Sexuality

Sexuality:

Grace Unbound - We acknowledge that God created us as spiritual and sexual beings and as a church we need to minister to and support the needs of the whole person. We provide comprehensive sexual education that calls upon all areas in our lives and how they impact our whole selves; as well as providing a place of support where shame can be replaced by grace and healing. We believe in, support and are advocates for the LGBTQ Community.

Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape by Peggy Orenstein. Drawing on in-depth interviews with over seventy young women and a wide range of psychologists, academics, and experts, renowned journalist Peggy Orenstein goes where most others fear to tread, pulling back the curtain on the hidden truths, hard lessons, and important possibilities of girls sex lives in the modern world.

Boys & Sex: Young Men on Hoop Ups, Porn, Consent and the Navigating New Masculinity by Peggy Orenstein. By exploring the complexity of young men's attitudes, beliefs, and experiences, Orenstein unravels the hidden truths, hard lessons, and important realities of boys' sex lives today. The result is a paradigm-shifting work that offers a much-needed vision of how boys can truly move forward as better men.

little feminist - lists their recommended 9 best books about gender identity for ages 3-11.

LGBTQ Friendly Books for kids - compiled by blogger Jen Walshaw, in The Mad House.

Amaze - AMAZE leverages the expertise of master sexuality educators, the creativity of animation professionals, the input of young people, and the power of the internet to create and market:
*Engaging, educational, age-appropriate, often humorous sex education videos for young adults.
*Educational resources, including short videos, to build the skills of parents and guardians to better communicate with their children about sex and sexuality.
*Toolkits, lesson plans, promotional materials and other resources to help educators and health care providers refer students and young patients to AMAZE as an available, free and fun resource to learn about sex and sexuality.

Sex Etc. - is on a mission to improve teen sexual health across the country. Each year, five million young people visit Sexetc.org, and over 45,000 the magazine to get honest and accurate sexual health informationincluding; sex, relationships, pregnancy, STDs, birth control, sexual orientation and more.

Sexplainer.com - a great blog and resource for parents covering tough topics that you may encounter with your kids.

Our Whole Lives - is a series of sexuality education programs for six age groups: grades K-1, grades 4-6, grades 7-9, grades 10-12, Young Adults and Adults. The resources are written by professional sexuality educators and provide accurate information for parents, teachers and pastors to be used in the affirming and supportive setting of our churches. There is a Parent Guide to Our Whole Lives Grades K-1 and Grades 4-6 that accompanies the Our Whole Lives resource for those age levels. Our Whole Lives Grades 4-6 also uses the book, It's Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris.

Religious Institute - a multi-faith organization dedicated to advocating for sexual health, education, and justice in faith communities and society.

Safe touch is key to teach kids. Teach your youngest the Underwear Rule!

Human Sexuality - Free in Christ to care for the neighbor, Lutheran Youth talk about sexuality. This study, an adaptation of the third task force study Free in Christ to Serve the Neighbor: Lutherans Talk About Human Sexuality is intended for use by senior high youth together with parents, pastors, and youth leaders.

Can I Ask That?: - 8 Hard Questions about God & Faith [Sticky Faith Curriculum] Leader Guide

These Are Our Bodies addresses foundational issues for how we are called to have conversations about our sexuality within a faith community. Looking at sexuality through the lenses of growth and change, we can explore values and intentionality. Individuals and churches can use this technique to build upon this theological grounding. Discusses sexuality starting from the age 3, written by Episcopalians.

Sexual Exploitation:

Cherish All Children is an ELCA ministry that equips congregations to prevent child sexual exploitation. Our vision is that ELCA congregations will be prevention champions so all children may be cherished, not exploited.

