Welcome to the Gay Men’s Resource Guide @ UIS. This is a guide to help gay men at UIS find the resources they may need and to find support on this campus. One of the ways we can do this is to find relevant online and print resources, whether that be resources about coming out, relationships, fashion, health, or finding a book for class. The Gay Men’s Resource Guide is a living document which means that we are open to suggestions for other resources we might have missed. If you would like to leave a resource suggestion, please email us at gss@uis.edu

Gay is a term used to describe a person emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to males/men. It is also a term used in some cultural settings to represent males who are attracted to males in a romantic, erotic and/or emotional sense. Not all men who engage in “homosexual behavior” identify as gay, and as such this label should be used with caution. Or, this term may refer to the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole, or as an individual identity label for anyone who does not identify as heterosexual. (See our Common Terms page and pdf for a complete list.).

Gay and bisexual men may have a set of circumstances that is different than others in the queer community. Some of these will be about safer sex, coming out, body image, finding a safe date online, and navigating issues around perceived and real masculinity and gender roles. The following links and resources are intended as a helpful place to begin.

Online Resources:

Masculinity:

• The Ways Gay Men Are More Masculine Than They Realize: Despite different orientations, gay and straight men have a lot in common.

• Gay Men’s Obsession with Masculinity Is Hurting Their Mental Health: Researchers are tallying the consequences of gay culture’s fixation on masculinity. The costs are higher than you might think.

• Shock, Guilt, and Privilege: On Being a Masculine Gay Man: One man’s journey to acceptance of his masculinity and sexual orientation.

Coming out

• Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Resource Guides to Coming Out: Various downloadable resources and links about coming out based on multiple identities.*
• LGBT Youth Resources: An extensive list of resources and web page from the Centers from Disease Control. https://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/youth-resources.htm

Body Image

• Our Bodies, Our Confidence: For Gay Men: A page for gay men (as well as bisexual, pansexual and trans men, too), to discuss building Positive Body Image.
• Huffington Post article on gay men and body image.
• The Conversation article about how body ideals shape gay men’s health.
• GQ article on body image and the gay community.
• My Body, My Story: a gay man’s story of embodiment.
• Read about 5 People Championing Body Positivity in the LGBTQ Community.

LGBTQ Youth Groups and Resources

• Weekly LGBTea hosted by Gender & Sexuality Student Services:Join us on campus or online. Location: Student Lounge/Student Life Bldg. rm  22 or online at go.uis.edu/LGBTea Weekly dialogues about queer topics serving all gender and sexual minorities including LGBTQIA+ and the two-spirit student community as well as their cisgender & heterosexual allies.
• Weekly Fluidity/Shades discussion groups hosted by Gender & Sexuality Student Services: Fluidity provides a safe and confidential talk space for those exploring their sexual and/or gender identity with peers. Shades provides a safe and confidential talk space about the intersections of race, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
• See our list of local organizations.

Online and National Organizations

• Q Chat Space: A community for LGBTQ+ teens to chat with like-minded peers in live chats designed for you and by you, facilitated by folks who care.
• Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network Student Action: GLSEN advises on, advocates for, and researches comprehensive policies designed to protect LGBTQ students as well as students of marginalized identities.
• Genders & Sexuality Alliance Network: Student-run organizations that unite LGBTQ+ and allied youth to build community and organize around issues impacting them in their schools and communities.
• It Gets Better Project: A nonprofit organization with a mission to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth around the globe.
• Q Card Project: The Q Card is a simple, free, and easy-to-use communication tool designed to empower queer youth and educate their healthcare providers because queer youth deserve excellent healthcare from competent and culturally sensitive providers.
• Center for Disease Control’s LGBTQ Youth Resources.

Reading lists geared toward gay male identities:

• Daryl Bruce’s list of 10 gay novels to read.
• Books about LGBTQ life, culture, history, and politics here and here.

Dating Online:

• Check out GSSS’s Online Dating Safety Checklist.
• Check out this safety guide to LGBTQ dating.
• Check out this article, LGBTQ in America, on the largest nationally-representative study of American singles who identify as LGBTQ.
• The Trevor Project’s Support Center’s resources for healthy relationships.

Safer Sex:

• Mount Sinai’s Adolescent Health Center blog entry on how to have safe sex as a gay guy.
• Healthline‘s LGBTQIA Safe Sex Guide.
• Mayo Clinic article on Health Issues for Gay Men and Men who Have Sex with Men.
• Center for Disease Control Fact Sheet on what men should know about sexually transmitted infections.

Femmephobia:

The hatred of all people who are perceived as femme, feminine, effeminate, and/or twink regardless of their gender. A direct result of femmephobia is the oppression of anybody whose gender presentation is in any way classified as being on the female-end of the gender binary due to their fashion sense, behaviour, or mannerisms. 

• Check out the Galaxy Mag article, Homophbia vs Femphobia.
• Check out Everyday Feminism‘s article 6 Ways Femmephobia is Harming LGBTQIA+ Communities.
• The Good Men Project‘s article, Femmephobia.

 

Frequently Asked Questions at UIS

Have a question to add or ask? Please write us at gss@uis.edu.

1. Where do I go to meet other gay or bisexual men at UIS or Springfield? What support services are available?

Weekly LGBTea, weekly support and discussion groups called “Fluidity” and “SHADES.” Meetings and socials sponsored by the student group Queer Straight Alliance (QSA). Local area LGBTQ youth attend the Phoenix Center youth group. There are also some local organizations. Visit our local organizations page.

2. What academic opportunities are there at UIS?
Women and Gender Studies at UIS would be a great program for anyone who would be interested in studying subjects related to sexual orientation, gender, or feminism. Here are some of the offered courses: WGS 232: ECCE: U.S. Sexual Minorities, WGS 301: Women, Gender & Society, WGS 357: LGBTQ & Allies Peer Education, WGS 411: Feminist Theories, WGS 418: Queer Theory. Also look for courses in Political Science (PSC).