What concerns me is not the way things are, but rather the way people think things are.
Epictetus
Is there any such thing as "the gay community"? Perhaps a more accurate assessment would be "the gay communities," an interwoven mesh of diverse groups and individuals, united by their common belief that gay and lesbian people must be free to live, love, and work without oppression.
Some groups go about their work toward this goal this through militant activism, others through public education and advocacy. Still other groups just try to raise the morale of the troops by providing some entertainment, good old-fashioned fun. In this section you'll find a broad sampling of Web sites that represent many facets of the "gay communities," at work, at home, and at play.
NOTE: If the college or university you are looking for does not appear in this listing, see the Queer InfoServers listing in this section for a search site containing many more schools.
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/org/out/
Local and regional information for gay and lesbian students at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh). A surprisingly content-rich site including info about bars, local businesses, travel, films, and more.
Harvard Gay & Lesbian Caucus members include over 1,700 gay, lesbian, and bisexual Harvard and Radcliffe alumni/ae, faculty, and staff. This site, run primarily for Caucus members, details the organization's goals and activities.
http://www.princeton.edu/~lgba/index.shtml
A colorful and attractive site with information for gay/lesbian students and alumni, an online edition of a gay newspaper, a list of campus meetings, and a lot more.
http://128.118.50.35:80/psupride/
This page provides information specific to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community at Penn State. There is a calendar of events, a resource list, and links to other sites. See also the Penn State Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Student Alliance page at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/pride/lgbsa/.
http://expert.cc.purdue.edu/~triangle/
Meeting schedules and upcoming campus events for Purdue University's gay, lesbian, and bisexual support organizations.
http://www.infoqueer.org/queer/qis/college.html
There are many more college gay organizations than appear in these Yellow Pages. For a fairly comprehensive list of them, check out this site.
http://www.utexas.edu/students/lbgsa/
Information about campus gay organizations, meeting times/places, and Austin, Texas area gay-friendly businesses and clubs.
http://www.infoqueer.org/queer/orgs/uclgba/uclgba.html
UCLGBA is composed of representatives and organizations from each of the University of California's nine campuses. UCLGBA works on issues that affect l/g/b people throughout the UC system, such as domestic partnership benefits and system-wide recognition of l/g/b concerns. This site contains meeting information and minutes, information about each campus's organizations, and a WAIS information server of l/g/b information.
Community United Against Violence (CUAV) is a nonprofit agency which addresses and prevents hate violence directed at lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender persons. CUAV also provides services to gay men who are battered by their partners. CUAV offers crisis intervention, short term counseling, advocacy with the criminal justice system, support groups, and a 24 hour CrisisLine.
A non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to meeting the needs of the gay and lesbian community by offering free and totally anonymous information, referrals and peer-counseling. They offer a toll-free phone number that anyone can call for gay/lesbian support and information (1-888-THE-GLNH), and you can also submit e-mail from their Web site and get a confidential reply.
Youth Assistance Organization is a service run by volunteers, created to help self-identifying gay, lesbian, bisexual and questioning youth. YAO exists to provide young people with a safe space online to be themselves. Their pages contain links to useful sites and a FAQ devoted to questions like "I think I may be gay; what do I do?"
http://www.udel.edu/nero/lists/blacklist.html
A resource site for the writings of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people of African descent. It contains an excellent bibliography of writings, in many cases with Web links.
http://qrd.tcp.com/qrd/www/culture/black/blackstripe.html
Articles, booklists, and discussion for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people of African descent.
GLBPOC is a LISTSERV that discusses issues of interest to gay/lesbian/bisexual people of African descent. To subscribe to GLBPOC, send mail to: majordomo@abacus.oxy.edu. In the mail message, enter ONLY the words: subscribe glbpoc.
http://abacus.oxy.edu/qrd/www/orgs/nbgllf/
The current issue of this organization's newsletter is available online, as well as a few back issues. There is also information about their national conference.
