That's So Gay: Resource Guide

That’s So Gay: Portraits Of Youth With LGBTQ
Parents (RESOURCE GUIDE)

A Do-It-Yourself, Youth-Created, Educational Exhibit To Raise Awareness
In Your Community
COLAGE is the only national youth-driven network of people with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer
parents. Living in a world that treats our families differently can be isolating or challenging. By connecting us with
peers who share our experiences, COLAGE helps us become strong advocates for ourselves and our families.
1550 BRYANT ST. SUITE 830, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 (415) 861-5437 WWW.COLAGE.ORG
2
That’s So Gay: Portraits of Youth with LGBTQ Parents

A do-it-yourself, youth-created, educational exhibit to raise awareness in your community
Topic
Table of Contents
Page Introduction
• How to use That’s so Gay in your community 3
• How to print and display That’s so Gay 5 That’s So Gay is the first
• How to add to That’s so Gay and make your won exhibit 7 photo-text exhibit created by
• Make sure lots of people see the exhibit. Outreach! 9 youth with lesbian, gay,
• Discussion Guide 11
bisexual, transgender,
• Definitions 13
and/or queer parents to
promote visibility and raise
• Facts about youth with LGBTQ parents 15
awareness about their
• Get your message out. Use the media! 17
experiences and families.
• Sample media release 18
Originally conceived of and
• That’s so Gay feedback form 20 created by the COLAGE
Youth Leadership and Action Program in the San Francisco Bay Area, the exhibit
includes portraits and quotes from youth with LGBTQ parents from all around the
country. We have made the exhibit available on CD so that it can be printed and used
by community members anywhere. The youth artists share:
We want to open minds, challenge stereotypes, and fight isolation. We’re making a
statement and establishing a trend of tolerance. These works of art are an expression
of our work as a group and of our experiences as children of LGBTQ parents. Perhaps
by seeing our faces and learning about our experiences, the next time someone hears
“that’s so gay” they’ll think of us, and all the people that homophobia and prejudice
affect.
Core artists of That’s So Gay pose with their

portraits
COLAGE is the only national youth-driven network of people with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer parents.
1550 BRYANT ST. SUITE 830 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 (415) 861-5437 WWW.COLAGE.ORG
3
That’s So Gay Resource Guide
How To Use That’s So Gay In Your Community

That’s So Gay was designed by youth with LGBTQ parents to create positive images and promote visibility of families
like ours, fight homophobia, and counter the isolation and prejudice that youth with queer parents often face. With
your help, we can raise visibility, open minds, and let people know that families like ours exist and flourish. We can
show other youth who have queer parents: you are not alone; there are others like you. We want to show the pride
we have in our families and in the LGBTQ community. All of this is possible when you exhibit That’s So Gay in your
community! Here are some ideas of how to use this incredible exhibit to educate and inspire your community.
Be creative!
“Where should we put the exhibit?”

• public library • community/youth
• school library, centers • Show the exhibit at a
hallway, display case, or house party or fundraiser
• galleries for COLAGE and/or your
classroom(s)
• churches, local group
• local bookstores and
synagogues, and temples
cafes
• theatre lobbies
• And any other great
locations
• conferences
“How can we make sure That’s So Gay really has an impact in

our community?”
Combine showing the exhibit with programming:
• Show it in a school and encourage teachers to
incorporate it into the curriculum.
• Use it in conjunction with special events like
National Coming Out Day, LGBTQ Pride Month, or a
diversity day at your school.
• Use That’s So Gay to support LGBTQ marriage or
safe schools activism.
• Host a youth panel with youth who have LGBTQ
parents in your area.
• Organize a discussion about the issues raised in
the exhibit. See the “Discussion Guide” on page 6. Youth speak on a panel about their
experiences as youth with LGBTQ Parents
• Solicit youth artwork from local COLAGE
members and display them with That’s So Gay (see
page 4 for more ideas on how to do this). Host an exhibit opening party in a local gallery, community
center, or any of the places named above.
• Have a fundraiser featuring That’s So Gay. Contact COLAGE for ideas.
• Use the exhibit as a way to get into local media. (See pages 9 and 10 for ideas and tips.)
4
That’s So Gay Resource Guide,
How to Use That’s So Gay
“How can we collaborate with schools to show That’s So Gay?”
The best way to get the exhibit into a school is to work with a student group or teacher. Contact the
school and ask for contact information for the advisors of the Gay-Straight Alliance, diversity, service, or
social justice clubs. You can also contact GLSEN (Gay and Lesbian and Straight Education Network) at
www.glsen.org or (212)727-0135 to find out about GSAs in your region. Student clubs can communicate
with the administration about showing the exhibit. If a school is not willing to show the exhibit in a
common space, like the library or hallway, students should outreach to individual teachers to put it up in
their classrooms. The impact of the show will be greater if you organize teachers to bring their classes to
view the exhibit and have a discussion about the issues it raises. Use this resource guide and COLAGE’s
“Tips for Making Classrooms Safer for Youth with LGBTQ Parents” (found on the That’s So Gay CD or at
www.colage.org) to design a curriculum for leading a diversity workshop for students, parents, teachers,
and administrators.
That’s So Gay Resource Guide 5
How To Print And Display That’s So Gay

“So, we have the CD. How do we make the exhibit?”
It’s easy. Most copy shops can print directly from the CD for about $2.00-$3.00/page. That means it costs
between $50-$80 to print the whole exhibit, which you can then use as many times as you like. If anyone
in your group has access to a color printer that can print on 11”x17” paper, you can do it yourself (but
remember, ink is expensive).
On the CD you will find:
• A Read Me file that contains the same information as this page.

