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Behind Rainbow Eyes
For Immediate Release
Most of us know what it feels
like to have a secret. High school is hard enough, but when you feel like you
have to hide a significant aspect of yourself from your classmates, it can be
nearly impossible. Alex Sanchez tackled the many trials and tribulations of
being a gay teenager in his first novel, Rainbow Boys, which chronicles the
lives of three high school seniors, who struggle to manage their issues about
sexual identity and coming out to themselves, to each other, and to the
world.
Behind Rainbow Eyes is a recently
formed youth run organisation for same sex attracted youth. With the support of The ALSO Foundation,
Minus18, JOY Melbourne, Breathe Events and The GayAZ Expo, Behind Rainbow Eyes
is proud to present The Rainbow Tour with well known American author, Alex
Sanchez, who will be landing on our shores in January 2006.
Alex
Sanchez is the award winning author of Rainbow Boys, Rainbow High and the soon
to be released, Rainbow
Road.
Alex has been described as “a writer who
not only writes stories, but who does so in a way that helps promote social
justice” and he is quoted saying “I’ve discovered a function of my writing I
never foresaw: as an agent of social change, able to inspire, empower, and
change lives.” There is no doubt
that Alex’s writing has not only changed many lives, but will continue to do
so.
“I had learned to believe that being gay
was the worst thing in the world a boy could be. After school, alone in my room, I would
tell myself, “I’m not going to feel this way. I refuse to let this happen to
me.” One of the places I “escaped” to was our school library, which I estimate
had several thousand volumes. How many of those books portrayed teens like me,
struggling with identity and experiencing prejudice? Not a single
one.”
“Writing was a way to heal, to find my
voice, to put on paper the story I wish I’d had when I was younger—a book that
would’ve told me: “It’s okay to be who you are.”
Alex speaks about his experience of growing up gay
in the US as an immigrant
from Mexico, what motivated
him to write his books, how his books are acting as agents for social change in
the US and internationally, and how each
of us can make an impact to create a better world.
Rainbow Boys:
Smart and athletic Kyle has an
enormous infatuation with Jason, one of the most popular boys in school. To
complicate matters, Nelson, Kyle's best friend, secretly longs for their
friendship to be more than platonic. Nelson is the "school fag." He's
flamboyant, outspoken, and works hard to establish a Gay Straight Alliance. Kyle cares
deeply about Nelson, but he finds himself extraordinarily attracted to Jason,
who has a girlfriend and what appears to be the perfect high school life. Jason
knows that he likes Kyle, but he can't reconcile the expectations he's always
had for himself with his growing realisation that he may be
gay.
Rainbow Tour Specifics:
Melbourne – January 21, Melbourne Town
Hall
Hobart – January 28, Hotel Grand
Chancellor
Behind Rainbow Eyes will be at the GayAZ Expo at
the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, September 23-25. Come and meet the team behind The
Rainbow Tour and check out Alex’s books at booth 67.
For ticket details and further information, please
contact us:
Behind Rainbow Eyes Inc
PO
Box
428, Belgrave
VIC 3160
info@rainboweyes.com.au
www.rainboweyes.com.au
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Rainbow Tour Press
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