Sistanet is a LISTSERV for African-American lesbians, bi and transgendered women. To subscribe, send e-mail to majordomo@igc.org with the subject bio and the first line of the message body: subscribe sistanet <your e-mail address>. Then add a brief bio, which will be posted on the list.
http://cyber-designs.com/pride/main.html
This site is a directory of some of the best gay and lesbian oriented Web sites you'll find. They give out the Rainbow Award to the best sites, so you may have seen their globe-in-a-triangle logo on other sites you've visited. A great page to bookmark, it provides up-to-the-minute links to the newest and coolest queer sites around.
http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/orgs/brc/brl-toc.html
A great list of links to other sites of interest to bisexuals.
http://www.cyberzine.org/html/GLAIDS/glaidshomepage.html
An attractive frame-based site, nicely organized with an alphabetical list. Offers all the standard g/l/b including classifieds, resource lists, and a very fun "Showcase" feature—just click the button to be whisked off to some randomly selected g/l/b site.
http://www.ncf.carleton.ca:12345/freeport/sigs/life/gay/symbols/menu
From the Lambda to the Rainbow Flag and pink triangle, everything you wanted to know about gay/lesbian culture symbolism. No fancy graphics, but a wealth of information.
http://www.io.com/~eighner/linkgay.html
A Texas-based personal page with a variety of links broken down into well-organized categories, including gay college and university sites and links to the gay leather community.
Definitely one of the cooler queer sites, especially for the 20-something set. The home page features exploits the latest graphics of people that actually jump and dance around if your browser supports that sort of thing. The content is cool too; you can shop, read the latest news, check out other gay/lesbian links—the works.
Widely thought to be the biggest and best gay and lesbian information source on the Internet. The Queer Resources Directory breaks down all kinds of resource information into easy-to-understand categories; you can surf the categories, or jump directly to the Resource Tree (http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/tree.html) for a more graphical, easy-to-browse look at the site.
All the standard fare you would expect from a site (news, politics, opinions, etc.) plus a few interesting extras, such as downloadable queer-themed sound files and icons and live chatrooms.
http://www.glweb.com/RainbowQuery/
The largest and most comprehensive gay-only index of the Web. Search in one of 12 categories or using keywords. Very easy to use!
A newsgroup devoted to discussions about promoting and practicing safe sex.
gopher://cdcnac.aspensys.com:72/11/1
A national reference, referral, and distribution site for HIV and AIDS information. Includes a complete publications list from which you can request documents.
http://asa.ugl.lib.umich.edu/chdocs/support/emotion.html
Although this site has a general focus on all illnesses, not just HIV/AIDS, it provides a wealth of information for patients and caregivers facing chronic illness and death.
Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), founded by volunteers in 1981, is the nation's oldest and largest not-for-profit AIDS organization. GMHC offers hands-on support services to more than 9,500 men, women and children with AIDS and their families in New York City annually, as well as education and advocacy for hundreds of thousands nationwide.
Safe sex information for everyone (gay/lesbian/bi/het), with an excellent selection of text articles on subjects ranging from condoms to counselor information. This site is one of the original plaintiffs in ACLU v. Reno, the challenge to the Communications Decency Act.
Like the original AIDS Quilt, but in cyber form. You can read panels posted by friends and relatives of AIDS victims, or design and post your own tribute to a lost friend or loved one.
http://www.athens.net/~familyq/
An information source for gay and lesbian parents and wanna-be-parents, this site provides links and info on such topics as legal information, books and articles, artificial insemination, adoption, and more. A great place to gather information.
http://www.inet.net/adopt/supgrp1.html
A text page containing contact information for a variety of organizations that support gay and lesbian families and partnerships.
http://www.bartel.com/~samc/marriage.html
A good-looking Oregon-based site with an amazingly thorough and well-updated list of links and reference materials. Highly recommended.
http://www.albany.net/~gelco/welcome.htm
An attractive site with a lot of information about starting and maintaining a gay family. Includes information about marriage and partnership, health issues, fighting the radical right, and domestic violence.
http://www.lesbian.org/lesbian-moms/index.html
Lesbian Mothers Support Society (LMSS) is a Canadian non-profit group that provides peer support for lesbian parents (biological and nonbiological) and their children, as well as those lesbians considering parenthood. Great links to reference articles of interest to lesbian parents.
PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian and bisexual persons, their families and friends through support, education, and advocacy. They provide counseling to help straight family and friends accept and support their gay and lesbian loved ones, and organize grassroots efforts to end discriminatory practices toward gays and lesbians.