• Planning Resources for You: This folder includes this resource guide (as a PDF document),
COLAGE’s “Tips for Making Classrooms Safer for Youth with LGBTQ Parents” for you to share
with school staff, and sample fliers for you to edit and use for outreach.
• Exhibit to Print: This folder includes the exhibit introduction and biographies (PDF document)
and 24 portraits (PDF documents) for display (note: The portraits may appear darker on your
computer screen than when they are printed.)
If you use the help of staff at a copy shop:
1. Call your local copy shop and ask them if they have a color printer that can print on 11”x17” paper
and how much it costs. You might call a few places to compare prices.
2. Take in the CD and ask them to print everything in the “Exhibit to Print” folder on their color laser
printer. (If you want to get the prints laminated or mounted, ask for this at the same time, though you
may want to go back in and make sure the prints look good before they laminate or mount them.)
3. Pick up the prints and you’re set.
If you’re doing the printing yourself:
1. To open the exhibit documents, you

need the Adobe Acrobat Reader program,
which you can download at www.adobe.com
if you don’t already have it.
2. Use high or photo quality ink jet or laser
jet paper.
3. Print Settings:
a. Paper size: 11”x17”
b. Paper orientation: landscape
c. Color mode: CMYK
d. Center the image on the page if
that’s an option.
That’s So Gay Resource Guide, 6
How To Print And Display That’s So Gay
(Alternatively, if you have a small place to display and a small budget, you can reduce the portraits from
11”x17” to 8 ½” x 11”. This is a 63% reduction, which you can do in your print settings. If you choose to do
this on your home ink jet printer, it will take a lot of ink.)
“How do we put it up once the exhibit is printed?”

The exhibit is intended for putting on a wall. You can hang the portraits using ticky-tack, push-pins,
painter’s tape, or binder clips. It’s best to hang the portraits so that the middle is at eye level and so that
the portraits are equally spaced. Please include the exhibit introduction and artist bios of That’s So Gay in
your display so that viewers know that the exhibit is designed by youth.
If you plan to use the exhibit many times, consider laminating the portraits, getting them mounted on foam
core, or buying some Plexiglas to cover them on the wall (many copy shops can help with the first two). If
you use Plexiglas, you can find L-shaped nails at most art stores that allow you to hang the Plexiglas
without needing any kind of frame.
If the cost of printing the exhibit is a barrier to you, contact COLAGE for fundraising ideas or to discuss
other arrangements. Complete sets of the printed exhibit are available on a limited basis. Contact
COLAGE for details.
Note: The original exhibit included art pieces by each youth. Since many of these were 3-dimensional, we
chose to include only the portraits on the CD. We hope you will add your own artwork to your exhibition.
How To Add To That’s So Gay And Make Your Own

Exhibit
One of the goals of this project is to show that as youth, we can speak for ourselves and we have
important things to share. We hope that other youth will be inspired to make their own voices heard about
the issues that are important to them. Here are some ideas for how to add your own creativity to That’s
So Gay. These suggestions are best implemented with a group of youth working together. Remember,
these are just ideas—be creative!
• Follow a similar format as the exhibit, using portraits and quotes. For portraits you can take
photographs, draw or paint portraits of each other, or do self-portraits. To get quotes, we used a
questionnaire that the youth designed and each youth filled out. From there we gleaned a quote. Talk
as a group about what questions you most often hear from people about your families and what
questions you wish people would ask. You can each write your own answers or interview each other.
Assign someone(s) to read over the answers and help make the answers into quotes that flow (you
don’t have to use everything people write). Alternatively, you can write a statement directed at the
viewers of the exhibit without using the questionnaire process. Say what’s in your heart and on your
mind. Be creative about how you put together the text and portraits.
• Let each youth do whatever kind of creative project they want. In the San Francisco debut of
That’s So Gay, the youth artists contributed all different kinds of art—photography, poetry, paintings,
collages of family photos and other images/colors, sculpture, and story books about their families.
See examples below:
• Do one big art project as a group. Here are some ideas:
o Write a group poem. Decide on a chorus to be repeated and then each youth can write
their own verse. You can also find a poem you like and use it as inspiration.
o Make a mural together. Discuss what ideas you want the mural to convey. Brainstorm
ideas of images/scenes/things to have in the mural. Narrow down and come up with an overall
design for the mural. Think about the talents and assets in the group. Maybe some people like to
draw while others like to write and others like to paint. Everyone has something to contribute.
Provide art supplies so that everyone can contribute. We decided to have everyone make a family
tree on a long piece of fabric:
How To Add To That’s So Gay
There are many ways to get your voices out there. In addition to working on the exhibit, you can make a zine,
write a skit for street theatre or a performance, make posters, produce a video, make t-shirts, or write for
magazines and newspapers.
Get your message and stories out to the local community and beyond! As COLAGE exhibits That’s So
Gay throughout the country, we are collecting the creative contributions of youth from many
communities. Consider sending COLAGE some of your artwork so that it can be included in the
growing traveling exhibit. Send artwork to: COLAGE, attn: That’s So Gay, 1550 Bryant Street, Suite 830,
San Francisco, CA 94103.
Make Sure Lots Of People See The Exhibit.

