This contributed text is for undergraduate or graduate courses in gay, lesbian and bisexual studies and courses on diversity issues taught in a variety of departments. The authors are experts from psychology, sociology, anthropology, education, women's studies, and law. Features: * Developmental focus provides students with a sense of continuity in understanding the life span challenges of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. * Range of topics include perinatal factors in gender identity, issues in sexual childhood identity, perspectives on coming out, ethnic minorities, dating, relationships, families, and law. * Examples from popular culture, interviews, and life histories help students relate to and understand these issues more fully. * Lists of resources, organizations and services, as well as policy recommendations, form a valuable reference guide within the textbook.

Lives of Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals: Children to Adults

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Savin-Williams, Ritch C.

Psychology & Counseling

Brooks/Cole

Gay, straight, bisexual: how much does sexual orientation matter to a teenager's mental health or sense of identity? In this down-to-earth book, filled with the voices of young people speaking for themselves, Ritch Savin-Williams argues that the standard image of gay youth presented by mental health researchers--as depressed, isolated, drug-dependent, even suicidal--may have been exaggerated even twenty years ago, and is far from accurate today. 
 The New Gay Teenager gives us a refreshing and frequently controversial introduction to confident, competent, upbeat teenagers with same-sex desires, who worry more about the chemistry test or their curfew than they do about their sexuality. What does "gay" mean, when some adolescents who have had sexual encounters with those of their own sex don't consider themselves gay, when some who consider themselves gay have had sex with the opposite sex, and when many have never had sex at all? What counts as "having sex," anyway? Teenagers (unlike social science researchers) are not especially interested in neatly categorizing their sexual orientation. 
 In fact, Savin-Williams learns, teenagers may think a lot about sex, but they don't think that sexuality is the most important thing about them. And adults, he advises, shouldn't think so either.

The New Gay Teenager (Adolescent Lives)

Mental Health

Harvard University Press

Gay, straight, bisexual: how much does sexual orientation matter to a teenager's mental health or sense of identity? In this down-to-earth book, filled with the voices of young people speaking for themselves, Ritch Savin-Williams argues that the standard image of gay youth presented by mental health researchers--as depressed, isolated, drug-dependent, even suicidal--may have been exaggerated even twenty years ago, and is far from accurate today. 
The New Gay Teenager gives us a refreshing and frequently controversial introduction to confident, competent, upbeat teenagers with same-sex desires, who worry more about the chemistry test or their curfew than they do about their sexuality. What does "gay" mean, when some adolescents who have had sexual encounters with those of their own sex don't consider themselves gay, when some who consider themselves gay have had sex with the opposite sex, and when many have never had sex at all? What counts as "having sex," anyway? Teenagers (unlike social science researchers) are not especially interested in neatly categorizing their sexual orientation. 
In fact, Savin-Williams learns, teenagers may think a lot about sex, but they don't think that sexuality is the most important thing about them. And adults, he advises, shouldn't think so either.

Proud, happy, grateful―gay youth describe their lives in terms that would have seemed surprising only a generation ago. Yet many adults, including parents, seem skeptical about this sea change in perceptions and attitudes. Even in an age of growing tolerance, coming out as gay is supposed to involve a crisis or struggle. This is the kind of thinking, say the young men at the heart of this book, that needs to change.
Becoming Who I Am is an astute exploration of identity and sexuality as told by today’s generation of gay young men. Through a series of in-depth interviews with teenagers and men in their early 20s, Ritch Savin-Williams reflects on how the life stories recorded here fulfill the promise of an affirmative, thriving gay identity outlined in his earlier book, The New Gay Teenager. He offers a contemporary perspective on gay lives viewed across key milestones: from dawning awareness of same-sex attraction to first sexual encounters; from the uncertainty and exhilaration of coming out to family and friends to the forming of adult romantic relationships; from insights into what it means to be gay today to musings on what the future may hold. The voices hail from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, but as gay men they share basic experiences in common, conveyed here with honesty, humor, and joy.

Becoming Who I Am: Young Men on Being Gay

Most of us assume that sexuality is fixed: either you’re straight, gay, or bisexual. Yet an increasing number of young men today say that those categories are too rigid. They are, they insist, “mostly straight.” They’re straight, but they feel a slight but enduring romantic or sexual desire for men. To the uninitiated, this may not make sense. How can a man be “mostly” straight? Ritch Savin-Williams introduces us to this new world by bringing us the stories of young men who consider themselves to be mostly straight or sexually fluid. By hearing about their lives, we discover a radically new way of understanding sexual and romantic development that upends what we thought we knew about men.
Today there are more mostly straight young men than there are gay and bisexual young men combined. Based on cutting-edge research, Savin-Williams explores the personal stories of forty young men to help us understand the biological and psychological factors that led them to become mostly straight and the cultural forces that are loosening the sexual bind that many boys and young men experience. These young men tell us how their lives have been influenced by their “drop of gayness,” from their earliest sexual memories and crushes to their sexual behavior as teenagers and their relationships as young adults. Mostly Straight shows us how these young men are forging a new personal identity that confounds both traditional ideas and conventional scientific opinion.