Information and resources for gay and lesbian couples seeking ways to ensure their rights as a family. Includes discussion of marriage laws, surveys, legal information, and political news.
http://www.visi.com/~oprairie/bechdel/bechdel.html
This Open Prairie Syndicate page contains some sample cartoons from this very funny syndicated lesbian comic strip.
http://www.efn.org/~mastrait/famousqueers.html
A fascinating and impressive list of famous people who were definitely or rumored to be gay or lesbian, along with links in many cases to more information about their lives.
The Federation of Gay Games sponsors an international Olympics-style athletic competition for the gay and lesbian community. Learn more about the organization here, and about the games coming up in 1998 in Amsterdam.
This umbrella organization unites and supports gay and lesbian choral groups all over the United States. They hold a yearly choral festival, which you can read about, as well as their other activities, on this page.
http://agora.rdrop.com/~joe/lgba.html
Lesbian and Gay Bands Of America (L.G.B.A.) is the national musical organization comprised of concert and marching bands from cities across America. Find out here about the 22 member bands and their parade and concert appearances.
Sponsored jointly by several gay/lesbian Star Trek themed groups, this page keeps fans up-to-date on gay and lesbian characters planned for the Star Trek TV shows and movies and offers downloadable clips from gay moments in eposides.
The Gaylaxians Science Fiction Society is a non-profit organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual people and their friends interested in science fiction, fantasy, and horror. The Gaylaxians is the Boston, Massachusetts affiliate of The Gaylactic Network, There are chapters in various cities throughout North America. You can get a master list of all the regional clubs at this site, as well as a list of upcoming science fiction conventions.
We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.
Jimmy Carter
The home page for an outrageous lesbian cartoon strip that plays out the notion: 'what if a radical lesbian feminist suddenly went crazy and said and did everything she wanted to?' A must-read for any lesbian fed-up with the patriarchy.
http://www.glyphic.com/iagsdc/
The IAGSDC is the International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs, a lesbian and gay organization that is the umbrella organization for gay square dance clubs in the United States, Canada, and Australia, formed by and for lesbians and gay men in their community and for their friends.
There is actually a gay rodeo association, and they hold their own rodeos all over the country, including not only gay meccas like Los Angeles and Washington D.C. but smaller cities like Billings, Montana and Omaha, Nebraska. Get their full touring schedule here, and find out how to become a member.
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/%7Ewyatt/tv-characters.html
This amazingly comprehensive list catalogs gay, lesbian, and bisexual television characters on 23 networks worldwide, from 1961 to the present.
http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~brett/qveg.html\
Articles and links devoted to vegetarian issues, provided for a gay, lesbian, and bisexual readership. Includes lists of famous queer vegetarians, events, and media clippings.
http://www.qworld.org/DykesWorld/sweetmusic.html
A lot of links and interesting information about self-identified lesbian or bisexual musicians and performers.
We fight here and love and plot and weave and risk and hurt and get it wrong and laugh. Here, among Lesbians. We need not abide by all that develops. But it is to this space we can refer.
Sarah Lucia Hoagland
WIA is the organization that produces the National Women's Music Festival, the oldest and largest all-indoor festival of women's music and culture (primarily lesbian), each June. Find out what they have in store for this year's festival, and learn more about this non-profit organization.
A newsgroup devoted to discussions of the current political issues affecting gay and lesbian people.
http://www.aclu.org/issues/gay/hmgl.html
A whole branch of the ACLU is devoted to gay and lesbian rights, and their section of the ACLU web site provides updates on recent court rulings and bills coming up in Congress. You'll also find information about joining the ACLU here.
The popular idea that a child forgets easily is not an accurate one. Many people go right through life in the grip of an idea which has been impressed on them in very tender years.
Agatha Christie
The Digital Queers (DQ) are gay and lesbian computer professionals and hobbyists who raise money for hardware and software for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community organizations. DQ is also a forum for a social and professional networking for gays and lesbians in the computer industry.
GLAAD bills itself as "Your online resource for promoting fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity." If you or a gay or lesbian person you know has been the victim of discrimination or abuse, this is the group to contact to find out what you can do.
http://www.nyu.edu/pages/sls/gaywork/
Find out which corporations have gay-friendly policies, and learn how to fight on-the-job discrimination, at this informative site.
The Human Rights Campaign is the U.S.A's largest lesbian and gay political organization. They work to end discrimination, secure equal rights, and protect the health and safety of all Americans. This good-looking site contains a lot of political news for anyone interested in gay and lesbian issues.