Outreach!
You might do a lot of work to put up the exhibit, but if that effort isn’t matched in your outreach,
you’ll miss the opportunity to have the greatest possible impact. Here are some suggestions for
building your audience.
E-mail can be a great way to reach a lot of people. Have everyone involved in your group email
their friends and family to invite them to the exhibit. Including a personal note at the beginning
can be a good way to let people know why the exhibit matters to you and why their attendance
is important. Email your announcement to thatssogay@colage.org and COLAGE will
include it in COLAGE Net News. Your announcement should include the five W’s
(Who/What/Where/When/Why), information about the sponsoring groups, and how people can
find out more information. Also make sure to email any other organizations in your area that
work with youth, media or LGBTQ issues.
Snail Mail can be used to send a postcard, flier, or more formal invitation (which is great if
you’re using That’s So Gay for a fundraising event). Contact COLAGE to help get the word out
to COLAGErs in your area.
Fliers, like the one below, are

great to hand out and post.
That’s So Gay: Sample quarter- and full-page

fliers that you can edit with the
specific information about your
portraits of youth with lesbian, gay, bisexual,
We want to open minds, challenge stereotypes, and event are available at
transgender, and/or queer parents www.colage.org/ylap and on the
fight isolation. We’re making a statement and
establishing a trend of tolerance. This exhibit is an That’s So Gay resource CD.
expression of our work as a group and of our Quarter-page fliers are especially
experiences as children of lesbian, gay, bisexual, good for carrying around and
transgender, and/or queer parents. Perhaps by giving out to people or for leaving
seeing our faces and learning about our stacks at cafes, libraries, and
experiences, the next time someone hears “that’s so community centers. Full page
gay” they’ll think of us, and all the people that fliers are great for posting—which
homophobia and prejudice affect. offers an opportunity not only to let
Where: Richwood School Library people know about your event, but
When: April 14-30, 8am-5pm M-F to do some awareness-raising on
Sponsored by Richwood High GSA with the COLAGE the spot.
Richwood chapter. For more information, visit
www.colage.org/ylap or email thatssogay@colage.org. School Announcements should
be used when the exhibit is at a
school. You can combine an
announcement about the exhibit
with one of the facts from this
guide on page 8.
Outreach!
Media Coverage can also pique interest in your event. You can write a letter to the
editor, pitch a human interest story, or encourage a journalist to write an article about the
exhibit. Your local public radio station may also announce the event if you submit it to their
community calendar. See pages 9 and 10 for more information on using the media.
Phone members of your group to make sure that they know about the event and are bringing
their friends. Or, ask each member of your group to call five of their friends/contacts who aren’t
involved in the group and personally invite them to attend.
Discussion Guide
That’s So Gay: Portraits of Youth with LGBTQ Parents shares honest and open voices about growing up
with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer parents and families. Since its focus is on actual
youth voices, the exhibit can set the tone for thoughtful discussions on a range of topics, including
different kinds of families, sexuality and gender identity, homophobia and discrimination, and youth
activism. The following questions can be used as starting points to spark discussion with your class or
group:
Before viewing the exhibit:

• Have you ever said “that’s so gay”? When and why? How do you feel when you hear “that’s so
gay”?
• What are some of the images and associations that come to mind when you hear the word
“family”?
• What do you think is the most important part of being a family?
• What are some of the things you know or have heard about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
and/or queer families or parents?
• Do you know anyone who has lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer parents?
• How do you think youth who have LGBTQ parents are different than youth with straight parents?
• How is your own family unique or different?
After viewing the exhibit:

• What surprised you about the exhibit?
• How were the youth artists or their families the same or different from yours?
• If you were writing an article about this exhibit, which of the youth would you like to interview and
what would you ask them?
• Did the exhibit change any of the ideas you had about LGBTQ families?
• Do you hear phrases such as “that’s so gay” in your school, community or family? How do those
words affect you? What do you do when you hear someone using homophobic statements? Did
the exhibit change how you feel about homophobic slurs such as “that’s so gay”?
• How often do you hear homophobic slurs at your school?
• How often do students, teachers, or administrators intervene? When they do intervene, what do
they do?
• In what ways do you think youth with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer parents
experience isolation and marginalization in school, or in society as a whole?
• In what ways are people with LGBTQ parents “invisible”? To each other? To their friends? To the
community? What do you think are some of the challenges that they face?
• How are people with LGBTQ parents working to make change and raise awareness?
• What’s a stereotype or slur that has personally affected you? How do you teach others about it
and/or work to make change in your community?
Discussion Guide
Additional Activities:
• Ask everyone to imagine how the world might be different if a majority of families had LGBTQ
parents.
• Break your class into groups and give each one a difficult situation that youth with LGBTQ
parents might face. Ask each group to brainstorm solutions on individual, school and societal
levels to address their situation.
• Use the exhibit as inspiration and have each person make their own portrait and/or art piece.
Give them the opportunity to express a part of their identity through art.
• Lead a discussion on youth art, media, and activism.
• Have each person create their family tree; ask them to focus on qualities or people that make
their family unique or different.
Definitions
In order to comfortably address issues of LGBTQ families in your community, it’s important to be familiar
with some of the terms and words commonly used in respectful conversations about LGBTQ families.
This list is just a start to facilitate conversations about youth with LGBTQ parents.
Adoption: An option for LGBTQ parents considering parenthood. Laws concerning gay adoption vary
from state to state. There are some states where there is an outright ban on gay adoption. Other states
allow second-parent adoption. To learn about the gay adoption laws in your state, you can visit
http://www.hrc.org/laws_and_elections/ state_law_listing.asp.
Biological Sex: The category (usually male or female) assigned by a doctor at birth, based on what body
parts you have and certain other physical characteristics.
Bisexual: People whose attraction to others is fluid between same-sex and opposite sex partners.
Co-parenting: When two or more adults, usually not involved in a romantic relationship, share parenting
responsibilities.
Donor Insemination (sometimes referred to as alternative insemination): Conception using a sperm

donation (sometimes anonymous, sometimes known).
Gay: Someone who is attracted to people of the same sex. Most commonly used to describe the sexual
orientation of men.
Gender Expression: The way a person expresses their gender identity through gestures, movement,
dress, and grooming.
Gender Identity: A person’s sense of being male, female, or somewhere in between.
GSA: Gay Straight Alliance. School-based clubs that bring together LGBTQ and straight ally youth for
social, educational, advocacy, and/or other types of activities. Some schools use different names for
clubs of this sort.
Heterosexism: An ideological system that denies, denigrates, and stigmatizes any non-heterosexual
form of behavior, identity, relationship, or community. Also, systems and societies that prefer and
privilege heterosexuals through public sentiment, laws, judicial systems, and more.
Homophobia: Irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals.
Like all prejudices, it is based on a set of myths and stereotypes. Because it is so rarely challenged
structurally, it is destructive both in terms of societal and legal limitations and in terms of violence against
LGBTQ people, people perceived to be LGBTQ, or people related to LGBTQ individuals.
Lesbian: A woman who is attracted to other women.
Out (as a verb): The act of telling people about a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. In the
case of students with LGBTQ parents, it is referred to as coming out about their family. To out someone
means to share this information on their behalf (with or without their consent).
Definitions
Queer: A term used by some LGBT people to describe their identity. Not every LGBT person identifies
as queer. It has been and still is used as a derogatory term against LGBT people, but has also been
reclaimed as a positive and often political term in recent years. May be used to refer to either sexual
orientation and/or gender identity.
Second-Parent Adoption: When one parent is the biological parent of a child, some states allow the
second parent to do a second-parent adoption, through which both parents are the legal parents of the
child.
Sexual Orientation: The sex/gender that a person is emotionally and physically attracted to over a period
of time.
Slurs: Negative words used to describe LGBTQ people. Also can mean simply using a word such as
“gay” in a negative context, e.g., “You are SO gay!”
Straight: Someone who is attracted to people of the opposite sex.
Transgender: An umbrella term describing anyone whose gender identity or expression differs from their
biological sex. Literally means “across gender,” and conveys the idea of transcending the boundaries of
the gender binary system. This is independent of sexual orientation.
Transsexual: A person who medically changes their body to match with their gender identity. This may
be done through hormone treatments and/or surgical procedures.
15
Facts About Youth With LGBTQ Parents

