Are you a queer teen in a small town, suburb or rural area? This can make things a little complicated if you want to meet other teens who are GLBT. You might not know anyone else who is gay. Or the closest gay teen organization might be three towns over, if that. And even if it isn't all that far, if you don't have transportation, it might as well be. 

Plus, if you live somewhere where people are openly homophobic, the idea of inquiring about other gay teens might just not be safe or possible.

 

Even if you are openly gay, like where you live, and have a strong social network, it's not always easy to connect with teens who share your sexual orientation. As one boy writes,

"While I love the friends I have (mostly female), I am sorely lacking in gay friends, as I live in a small town. I am 17 and a guy." 

So what can this guy and others in his position do? First, he should know that there are probably a few other gay guys in his area. But how to connect with them? The most obvious way is to use the internet to make connections with other GLBT teens in your area. Of course, there are certain precautions you should take, but in today's world, this is a common way that many people connect.

Additionally, you might be interested to know that more than a few small towns and suburbs actually have programs for queer youth. One way to find them is to get in touch with the nearest  gay community center to you. Either call or send an email asking about their youth programs. You can probably also find out a lot just by looking at their website.

 

Another idea is to look at a GLBT youth website called Youth Resource. This is run by Advocates For Youth it is has some excellent resources for GLBT teens.

Make sure to check out their very comprehensive list of youth programs. All you have to do is type in your state.

For teens who are struggling with their sexual orientation or the response they have gotten to it, the best thing to do is to find support. Studies have found that supportive adults, peers and community groups can make a world of difference in your experience. So try to identify at least one person you can talk to about being gay.

You can also look for support online. If you decide to do that, a great place to start is the GLBT teens community forum on this site. Teens write about a huge range of issues there.

Of course, everyone's experiences will be different. But while many teens find it really hard to be gay in a small town, others are surprised to learn that they might actually be welcomed by their community. Indeed, as one teen writes,

"I'm somewhat out with most of my friends as gay now. I'm going to refrain and keep my parents thinking I'm bisexual to keep the stress down. I'm glad that my small town is a little more progressive than a few I've seen. There are more kids who are originally from out of state (like me) in my town, so the town has had to adapt."