NGLTF is a leading progressive civil rights organization that, since its inception in 1973, has been at the forefront of every major initiative for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. They're at work at national, state and local levels, combating anti-gay violence, battling Radical Right anti-gay legislative and ballot measures, advocating an end to job discrimination, working to repeal sodomy lows, demanding an effective governmental response to HIV and reform of the health care system and much more.
http://www.advocate.com:80/htmls/main.html
One of the oldest and most respected gay magazines. You can browse article summaries for the current issue here (but you have to buy the print edition for the full text), and participate in the Advocate's latest poll.
http://www.hooked.net:80/users/jonesey/atm.html
A publication for bisexuals, including comics, fiction, poetry, articles, and more.
The online edition of the very popular Girlfriends print magazine, featuring articles, horoscopes, and a monthly advice column by the ever-controversial Pat Califia.
http://www.pimps.com./ourworld/
This site serves two purposes: to advertise the print version of this magazine, and to provide travel guide information for gays and lesbians for several major cities.
A very flashy and hip gay/lesbian magazine. This online edition features the full text of articles from the current issue, as well as photos, news, shopping, and more. You can also browse back issues.
This magazine is for HIV-positive people, and seems targeted primarily toward gay men. It's a very slick, graphical site that contains the full contents of the current newsstand issue, including most graphics.
http://www.lesbian.org/sapphic-ink/
Fiction, poetry, and book reviews by, for, and about lesbians. Published quarterly.
A totally online lesbian publication, Visibilities offers all the standard magazine fare: articles, columns, cartoons, book reviews, etc. It replaces the print version of the magazine, which was published from 1987 to 1991.
http://ng.netgate.net/~jfirth/affirmation/
With chapters around the world, Affirmation serves the needs of gays, lesbians, bisexual LDS and their supportive family and friends through social and educational activities. This site includes news, events, and support resources.
http://qrd.tcp.com/qrd/www/orgs/axios/
A page with many links to information about AXIOS and the Orthodox church in general, including information about same-sex unions in history.
Dignity is an international organization for gay, lesbian, and bisexual Roman Catholics. There are chapters in most major cities. Join their LISTSERV by sending e-mail to listserv@american.edu with one line in the body of the e-mail reading: subscribe dignity Full Name.
http://www.dircon.co.uk/aglo/evangeli.htm
This branch of the Anglican Church is committed to inclusivity, including gay and lesbian believers. Their page includes information about the church's beliefs and links to other supportive groups.
http://www.epp.cmu.edu/~riley/PLGC.html
This group, founded more than 20 years ago, has branches in most major American cities. It is also a strong supporter of the "More Light" movement within the PCUSA (Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.) denomination, a network of GLB inclusive congregations seeking to overturn the denominational ban on the ordination of GLB clergy.
http://users.aol.com/RainboWind/rbwintr.htm
Support information for gay and lesbian pagans of all denominations. Includes information about Rainbow Wind Magazine and links to other queer pagan sites.
http://qrd.tcp.com/qrd/www/orgs/sda-kinship/
Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International, Inc. is a support group which ministers to the spiritual, emotional, social, and physical well-being of Seventh-day Adventist lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and their families and friends. SDA Kinship facilitates and promotes the understanding and affirmation of homosexual and bisexual Adventists among themselves and within the Seventh-day Adventist community through education, advocacy, and reconciliation.
http://www.magic.ca/~faygelah/Index.html
Tons of links and information for Jewish gay and lesbian people, plus newspapers, jokes, articles, cartoons, and film and video lists.
The Unitarian Universalist Church is a "big tent" group that welcomes a wide variety of believers, including gay and lesbian people of all beliefs. Find out more about their organization at this page.
A lot of general information about the United Church of Christ here, including their organization, beliefs, and member churches.
http://gpu.srv.ualberta.ca/~cbidwell/UFMCC/uf-home.htm
MCC is a church fellowship designed specifically to minister to the spiritual needs of gay and lesbian people. This page directs you to their ministries all over the world.
A nicely run sexually-oriented service for gay men with some cute cartoon graphics. You have to download their software and buy a subscription to take advantage of some areas.
http://eng.hss.cmu.edu/gender/
A page of links to articles and sites relating to gender and sexuality, especially gay and lesbian. Some links are to other sites; others to the text of scholarly articles. A good resource for research.
http://eng.hss.cmu.edu/gender/sex-glossary.txt
This text-only page provides definitions of sexual terms and sexual slang. You may never speak a sentence with a straight face again after you've read all the sexual meanings of words you thought were perfectly ordinary!
