Raleigh, NC (OPENPRESS) October 6, 2010 -- A new LGBTQ novel hitting virtual bookstores at the beginning of next month features a gay protagonist who struggles with bullying, ostracization, and depression while attempting to forge a relationship with a classmate.
The novel's author, Stephanie Silberstein, hopes that Shades of Gay will help lower the suicide rate among LGBTQ youth. She began working on it in 2008 in honor of cover designer D Gavi Chayim's struggle with suicidal thoughts. "While trying to find information to help Gavi, I learned that suicide is not at all uncommon in the LGBTQ community," Silberstein says. "One out of ever three suicides is related to a person's perceived or actual sexual orientation, and LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers."
Chayim survived and now lives openly as a Transgender woman, but Silberstein's announcement comes on the heels of a recent string of suicides by LGBTQ youth.
Shades of Gay, which is 560 pages long, takes place over the protagonist's last year of high school and depicts the discrimination, bullying and harassment he faces once he decides to make his relationship with another boy public. The book also deals with the boy's fears about college applications and leaving home. "I wanted to show that LGBTQ youth have the same hopes, fears and dreams as any other teenagers," Silberstein said. "But they have to deal with discrimination and harassment on top of all the other pressures kids face."
The book includes an afterword by Chayim, who is also providing original cover artwork and designing the cover, regarding her experiences. It also includes a list of resources for LGBTQ youth who need support. Silberstein plans to donate 10 percent of profits to the Trevor Project, a national organization offering a crisis hotline and other resources for LGBTQ youth.
Although Shades of Gay is mainly targeted towards non-heterosexual youth, Silberstein hopes some heterosexual youth will identify with her protagonist as well and reach out to LGBTQ students after reading the book. Shades of Gay is published through Silberstein's publishing label, Narrow Path Publishing, and will be available on Amazon starting in the first week of November. Pre-orders are available on Narrow Path Publishing's website for readers who have a Paypal account. For more information, please visit www.narrowpathpublishing.net or www.facebook.com/shadesofgay.
