Two Boys Kissing

Anti-gay bias is a recurring problem for all of the characters. Each of the characters endures anti-gay bias, whether it’s silent disapproval from a parent or a violent attack from strangers. Avery, Tariq, and Neil also have identities that highlight the importance of intersectionality, when discussing social injustices like anti-gay bias. Avery, as a transgender person, faces discrimination not only for his sexual orientation, but also for his gender identity. When he needs to use a public restroom, he fears that strangers will admonish him for using the bathroom that aligns with his gender and presentation. Tariq and Neil both endure anti-gay bias along with racism. When Tariq is attacked, he isn’t sure, at first, if they are attacking him because he’s gay or because he’s Black; these are both types of discrimination he’s faced his entire life. Neil, similarly, understands what it’s like to be racially discriminated against, as a Korean American, and insists on the similarities between racism and anti-gay bias to his parents when he finds them listening to an anti-gay broadcast on the radio.

Cooper’s story centers on anti-gay bias’s inherent violence, as does Tariq’s attack. Cooper’s suicide attempt comes when his parents violently reject him, after discovering sexual messages from men on his computer.