Essays, fiction, safe sex information, equipment and toys for sale, and more, all for "penis-less people." Primarily lesbian but supportive of other orientations.
http://www.io.com/~eighner/leather.html
A short but helpful list of leather groups on the Internet, mostly focused on the gay leather community.
Browse and order gay and lesbian books and videos from this large, friendly store. A Different Light also has retail outlets in San Francisco, and West Hollywood.
http://www.maui.net/~randm/gp.html
A lesbian and gay shopping mall, a resource guide, and a lot of fun all packaged in one. You can enter shops, resorts and B&Bs, and hear a little gay gossip.
http://www.gayweb.com/menu.html
A guide to gay and lesbian businesses that operate on the Web. This colorful and attractive site points your way to dozens of businesses eager to sell you everything from cologne to real estate.
A record store (mail order and online) that sells only music by women arts, with a large selection of lesbian music.
http://www.rainbow-mall.com/index.html
A collection of links to gay-friendly and gay-owned businesses that will help you spend your money while keeping it "all in the family." Includes merchants, travel agents, realtors, long-distance companies, support agencies, wineries, and more.
This site sells gay and lesbian videotapes. Their annotated listing of films is impressive, and the monthly film reviews posted by users are entertaining.
http://www.e-zines.com:80/boychicks/
A good assortment of links to resources and sites for butch and transgendered women and FTM men.
http://www.ftm-intl.org/index.html
A peer support group for female-to-male transvestites and transsexuals. They offer information and networking for women who are exploring their gender identity issues, or who need a safe "place" to explore their male personae, as well as for men who are in the process of transition, or who have completed the change. They also provide educational services to the general public on transgender issues.
A personal page, but a very nice one, including scrolling graphics and a good list of transgender resources, and a searchable database.
A newsgroup. According to their FAQ, "This is a place to discuss issues related to transsexuality, transvestitism, crossdressing, cultural and social problems, support groups and forums, conflicts with sexuality, and just generally coming to terms with ones self and knowing that one is not alone. Sexually explicit material is generally discouraged in this forum as well as transphobic statements. This forum is not a personals column." See also alt.transgendered.
http://ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu/~mberz/faqs.html
A Web page with links to basic transgender information. Includes the multi-part Transgender Frequently Asked Questions document of the soc.support.transgendered newsgroup, the FAQ for alt.transgendered, and a basic glossary.
http://www.echonyc.com/~degrey/Menace.html
An international non-violent action group focusing on the issues facing the transgender community. (They also have some cool t-shirts for sale.)
A resource site for transvestite, transgender, and transexual persons, including news, shopping, commentary, and support group cross-references.
http://www.advance-damron.com/
Advance-Damron Vacations is a gay-owned/operated travel company offering exclusively gay vacation packages as well as "traditional" travel-related services (like airline tickets and hotel/car reservations). They bill themselves as "your one-stop travel consultant for Business and Vacation."
With over 200 G & L hotels, 700 Bed and Breakfasts, 20 percent discount at 3,000 hotels, online air reservations, maps, travel articles, and coming soon the Travel Talk Café, GLTA bills itself as your one stop G & L travel site.
http://205.243.76.8/gaytravel.com/
A lot of links to gay and lesbian travel and vacation companies, including sailing and cruising vacations, bed and breakfast resorts, and traditional hotel and airfare vacations.
Olivia Travel hosts cruises and all-inclusive vacations for women only. Get their latest cruise and vacation information here, request a brochure, and (at selected times) enter a sweepstakes to win a free cruise.
Comprehensive, up-to-date, worldwide travel resource for gays and lesbians including: travel news, tour operators (indexed by both destinations and activities), accommodations, trip/event calendar, travel resource and community resource directories, destinations, and so on.
A resource site for the gay and lesbian traveler. Information is available on cruises, foreign and domestic travel and tours, airfares, hotels, car rentals, and more.
RSVP is a company that organizes vacations exclusively for the gay/lesbian community. They offer cruises and other all-inclusive vacations, typically chartering an entire ship or resort for their group to ensure travelers' privacy and comfort. Very popular, especially with men.