In the United States alone, there are millions of people with one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ) parent(s). While research shows that there are no significant
developmental differences or negative effects on children of LGBTQ parents, these youth do report facing
significantly more prejudice and discrimination because of societal homophobia and transphobia. They
are less likely to hold stereotypical understandings of gender roles and more likely to be tolerant of
differences in others.
• It is estimated that there are up to14 million kids in the United States with LGBTQ parents. More
frequently cited research states there are at least 3 million children under the age of 18 who have
LGBTQ parents (Patterson, 2000). The 2000 U.S. Census showed that of 600,000 reported same-sex
households, one-fifth of the male couples and one-third of the female couples had at least one child
under the age of eighteen living with them.
• People with LGBTQ parents have the same incidence of homosexuality as the general
population, about 10%. No research has shown that LGBTQ parents have any effect on the sexuality
or gender identity of their children (Patterson, 1987).
• There is absolutely no evidence that children are psychologically or physically harmed by

having LGBTQ parents. In fact, there is plenty of evidence that they are not harmed (Herdt, 1989).
• Students who have LGBTQ parents experience harassment in their schools at the same high
rate as students who themselves are gay (Ray and Gregory, 2001).
• Children of LGBTQ parents are vulnerable to social, economic, and legal discrimination—for
example, the denial of Social Security benefits when a parent dies, laws that ban gay parents from
adopting, and battles over custody between gay and straight parents.
• Children with LGBTQ parents are born or brought into their families in many different ways—
either biologically, or through adoption or foster parenting. Some COLAGErs’ parents had them after
“coming out,” and some parents have/had them through current or previous heterosexual
relationships. Some parents are couples, some are single parents, and others are co-parents (see
definitions on page 10).
There are people with LGBTQ parents of every race, religion, ethnicity, and nationality. In the U.S., they
live throughout the country, not just in urban areas (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute,
2003). For example, Alaska, Mississippi, and South Dakota all were reported by the U.S. Census to have
significant populations of lesbian- and gay-parented households.
I have to be very quiet about my family even though we

When my mom told her father that she was gay, he was really are not the evil people that some religions think of us as.
mean. My grandfather even said he would steal me away from I worry about my friends finding out—would they still be
her. I told her that it was okay for her to be gay because she is my friends or would they think of me differently? Aaron,
a good mom and loves me. Kyle, 12.
14.
In my town people often avoid even saying the word lesbian,
which has made it challenging for me to tell my peers about my
I have faced so much discrimination not only from
parents. It’s rough growing up in a rich, white town that doesn’t
my peers, but from adults that have met my family. I
welcome minorities—I wish that society would just acknowledge
try to keep my head up and be proud, but it is
and accept the LGBTQ community. Debra, 16.
discouraging to feel like I am hated for who my
parents love. Breauna, 15.
Facts About Youth With LGBTQ Parents
While youth with LGBTQ parents often disclose their experiences with discrimination and the painful
effects of homophobia in their schools and communities, they also venture that increased visibility for
youth with families like theirs is a powerful antidote to isolation and harassment. By helping to raise
awareness for youth with LGBTQ parents through your support of That’s So Gay, you are sharing in the
movement to create a safe, just world for all youth and families.
Get Your Message Out. Use The Media!

Displaying That’s So Gay is a great opportunity to get the word out about LGBTQ families and work to
fight discrimination and oppression. The media (TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, internet, etc.) is one
of the institutions in society that creates and reinforces the idea that only heterosexuality and nuclear
families are acceptable. COLAGE youth feel it is important to put a different, more inclusive, message out
into the world—that’s why we created That’s So Gay. Your work to make this a story in your local or
school media will help to create a healthier society for all of us. There are many strategies and
approaches you can take, and the more you try, the more likely you will have success.
How can we get media attention?

Write a press or media release. You can focus on That’s So Gay or on a particular issue that’s going on
in your community, and talk about how That’s So Gay relates to it and how you hope for the exhibit to
impact the community. Send your press release to the Feature and Calendar editors of three press
outlets and to the producers of three TV/radio stations. See the sample media release on the next page.
Write a letter to the editor/producer highlighting the experience of COLAGErs (people with LGBTQ
parents) and informing the community about when and where they can view That’s So Gay. See sample
letter below.
Send a media advisory letting local papers, radio and TV stations know about your event and/or the
exhibit. A media advisory is a simple document that includes contact information, a title, and the What,
When, Where, Who, and Why of your That’s So Gay event. You can use this not only to let journalists
know about the event, but to get your event announced in the local media. See the sample flyer on p. 5
for media advisory content.
Pitch a human-interest story to your local media by choosing a family to be profiled. Include quotes
from them in your press release and set up interviews between family members and reporters/producers.
Convince your school newspaper to cover the story. You can even offer to write the article yourself.
Include your thoughts on what it’s like to be a COLAGEr at your school and ideas for improving the school
environment. Use COLAGE’s “Tips for Making Classrooms Safer for Youth with LGBTQ Parents.”
Find helpful tips for writing media releases and advisories and letters-to-the-editor, as well as strategies
for talking to the media. You can download a comprehensive guide, Media Essentials, from GLAAD (Gay
and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) at http://www.glaad.org/media/media_essentials/.
Sample Letter-to-the-Editor
Dear Editor:
Your newspaper recently reported on the battle to legalize marriage for same-sex couples in Massachusetts and the connected outcry from
conservative politicians and leaders. I think the main reason that people are so afraid of allowing gay and lesbian couples to formalize their
relationships is that they do not understand what gay families are like. Therefore I am proud to announce a new art show coming to (name of your city)
that offers a window into the lives of gay families through the perspective of the kids who are a part of them.
I know what it’s like to have your family feared and discriminated against. I am a sophomore at (name of school) and I have lived in (name
of your city) my entire life with my two lesbian moms. Having two parents who love and take care of me is a wonderful feeling—I know I will never be
alone. Yet throughout my life I have experienced teasing from my peers and bigotry from my elected officials who do not recognize what is unique and
wonderful about my family.
I am bringing an art show called That’s So Gay: Portraits of Youth with LGBTQ Parents to the (location of show) for the month of (your
dates). This photo-text exhibit will raise awareness about what it is really like to have a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer parent. The
youth in the exhibit talk about their experiences that range from positive to challenging, from humorous to heartbreaking. By checking out this exhibit,
you will catch a unique perspective on LGBTQ families in the United States from diverse youth who belong to those families, wonderful families,
families like mine.
Sincerely, (Your Name) (Your City)