Not in Room 204 - Author Shannon Riggs Illustrated by Jaime Zollars. Mrs. Salvador is one tough teacher. But Regina Lillian Hadwig, a very quiet student, doesn't mind. She likes the order and discipline Mrs. Salvador expects. At a report card conference, Mrs. Salvador tells Regina's mom that Regina is doing a great job, but that she is very quiet. "Are you quiet at home, like you are in school?" Mrs. Salvador asks Regina. And Regina thinks of the secret she keeps so quiet-the one even her mom doesn't know, about the secret things her father does.

Gender Identity:

Queer Grace is an online encyclopedia for LGBTQ and Christian Life run by Lutheran Pastor Emmy Kegler.

Rainbow Boy - Taylor Rouanzion, Author
Stacey Chomiak, Illustrator. A little boy attempts to answer one of grown-ups' all-time favorite questions: "What's your favorite color?" But with so many wonderful colors to choose from, he doesn't know how to answer. He loves his pink sparkly tutu, bright red roses, soft yellow baby doll pajamas, and big, orange basketball. How will he ever pick?

Queerfully and Wonderfully Made: A Guide for LGBTQ+ Christian Teens - edited by Leigh Finke from Beaming Books. You'll get insight and support from an amazing group of LGBTQ+ professionals, as well as testimonies from young adult queer Christians. Most importantly, you'll hear the good news: God loves you exactly as you are. No matter your identity or where in your journey of self-discovery you find yourself, you got this.

Welcoming and Affirming: A Guide to Supporting and Working with LGBTQ+ Christian Youth - Written by a team of LGBTQ+ adults, Welcoming and Affirming features first-hand, personal testimonials from queer young adults who have experienced the joys and hardships of being queer and Christian. You'll walk away with a lot of insight, prepared to love, affirm, and accept the LGBTQ+ teens in your community the way God does--exactly as they are.

Human Rights Campaign - As the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization, HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are ensured of their basic equal rights, and can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community. This resource links to a coming out resource for teens.

Hatch Youth - Hatch Youth is dedicated to empowering lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual and allied (LGBTQIA) youth, ages 13-20, to become positive contributors to society by providing a safe social environment, offering role models and peer support, and sponsoring educational and community outreach opportunities. This resource helps youth understand what is all entailed with coming out.

Reconciling Works - Lutherans for Full Participation advocates for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Lutherans in all aspects of the life of their Church and congregations.

OutFront Minnesota - We envision a state (MN) where LGBTQ individuals have equal opportunities, protection and rights.

The Reformation Project - exists to train Christians to support and affirm lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.

LGBTQIA+ Youth Ministry Resources -Do you have questions about how you can best serve the young LGTBQIA+ persons in your ministry setting? We took a few of the most frequently expressed concerns and created this simple resource to help youth ministry professionals and lay leaders provide hospitality and welcome to LGBTQIA+ youth and their families.

Inclusive Language Guide - Northwestern University's The Family Institute created a through and helpful guide for discussing topics such as race, gender, and mental health for example.

Austen Hartke -is the creator of the YouTube series “Transgender and Christian,” which seeks to understand, interpret, and share parts of the Bible that relate to gender identity and the lives of transgender individuals. Austen is a graduate of Luther Seminary’s Master of Arts program in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible Studies, and is the winner of the 2014 John Milton Prize in Old Testament Writing from the same institution. Austen speaks regularly and you can contact him at: http://austenhartke.com/contact/

The Naming Project - The mission of The Naming Project is to create places of safety for youth of all sexual orientations and gender identities where faith is shared and healthy life-giving community is modeled.

One Coin Found: How God's Love Stretches to the Margins by Pastor Emmy Kegler who has a complicated relationship with the Bible. As a queer woman who grew up in both conservative Evangelical and progressive Protestant churches, she knows too well how Scripture can be used to wound and exclude. And yet, the stories of Scripture continue to captivate and inspire her–both as a person of faith and as a pastor to a congregation. So she set out to fall in love with the Bible, wrestling with the stories inside, where she met a God who continues to seek us out–appearing again and again as a voice, a presence, and a promise.