A Review of the Book “Loving Someone Gay” by Don Clark

There are A LOT of books out there about being in the life of someone who is gay from a close friend or family perspective. Most of the books out there used a more than 20 year old book by clinical psychologist Don Clark (AKA Donald H. Clark, Ph.D) as a reference guide.

Clark’s book was completely edited and reworked for the 5th edition in 2009. It’s more informative and also more up to date – with a few “political football” exceptions – than just about any other reference out there. The beauty of the latest edition of his book, Loving Someone Gay, is that though it is a “reference” per se, it’s written in layman’s terms. It’s as useful to a parent, a sibling, a best friend as it is to a social worker, a teacher or a medical professional.

This previously published review sums the book up the best:

First written over 20 years ago, Loving Some Gay has become one of the most respected sources of information about gay people for those who are not members of the gay community. Written in straightforward, non-clinical language, it seeks to build understanding of gay people in the ”straight” community and is written for loved ones, friends, and colleagues of gay people. As a starting point in bridging this communication and understanding gap, this book has earned a reputation for rich and detailed information in a format and tone accessible to everyone.
Don Clark, a clinical psychologist, covers a variety of topics from what it means to be gay and how this affects the development of a gay person, to building support networks and community for gay people, and detailed information for professionals in the community on how they can support and assist gay people. He also strives to move family and friends from simple tolerance and understanding of LGBT persons, to love and acceptance of their gay son or daughter, best friend, or spouse.
The fifth edition has been completely rewritten and updated, but retains the direct and honest tone of previous editions while adding new resources and information to the mix. –Matthew P. Ciszek for the GLBT Roundtable of the American Library Association

If you’ve been looking for a good all around reference on lesbians and gays, I highly recommend this book.