Sample Media Release
Be sure the FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA RELEASE

contact person is Contact: Bethany Lockhart
ready to talk to the 415-861-5437 ext.103
press and is easy Bethany@colage.org
to reach. Offer as www.colage.org PHOTOS
much contact info AVAILABLE UPON
as possible. REQUEST
THAT’S SO GAY: ART BY YOUTH WITH LGBTQ

PARENTS
Exhibit Opening and Celebration
Make sure the first
10 words are Organized by the COLAGE Youth Leadership and Action
effective. Start Program
with the news,
then distinguish
who is announcing SAN FRANCISCO, March 23, 2004 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: To experience the first
it, not the other ever art exhibit and poster campaign created entirely by youth with lesbian, gay, bisexual,
way around. transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ) parents and families, the community is invited to the
Cellspace Gallery at 2050 Bryant Street in San Francisco on Monday, June 23rd from 6:30-
8:30 PM. The members of the COLAGE Youth Leadership and Action Program proudly
debut That’s So Gay: Art by Youth with LGBTQ Parents, the opening reception for their new
art exhibit of the same name.
“That’s So Gay: Art by Youth with LGBTQ Parents provides a powerful, beautiful, and unique
look into the lives of young people with LGBTQ parents and families—their challenges,
Include your hopes, triumphs and daily lives. You won’t want to miss this very special exhibit opening and
highest priority celebration,” says Beth Teper, COLAGE Executive Director. COLAGE has a growing and
message in this thriving program that serves, and is served by, thousands of people with gay, lesbian,
paragraph. Use a bisexual, transgender, and/or queer parents. The YLAP project, which piloted in the 2002-
quote from 2003 school year, brings together youth ages 14 and up with LGBTQ parents to gain
someone in your leadership skills and to engage in activism projects that raise awareness in their community.
group. This year the youth gave public presentations to thousands of peers and adults in Bay Area
schools, community groups, and policy makers’ offices, in addition to creating the
educational posters and this exhibit about gay families.
The That’s So Gay exhibit opening and celebration debuts the educational posters and features
Describe what art, photos, music, food, and poetry. Attendees have the chance to view the exhibit, to meet the
people can expect youth artists, to enjoy entertainment and food, and to support the Youth Leadership and Action
to see and Program and COLAGE. Attendees will also be treated to a silent auction featuring a wide
experience at the variety of tantalizing prizes. All proceeds will help the youth to take the exhibit to schools and
event. centers across the Bay Area and to continue to participate in the COLAGE leadership and
activism program next year.
Sample Media Release
Additionally, the That’s So Gay event is an opportunity to meet one of the Grand Marshals of
the 2003 San Francisco LGBTQ Pride Parade, Marina Gatto, who is one of the artists and
This is a good an active participant in the COLAGE Youth Leadership and Action Program. Marina shares,
spot for another “The That’s So Gay exhibit is a wonderful opportunity for youth of LGBTQ families in our
quote to show the community, like myself, to show our pride, and our expression of the special bond, the
impact of your unconditional love and strength, and the uniqueness that makes up our families. I am
event and the excited to display my project that celebrates the love, strength, and commitment of my
exhibit. family. This is a chance for me to honor my two moms who have raised me to be strong,
unafraid, and to make a difference.”
Estimates suggest that there are millions of children under the age of 18 in the US today
living with one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer parent. Growing up
in a family that is perceived as “different” or “wrong” can pose many challenges for children
Share the mission and young people. COLAGE provides tools and peer support to help our members
of your group and negotiate these challenges, as well as to take pride in themselves and their families.
some compelling COLAGE engages in support and advocacy, reaching millions of families through the
information about Internet, publications, national conferences, regional events, and the work of numerous local
the issue. chapters across the U.S.
For more information about That’s So Gay: Art by Youth with LGBTQ Parents, this event, or
COLAGE, please call Bethany Lockhart at (415) 861-5437 x.103 or email her at
Bethany@colage.org.
20
That’s So Gay Resource Guide
Feedback Form
1. What is your age? _________________
2. Where did you see this exhibit? _______________
3. What do you like the best about That’s So Gay?
4. What would you change or strengthen about That’s So Gay?
5. What impact do you think this art show can have?
6. If you would like information about hosting That’s So Gay in your school, community
center, etc., please give us the following information:
NAME: AGE:
ADDRESS: CITY/STATE/ZIP:
EMAIL: PHONE:
Feedback Form
7. What is your age? _________________
8. Where did you see this exhibit? _______________
9. What do you like the best about That’s So Gay?
10. What would you change or strengthen about That’s So Gay?
11. What impact do you think this art show can have?
12. If you would like information about hosting That’s So Gay in your school, community
center, etc., please give us the following information:
NAME: AGE:
ADDRESS: CITY/STATE/ZIP:
EMAIL: PHONE:
Evaluation
We really want to hear about your experience with That’s So Gay! Your feedback and ideas help us
improve this project and develop future ones. Please take the time to answer the following questions. You
can return the evaluation to us through the mail (1550 Bryant Street, Suite 830, San Francisco, CA
94103), by fax (415-255-8345), or by email (thatssogay@colage.org). THANKS!
How did you use That’s So Gay? Please describe where you displayed it and any events or
activities you did in conjunction with the exhibit.
Did you get any media coverage in connection with your use of the exhibit? If so, please send us a
copy.
How many people do you estimate viewed the exhibit? How many people do you estimate viewed
the exhibit and then engaged in an activity or discussion?
What impact did That’s So Gay have in your community?
Did That’s So Gay help you achieve the goals you have as an organization? If so, how? If not, why
not?
Did using That’s So Gay help your group work together? How?
Were the resource materials useful? What part was most helpful, and what can be improved?
What else would have been helpful?
Were you able to access help from COLAGE if you needed it? How was your experience with our
staff?
What do you like best about That’s So Gay? Which portrait struck a chord with you? How?
What would you change about That’s So Gay?
How else can COLAGE support your local work?

