A cork board has two things attached. One says "PRIDE" and the other is a heart. Both are colored in rainbow colors by a marker or crayon.
Image by freepik.

Hey, yo! Read this stuff first!

Many survey responses recommended resources for young people. So even though R2T2 is for adults, i've created this page since i didn't want to lose all of the amazing ideas folx submitted.

If you're a tween, welcome to the youth resources page! Take a look at this note i wrote just for you. You'll find a whole bunch of great books recommendations for people just your age in the adult resources section. And, of course, you might want to explore what's on the rest of this page.

If you're a teen, in addition to what's below, please see my note that's just for you. You're more than welcome to check out the entirety of the adult resources section; a good portion of what's there is partly or completely relevant to youth. And that page includes information on LGBTQA+/SGL bookstores and newspapers and magazines that don't have an equivalent here.

Flame emojiResources on sex and sexualityFlame emoji

A number of the resources below focus on sex and sexuality. As young people, you have a right to know about your body and how it works. You also deserve clear, accurate, honest, shame-free, and positive information about sexuality. Partly that's because sexuality is something that many teens and some tweens are starting to think about or explore. But it's also because, no matter your age, you're human.

I cannot understate how strongly i feel about this!

However, if you're aro/ace and have little to no interest in romance or sex, that's okay, too. So is being sexual and not wanting to explore that yet. No one should be obligated to have sex — EVER. If it seems like every other teen is doing it (and they're not, trust me!) that doesn't mean you need to try it out, too.

I've marked sex-related sources, including those about asexuality, with a flame emoji (Flame emoji). Sources preceded by Flame emoji aren't necessarily entirely about sex, and sources that don’t have Flame emoji may still mention sex. The flame emoji indicates that a decent portion of a resource is about sex or sexuality. So you can use Flame emoji  to either find or avoid information about sex-related things, depending on your interest, personal history, and identity.

Other things to look out for

I've also added a book icon (A small image of a book, laying open with its spine flat and one page mid-turn) for resources that will teach you your queer and trans history. This knowledge is such an important thing for all of us in LGBTQA+/SGL communities — adults included. My one caveat: i didn't start adding this icon until i had a pretty complete list of resources. So i almost certainly missed some places where A small image of a book, laying open with its spine flat and one page mid-turn would have been helpful.

Everything below that's preceded by a red asterisk (*) is a source recommended by my survey-takers. (Thanks, everyone!)

Finally, i leave you with a few words from the young people who took that survey:

  • "Be gay do crime. Fuck gender rules."
  • "Every person is absolutely beautiful and amazing."
  • "Be yourself, your one in billions."

Are you queer or trans? (Select all that apply.)

Things that were too long for this page of resources

Some of these resource lists really needed their own page:

Recommended resources

Do you have ideas that aren't included here? Please drop me a line!
Two white, male college students are a couple. The taller one stands in back, his arm around his boyfriend, who looks back at him as he's talking.
By sloomstudio at Envato Elements.