Being a teenager involves figuring out who you are; this includes developing a firmer sense of your sexual orientation. It’s normal for everyone, regardless of their orientation, to question this at some point in their lives.

In this culture, it can be stressful to realize you might be lesbian, gay, or bisexual and/or transgender. If you are lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender, you should be able to celebrate, not feel stressed out about it! But we know that that’s not always the case.

What you need to know is that you are not alone. There are lots of lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender teens out there and lots of teens who are questioning their sexual orientation. So there are lots of places you can go to for support.

Here are some great Web sites and hotlines to try:

• Youth Resource—for gay, lesbian, bisexual and questioning youth.
• Bisexual Resource Center—for the bisexual community.
• The Trevor Project for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Teens is a hotline and Web site that specializes in helping LGBTQ teens who are contemplating suicide. The telephone number is 1-866-4-U-TREVOR (488-7386). This hotline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Trevor Project also has a live chat for those who don’t have access to a phone, don’t feel safe calling the hotline or for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. TrevorChat is free and confidential and runs on Fridays from 4:00 p.m. to midnight, Eastern Standard Time. You can access TrevorChat by clicking here.
• The Gay and Lesbian National Hotline is both a Web site and a toll-free, nationwide hotline: 1-800-246-PRIDE (7743). Important: This hotline is NOT open 24 hours. It offers peer counseling Monday through Friday, between 8:00 p.m. and midnight, Eastern Standard Time.

If you need a different type of hotline, check out our list here.