Resources
Both My Moms’ Names Are Judy. A short film of
kids talking about their LGBTQ families and their
experiences in school. All ages. 1994, 10 min., $25.
Family Pride Coalition, San Diego.
Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell It

Like It Is. Abigail Garner. An estimated ten million
children have parents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and/or queer. Abigail Garner, whose
father came out as gay when she was five, has written
a deeply personal and much-needed book about gay parenting from the seldom-heard perspective of
grown children raised in these families. Using a rich blend of journalism and memoir, Families Like Mine
provides honest and invaluable insight for LGBTQ parents, their families and their allies.
www.familieslikemine.com
Focus on MY Family: A Queerspawn Anthology. This collection of writing, poetry, art and essays by
youth with one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer parent(s) is a great tool for
sparking dialogue and discussion in schools, youth groups, parent groups and more.
http://www.colage.org/programs/youth/ylap.htm
In My Shoes: Stories of Youth with LGBTQ Parents. Documentary film. In a time when LGBTQ
families are debated and attacked in the media, courts and Congress, from school houses to state houses
across the country, five young people give you a chance to walk in their shoes—to hear their own views
on marriage, making change, and what it means to be a family. www.colage.org/inmyshoes
It’s Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues In School. A highly acclaimed film shot in first through
eighth grade classrooms across the United States. The film is a window into what really happens when
educators address gay issues with their students in age-appropriate ways. 1996, GroundSpark.
http://www.groundspark.org/films/elementary/index.html
Liberation Ink is a youth-created anti-homophobia/transphobia poster series by Gay-Straight Alliance

