Self-help Articles

by Gail S. Bernstein, Ph.D.

It's a sad fact of life that the only information many people have about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals is negative. It's also a fact that all manner of false and prejudiced information about the glbt community continues to be widely disseminated.

To give just one small example, in April, 1995, one of the leaders of Colorado for Family Values (from whence came the anti-gay ballot initiative) told an interviewer that gays were, among other things, child molesters. That's simply not true: most child molesters are heterosexual men. That sort of misinformation is the reason the dissemination of accurate information is an ongoing necessity of life.

This article is the first in a series about finding good information. My comments are based on what I know about finding information in the U.S. I welcome submissions about ways in which to find good information in other countries.

GLBT Community

The best sources, in my experience, are glbt centers, bookstores and libraries. Most large cities have a center that you can find by looking under "gay" in the white pages of your phone book. Community centers usually have people to talk with, small libraries, and brochures and flyers about all manner of resources.

Libraries are also good places to look. Librarians are, by and large, opposed to censorship and supportive of keeping a wide variety of views and information available to the public.

In addition, there are a substantial number of openly gay and lesbian librarians. Libraries are, however, subject to budget constraints that limit how much new material can be acquired on any topic. That's why I recommend going to the largest library you can find: it's more likely to have what you want than smaller or branch libraries.

Bookstore owners and staff, particularly in small alternative or larger privately owned stores, are also great supporters of supplying the public with as much diverse and varied material as possible. In addition, bookstores often function as community centers, even in cities where other centers exist, and offer information on coming events, referrals to services and professionals, and information on where to find other like-minded people.

People in rural areas, and towns or cities too small to support community centers, usually have more trouble finding information off-line. Libraries can order materials from other larger libraries through interlibrary loan, but some people may not feel comfortable with making a request for gay material. Small towns are notorious for the lack of privacy they afford.

Fortunately many of the friendly bookstores in the U.S. do mail order business and have catalogs and/or 800 numbers. This isn't quite as direct and friendly as walking in the door of a center, library, or store, but it is a way of establishing a connection without sacrificing your privacy.

One of the most well-known bookstores in the U.S. is Lambda Rising in Washington, D.C. It has an 800 number (1-800-621-6969) and an e-mail address (lambdarising@his.com), and does a large mail-order business.

Some of the best off-line collections of information on community centers, bookstores, and all sorts of other resources can be found in travel guides aimed at glbt audiences.

There's no shortage of good information and supportive people in the world, but sometimes it can be hard to find them. The next part of this series will look at organizations other than glbt community centers.

About the Author:

Gail S. Bernstein, Ph.D. is an author and psychologist. She has a psychotherapy practice in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Bernstein speaks and writes about gay, lesbian and bisexual people for both general and professional audiences, and is the author of the audiotape, NOT HETEROSEXUAL: An Educational Program About Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual People.