10 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE September 8, 2000

THE

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eveningsout

A guide to the ups and downs of gay teen years

The XY Survival Guide

Written and edited by Benjie Nycum XY Press, $9.95 trade paperback

Reviewed by Anthony Glassman

THE

In an age when parents are successfully suing schools for failing to protect their children from anti-gay harassment, where gay-straight alliances are popping up in the strangest of places, but the Supreme Court upholds the right of the Boy Scouts to discriminate, a definitive guide to being gay for younger people has just been released.

Produced by XY, a glossy mag for young gay men, the book looks at almost every facet of gay male life as it would affect someone in their high school years. It talks about coming out, educating your teachers on gay history, drugs, alcohol, and, of course,

sex.

That is where the trouble with this book emerges. It discusses sex very frankly. This is not a bad thing, mind you, but it somehow makes me uncomfortable reading what is

On drugs, the book discusses the effects of everything from cigarettes and alcohol to cocaine and anabolic steroids. It describes what the drugs are, how and why people use them, and their negative effects.

The most important part of the way the book handles talking about drugs is that it doesn't proselytize. It talks about the effects that make the drug desirable, and goes into depth when dealing with

XY

Y SURVIVAL GUIDE

#enjte Nyaum

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BEING YOUNG AND GAY

Coming Out • History • Sex • Health • Helationships • Law • Politics School • Crisis » Glossary • Groups • Resources • Underage Clubs

written, and realizing it is in-

tended for 16-year-olds. Of course, that is hypocrisy in its most extreme form, since in high school, everyone is just as graphic in talking about sex.

But the most important thing is the information, and it's got that in large, heaping pagefuls.

For instance, in the section on gay history, it says: “All laws governing sexual conduct were eliminated two months after

XY Survival Tip No. 24:

Take time to breathe when kissing. Watch your partner for signs of pleasure.

the October Revolution in Russia in 1917 by the Bolsheviks. This also included making abortion legal and the liberalization of divorce and marriage laws. Unfortunately, all was lost with the rise of Stalin, who, to establish economic stability, allowed sex for procreation only. Women were once again placed in the position of being both worker by day and unpaid operator of household by night."

Okay, not the most exciting tidbit of information, but interesting nonetheless.

There is a subsection, printed as a "popup" (the layout of the book mimics a computer screen logged onto the internet) entitled "Negotiating Safe Sex." In a day when articles frequently come across my desk. talking about the rise of barebacking and the increased rate of HIV infection in various cities, this is something every high school student should read, whether or not they are currently sexually active.

the drawbacks. I don't know any high school guys who want their balls to shrink or be impotent, so the warnings about anabolic steroids come in handy.

In certain instances, notably when talking about LSD, the book even tells the reader how to help someone having a bad trip. First aid for ravers is important information in the teenage years, when kids are most likely to experiment with illicit chemical substances.

Kissing

The least cheerful, but potentially most important section of the book, is near the end: dealing with abuse and neglect. In a society where a disproportionate number of young gay men and women are forced to live on the streets, or, even worse, take their own lives to escape from their pain, a section detailing where to go for help and how to get it is definitely what the doctor ordered.

XY is distributing the book on their web site, http://www.xy.com, and at 877996-0930, as well as shipping it to retailers who sell the magazine. It should also be available soon through the major online distributors and at other bookstores through Ingram, a national book distribution company.

The book is a must for any young gay man, and is being released at an especially low $9.95, to make it more accessible to cash-strapped teens.