Network, a youth-led organization that connects school-based Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) to each
other and community resources. Their website is full of resources that will be useful to teachers, school
staff, and student activists. (415) 552-4229 www.gsanetwork.org.
Love Makes a Family. An award-winning touring photo-text exhibit and book of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender people and their families. Created by Gigi Kaeser and Peggy Gillespie. (413) 256-0502.
www.lovemakesafamily.org
Opening More Doors: Creating Policy Change to Include Our Families is a primer for parents on
effecting policy change to create safe and inclusive schools for their children. Developed by the Family
Equality Council, a national organization that aims to advance the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, and/or queer parents and their families through mutual support, community collaboration,
and public understanding. Based in Boston, MA, FEC provides programming for LGBTQ families across
the country. (617) 502-8700, www.familyequality.org.
Our House: A Very Real Documentary about Kids of Gay and Lesbian Parents. Meema Spadola. A
documentary featuring the stories of youth in 5 lesbian and gay families across the country. The diverse
experiences of the youth in the film paint a touching and insightful portrait of the lives of youth with lesbian
and gay parents. 2000. www.itvs.org/ourhouse
Resources
Out of the Ordinary: Essays on Growing Up with Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender
Parents. Edited by Noelle Howey and Emily Samuels. A collection of essays and stories written by
people with LGBTQ parents about their experiences—both difficult and triumphant, serious and
humorous. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000.
Respect All Families Poster Series. Created by youth with LGBTQ parents, this series of two posters is
a perfect tool for spreading a message of acceptance and tolerance in any setting.
http://www.colage.org/ylap/posters.html
That’s a Family! The first film in the Respect for All series is a highly entertaining half-hour documentary
that breaks new ground in helping kids see and understand many of the different shapes that families
take today. Designed especially for children in elementary school, That’s a Family! will stretch your mind
and touch your heart, no matter what your age. 2000, GroundSpark.
http://www.groundspark.org/films/thatfamily/index.html
Tips for Making Classrooms Safer for Youth with LGBTQ Parents. A resource booklet created by the
youth members of the COLAGE Youth Leadership and Action Program for teachers, school staff, and
other allies. Available online at http://www.colage.org/resources/.
About COLAGE
COLAGE Mission
COLAGE is the only national youth-driven network of people with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or
queer parents. Living in a world that treats our families differently can be isolating or challenging. By
connecting us with peers who share our experiences, COLAGE helps us become strong advocates for
ourselves and our families.
COLAGE Vision Statement

We envision a world in which those of us with one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
and/or queer parents or families are connected to a broad community of peers and mentors, are
recognized as the authority of our experiences, belong to respected and valued family structures,
and have the tools and support to create and maintain a just society.
We envision a world in which all families are valued, protected, reflected, and embraced by society and all
of its institutions; in which all children grow up loved and nurtured by kinship networks and communities
that teach them about, connect them to, and honor their unique heritage; and in which every human being
has the freedom to express sexual orientation, gender identity, and self.
We envision being part of large movements to transform school systems, social services, mental and
physical health systems, media, legislatures, legal systems, and all religious institutions to heal from and
end all forms of oppression, discrimination, bigotry and hatred.
Thank You!
That’s So Gay, as well as the Respect All Families posters and the Youth Leadership and Action Program
would not be possible without the generous support of:
David Bohnett Foundation, Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, Gill Foundation, Horizons Foundation,
Kick Assets Fund of the Tides Foundation, R. Gwin Follis Foundation, Rainbow Endowment,
San Francisco Department of Children Youth and Families, San Francisco First Five Commission,
San Francisco Foundation, and all of COLAGE’s members and supporters
This is one of two posters

in the Respect All Families
poster series, also designed
by COLAGE youth in 2003.
For more information about
these posters and how to
share them with your
community:
www.colage.org/ylap,
respectallfamilies@
colage.org,
(415) 861-5437.

That&#39;s So Gay: Resource Guide

Transféré par

Informations du document

Description originale:

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

That&#39;s So Gay: Resource Guide

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

That’s So Gay: Portraits Of Youth With LGBTQ

Parents (RESOURCE GUIDE)

That’s So Gay: Portraits of Youth with LGBTQ Parents

Core artists of That’s So Gay pose with their

How To Use That’s So Gay In Your Community

“Where should we put the exhibit?”

“How can we make sure That’s So Gay really has an impact in

How To Print And Display That’s So Gay

• A Read Me file that contains the same information as this page.

If you use the help of staff at a copy shop:

If you’re doing the printing yourself:

1. To open the exhibit documents, you

“How do we put it up once the exhibit is printed?”

How To Add To That’s So Gay And Make Your Own

Make Sure Lots Of People See The Exhibit.

Fliers, like the one below, are

That’s So Gay: Sample quarter- and full-page

Before viewing the exhibit:

After viewing the exhibit:

Donor Insemination (sometimes referred to as alternative insemination): Conception using a sperm

Gender Identity: A person’s sense of being male, female, or somewhere in between.

Lesbian: A woman who is attracted to other women.

Straight: Someone who is attracted to people of the opposite sex.

Facts About Youth With LGBTQ Parents

• There is absolutely no evidence that children are psychologically or physically harmed by

I have to be very quiet about my family even though we

Get Your Message Out. Use The Media!

How can we get media attention?

Sincerely, (Your Name) (Your City)

Sample Media Release

Be sure the FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA RELEASE

THAT’S SO GAY: ART BY YOUTH WITH LGBTQ

2. Where did you see this exhibit? _______________

3. What do you like the best about That’s So Gay?

4. What would you change or strengthen about That’s So Gay?

5. What impact do you think this art show can have?

8. Where did you see this exhibit? _______________

9. What do you like the best about That’s So Gay?

10. What would you change or strengthen about That’s So Gay?

What impact did That’s So Gay have in your community?

What would you change about That’s So Gay?

How else can COLAGE support your local work?

Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell It

Liberation Ink is a youth-created anti-homophobia/transphobia poster series by Gay-Straight Alliance

COLAGE Vision Statement

This is one of two posters

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi

That's So Gay: Resource Guide

That's So Gay: Resource Guide