Yay! You're Gay! Now What?: A Gay Boy's Guide to Life

This was a gift and he didn’t put it down until it was finished!

Amazing information, the only thing that bugged me was there were a numbet of spelling errors while reading through it.

Thank you!

5★“People were onto me, and I was becoming less capable of manipulating who I was to survive the war zone that was school, and for that matter, the world. Something had to give or I was going to crumble.”Brand new, terrific book. Lightheartedly serious, seriously informative, factually funny. And above all, real.“Feeling different. That’s where it normally begins for a queer person. You may ask yourself, ‘Am I broken? Sick? Weird?’ The answer is no. There is nothing wrong with you—there’s just something slightly different about you.Throughout the book, some well-known gay men write advice to their younger selves.Picture 1: Stephen Fry saying ‘Stephen, it’s going to be fine.’Adults are familiar with Stephen Fry, but for kids who aren’t, the author reminds us he’s the voice of Harry Potter books. And once you’ve heard his voice, you’re not likely to forget it! Fry is probably a good example of the rest of Khalaf's comment about difference.“In time, that difference will become the greatest gift you could ask for. It will bring you love, identity, community, and eventually the freedom to be yourself. I promise. Life is a wonderful mess of successes, mistakes, joy, heartbreak, and learning. It can be even more intense if you’re gay. In this book, I hope to give you some golden lessons I’ve learned along the way.”Picture 2: Illustration of the page showing gayness is a giftThere is a long table of contents, with sections about coming out, finding love, body development, and sex. Written like that, it sounds pretty boring. Trust me, it’s not. The author throws in plenty of personal anecdotes about his embarrassing moments as well as including more from famous people. A lot of it is very entertaining.First up, the abbreviations! He uses “LGBT Plus” to cover everybody. Makes sense.“LGBTTQQIAAP+What does that mess of letters and symbols mean?! I’m going to use the acronym LGBT+ (which stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, plus) in this book to stand for our big diverse queer community. This is a shortening of a much longer acronym that also includes queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, ally, pansexual … and this STILL leaves some people out!”Picture 3: Illustration of being differentLater in the book, he describes finding your own tribe.Picture 4: Illustration of being like others of your tribeHe has good advice on how to choose whom to come out to first and suggests starting slow. His choosing three girls he was close to and telling them together that he was bi, meant the entire school knew about it within hours. Saying he was bi wasn’t going to dampen the enthusiasm of the bullies – he knows bullies have their own problems. I quite liked this quote about not giving up from someone who has had to deal with bullies in the spotlight.“Things will get easier, people’s minds will change, and you should be alive to see it.”—Ellen DeGeneresThere is a lot of information on what to do, who to turn to, and how to deal with cyberbullying and people who threaten you with “I know where you live”. There is also a section on how to deal with sexuality and faith. Kids brought up in religious families may feel extra pressure from religions that may excommunicate members or promote gay conversion therapy.There’s a section for parents and families and how to support kids who’ve come out, plus there’s a section on the LGBT+ community, groups, marches and pride. There are also handy tips about being safe in public.“But the sad fact is, there are people out there who don’t like us, so it’s important to balance being authentically yourself with being safe.”Picture 5: Illustration of what some pr**k may do to your parade balloonKhalaf really has covered the lot! Dating, apps, online presence, drugs, and relationships, including monogamish (occasional outside action) and throuples (three people - the old ménage à trois).Picture 6: Illustration introducing the topic of sexFirst dates, first kiss, heartbreak, hormones, you name it, I bet it’s here. HIV, STDs, and more specific examples that aren't allowed in this review.Picture 7: One illustration of a few health issues to be aware ofI was particularly delighted to see Aussie Shane Jenek featured, as we in Australia have just been treated to Courtney Act on Dancing with the Stars. He appeared as both his original Shane-self in interviews and rehearsals but danced as the gorgeous Courtney, high heels and backwards, like Ginger Rogers.Picture 8: Photos of Courtney/Shane and professional dancer (and good pal) Joshua Keefe from Australia's Dancing with the Stars 2019One spectacular number brought the house down. Fully wigged and costumed, she dances and strips the glamour off to reveal him. You can find it online.The best comment I’ve ever heard to describe Courtney’s performance was a man who said something like“She is great! . . . umHe is great! . . . umTHEY are great!”That’s also the best example of how and why to use THEY as a personal pronoun for non-binary people. He/She/They are wonderful! Shane/Courtney (although as far as I know, he identifies as male but performs as Courtney).Picture 9: Picture of the inimitable, unforgettable Shane Jenek/Courtney ActBut wait – there’s more! So much more. Good table of contents, excellent personal and medical advice, plus comprehensive information about services available in many countries and how to contact them.All in all, a first-rate publication and resource for communities, schools, libraries, and families. Wonderful upbeat, real handbook for kids and teens (to leave around for their parents to read, too)! LOVE IT!

Growing up gay in the early 2000s meant finding very few books that spoke clearly and directly to me. The ones I found were useful--indispensable, even--but had a fairly serious tone (Free Your Mind, anyone?).Thankfully for today's young gay/bi/queer/questioning men, Riyadh Khalaf has written a book that's serious and informative in all the right ways ("ALWAYS USE A CONDOM!"), while also being full of colorful illustrations, self-deprecating humor, and examples of lighthearted, grounded, healthy, happy gay men who have come through the other side of growing up. They know it can be difficult, but they all have the same message: in time, you'll see that being gay may be one of the best gifts you've ever been given!

I am so happy this book is out there! This book covers everything you could need to know from coming out to sexual health. This book pulls together all the necessary information for young gay men to navigate the world. It is funny, useful and the pictures are amazing. Yay!

If your child is gay, bi, questioning or unsure, just buy it for them. Give it to them with a smile. Don't be embarrassed. Just say "I know the title's funny, and you might not want to read it, but I thought it might be helpful anyway".That's what I did and my son laughed. Then I realised it never left his bedside. Then his friends came over and I heard them say "is this the book?" when I thought he'd hide it.It's still on his bedside - well read.He has since thanked me for buying it for him and said it is really helpful.He's 15 and describes himself as bisexual.Don't be embarassed - buy it - and read it as a parent!It has open, no nonsense advice and tackles some explicit stuff you might not want to talk about but needs discussing. Kids get "straight" sex ed at school - where do they get gay sex ed?Don't let them rely on porn sites - buy this book.Buy it as an ally, a parent a friend or as someone who is LGBT+.

I’ve been following Riyadh for nearly 3 years now on YouTube and he was one of my inspiration to why I came out to my family and friends, I bought this book as soon as it was available on prime and I even got him to sign my book when I went on a build series with my boyfriend. This book has really made me wish how I got all the guidelines and how to deal with me being gay and not to be ashamed about it 2 years ago when I finally decided to open the closet. This book is really great and it provides you I would say everything you would really need and what to know about being yourself, how to be true and love yourself. For those who struggle should have this guide and have all the love you deserve ❤️🌈

well written and very informative .should be reading for every parent and anyone who has thoughts on LGGT

The perfect book for people learning who they are, it's heartfelt and a compelling read! It was emotional and even taught me new things and I have been out of the closet for a few years now! Congratulations on the book and I would 100% recommend it!

Some very sensible advice however I feel that he should have gone into more detail for such an important book.