
Down to the bone by Mayra Lazara Dole tells the story of Laura, also living in Florida, who gets kicked out of Catholic high school and her home after one of her teachers reads a love note from Laura's girlfriend of 2 years in front of the class. Over the course of the next year, Laura finds comfort and support from friends old and new while she discovers her sexuality.
For a novel that shows the flip side of the homophobic-high-school coin, try Boy meets boy by David Levithan wherein Paul deals with his break-up with Noah and the school's star quarterback is a drag queen.
The full spectrum is a collection of nonfiction essays and poems written by queer young adults, all aged 13-23.
Online resources: I have over a dozen websites collected on the library's Delicious account, including the following:
I'm from Driftwood - Every day, new true stories are posted from lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered individuals about their experiences.
ItGetsBetterProject.com "is a place where young people who are gay, lesbian, bi, or trans can see with their own eyes how love and happiness can be a reality in their future. It's a place where LGBT adults can share the stories of their lives, and straight allies can add their names in solidarity and help spread our message of hope."