Mostly Straight: Sexual Fluidity among Men

Self-Help

Review\n"Plenty of people still doubt that bisexuality really exists, and others assume that bisexuals are closeted gays, curious heterosexuals, or maladjusted people who can’t decide what they want. No one can hold on to these outmoded stereotypes after reading Ritch C. Savin-Williams’ powerful book. By letting the voices of so many diverse individuals speak their own truths, in all of their individuality and complexity, he provides one of the clearest and most compelling portraits available of the phenomenon of plural attractions. Savin-Williams brings us right inside their experiences, and allows us to share his empathy, his curiosity, his admiration for their strength and courage, and his celebration of their dazzling diversity." -- Lisa M. Diamond, author of Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women's Love and Desire\n"Bi is the book that we have all been waiting for. It reveals the inside story of the thoughts and feelings of Generation Z with respect to their identities, sexualities, genders, and relationships. Ritch Savin-Williams explains in the lucid and passionate language of adolescents and young adults why they want to disrupt the binaries of their parents' generation and create their own ways of understanding themselves and each other. I learned a tremendous amount about adolescence and about humans, especially how they and we are driven by our desires to be seen, heard, taken seriously, and loved. Bi will change how you think and feel. Read it!" -- Niobe Way, author of Deep Secrets: Boys' Friendships and the Crisis of Connection\n"Ritch C. Savin-Williams shows all of the ways bisexuality has been misunderstood. Through the stories and voices of people who themselves experience their sexuality in this way, he shows that bisexuality is real, measurable, and valuable to understand." -- Mary Robertson, author of Growing Up Queer: Kids and the Remaking of LGBTQ Identity\n"Savin-Williams offers a necessary, nuanced, and accessible book that foregrounds contemporary uses and understandings of sex, gender, and sexuality … an essential book for activists, practitioners, and scholars of youth and sexuality." ― Choice\nWhat bisexual youth can tell us about today’s gender and sexual identities\nDespite the increasing visibility of LGBTQ people in American culture, our understanding of bisexuality remains superficial, at best. Yet, five times as many people identify as bisexual than as gay or lesbian, and as much as 25 percent of the population is estimated to be bisexual. In Bi, noted scholar of youth sexuality, Ritch Savin-Williams, brings bisexuality to centerstage at a moment when Gen Z and millennial youth and young adults are increasingly rejecting traditional labels altogether. Drawing on interviews with bisexual youth from a range of racial, ethnic, and social class groups, he reveals to us how bisexuals define their own sexual orientation and experiences―in their own words. Savin-Williams shows how and why people might identify as bisexual as a result of their biology or upbringing; as a bridge or transition to something else; as a consequence of their curiosity; or for a range of other equally valid reasons.\nWith an understanding that sexuality and romantic attachments are often influx, Savin-Williams offers us a way to think about bisexuality as part of a continuum. He shows that many of the young people who identify as bisexual often defy traditional views, dispute false notions, and reimagine sexuality with regard to both practice and identity. Broadly speaking, he shows that many young people experience a complex, nuanced existence with multiple sexual and romantic attractions as well as gender expressions, which are seldom static but fluctuate over their lives.\nSavin-Williams provides an important new understanding of bisexuality as an orientation, behavior, and identity. Bi shows us that bisexuality is seen and embraced as a valid sexual identity more than ever before, giving us timely and m

Bi: Bisexual, Pansexual, Fluid, and Nonbinary Youth

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

NYU Press

What bisexual youth can tell us about today’s gender and sexual identities\nDespite the increasing visibility of LGBTQ people in American culture, our understanding of bisexuality remains superficial, at best. Yet, five times as many people identify as bisexual than as gay or lesbian, and as much as 25 percent of the population is estimated to be bisexual. In Bi, noted scholar of youth sexuality, Ritch Savin-Williams, brings bisexuality to centerstage at a moment when Gen Z and millennial youth and young adults are increasingly rejecting traditional labels altogether. Drawing on interviews with bisexual youth from a range of racial, ethnic, and social class groups, he reveals to us how bisexuals define their own sexual orientation and experiences―in their own words. Savin-Williams shows how and why people might identify as bisexual as a result of their biology or upbringing; as a bridge or transition to something else; as a consequence of their curiosity; or for a range of other equally valid reasons.\nWith an understanding that sexuality and romantic attachments are often influx, Savin-Williams offers us a way to think about bisexuality as part of a continuum. He shows that many of the young people who identify as bisexual often defy traditional views, dispute false notions, and reimagine sexuality with regard to both practice and identity. Broadly speaking, he shows that many young people experience a complex, nuanced existence with multiple sexual and romantic attractions as well as gender expressions, which are seldom static but fluctuate over their lives.\nSavin-Williams provides an important new understanding of bisexuality as an orientation, behavior, and identity. Bi shows us that bisexuality is seen and embraced as a valid sexual identity more than ever before, giving us timely and much-needed insight into the complex, fascinating experiences of bisexual youth themselves.

Drawing from over 150 original interviews with teens, psychologist Rit ch Savin-Williams separates fact from fiction in this survey of coming out experiences. Drawing from existing developmental research, he ill ustrates the wide range of family reactions and discusses the factors that determine how parents come to terms with the disclosure over time . He reveals that the coming out experience is greatly influenced by g ender, and chapters highlight common mother-daughter, mother-son, fath er-daughter, and father-son dynamics.

Mom, Dad I'm Gay: How Families Negotiate Coming Out

Amer Psychological Assn

Homoseksualnosc w rodzinie

GWP Gdanskie Wydawnictwo Psychologiczne - Naukowe

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Savin-Williams, Ritch C.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Savin-Williams, Ritch C.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Savin-Williams, Ritch C.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Lives of Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals: Children to Adults

The New Gay Teenager (Adolescent Lives)

The New Gay Teenager (Adolescent Lives)

Becoming Who I Am: Young Men on Being Gay

Mostly Straight: Sexual Fluidity among Men

Bi: Bisexual, Pansexual, Fluid, and Nonbinary Youth

Bi

Mom, Dad I'm Gay: How Families Negotiate Coming Out

Homoseksualnosc w rodzinie