User:Nerdypunkkid/The Homo Handbook

The Homo Handbook:Getting in Touch with Your Inner Homo: A Survival Guide for Lesbians and Gay Men (1996) is a self-help book for the LGBTQ community. According to the cover in 10 easy steps you will learn: Are you gay? Snappy comebacks to stuiped bible quotes. How to get laid. Top gay internet sites. Bigot bashing made easy. Weeding out the psychos and finding lasting love. How to come out and stay in the will. How to wear a pink triangle at work and not get a pink slip. Best gay jokes from top gay comics.

Composition
Like many of Judy works she dives the Homo Handbook into a series of steps that is intended to help someone come out, find other homosexuals and deal with discrimination. Judy discusses or experiences as well as others and than has you reflect on them using a series of workshops and writing promps.

Step 1: Buy This Book
What exactly does coming out means and what are the top execuses for not coming out.

Step 2: Come Out To Yourself
This chapter deals with how one deals with their homosexuality internally. It discuses relistic and imagined fears. How homophoba effects a person. And the effects of the don't ask, don't tell strategy.

Step 3: Find Another Homo
Now that your out, where do you meet other. The pro and cons of the bar and club scene as well as how to write and respond to a personal ad.

Step 4: Get Laid
You found the right bar or internet site to meet another homo. But how do you go about doing such. The best and worst pick up lines are listed here as well as tips on breaking the ice. And tips on actually reaching out and touching someone.

Step 5: Get Intimate
This chapter deals with long term dating and goes beyond the one night bar and club scene. Judy teaching you how to learn about your partner and yourself through dating.

Step 6: Tell Your Straight Friends
This is the first chapter that deals with coming out to others. It lists common exuses and reasons for not coming out and gives you tips on when and how to come out to your straight friends. Finally it lists some come backs to ignorant comments that immature hetrosexual people might make.

Step 7: Come Out To Your Family
Dealing with family and top reason to come out and not to come out to family memebers. As well as how and when to tell them if you choose to.

Step 8 Come Out at Work
People often fear that coming out could mean losing there job. This chapter deals with this issue on coming to your boss and co-workers where when and how to do it if you choose to do it at all. Finally how to deal with being fired and your legal rights if that does occur.

Step 9 Become a Bigot Basher
There is still homophobia in the world and this chapter deals with how to respond to such comments and sterotypes made towards the LGBTQ community.

Step 10: Become an Activist
Judy concludes the book by talking about the LGBTQ rights movement where they have come from the struggle ahead and why its important for someone who identifies as LGBTQ to be an activist on behalf of the community and what they can do.

Publication
The Homo Handbook was published on October 7, 1996 by a division of Simon & Schuster publisher, Fireside.

Critical Reception
1996 Lambda Literary Award Best Humor Book