Re-Visiting AIDS and Queerness in Contemporary Young Adult Literature

Facul ade de Filoloxía
G ao en Lingua e Li e a u a Inglesas
T aballo de Fin de G ao
Re-Visi ing AIDS and Quee ness in
Con empo a y Young Adul Li e a u e
G aduanda: Icía Rey González
Di ec o a: Noemí Pe ei a-A es
Cu so académico: 2022-2023
Facul ade de Filoloxía
G ao en Lingua e Li e a u a Inglesas
T aballo de Fin de G ao
Re-Visi ing AIDS and Quee ness in
Con empo a y Young Adul Li e a u e
G aduanda: Icía Rey González
Di ec o a: Noemí Pe ei a-A es
Cu so académico: 2022-2023
U
il
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AD
· DE
lLOLOXÍA
UNIVER
S
IDADE
DE
S
ANTIAG
O DE C
OMPO
S
TELA
FACULTADE
DE
FILOLOXÍA
CUBR
IR
ESTE
FORMULAR
IO
ELECTRONICAMENTE
- 3
NOV.
2022
ENTRADA
N~
....
..
...........
.
..................
.
Fo mula io de delimi ación
do
í ulo
e esumo
T aballo de
Fin
de G ao cu so 2022/2023
APELIDOS E
NOME:
Rey González lcía
GRAO EN: Lingua e
Li e a u a
Inglesas
(NO CASO
DE
MODERNAS)
MEN
CIÓN EN:
TITOR/A:
Noemí
Pe ei a-
A e
s
LIÑA TEM
ÁT
ICA ASIGNADA: li e a u a en lingua inglesa e ou as
ma
ni es acións a ís icas
SOLICITO a
ap obación
do
seguin e
í ulo
e esumo:
Tí ulo:
Re
-Visi ing A/OS
and
Quee ness in Con empo a y Young
Adul
Li e a u e
Resumo [na lingua
en
que
se
ai edac
a-
lo
TFG
; en e 1000 e 2000 ca ac
e
es
]:
In he la e 1970s and 1980s, he
AIDS
c isis began one
o
he da kes chap e s in he his o y
o
he
LGBTQ+
communi y,
as
he al eady s igma ized communi y su e ed he epidemic's e ec s and encoun e ed
u he
laye s
o
disc imina ion. The
AIDS
c isis had a emendous social impac : many we e los and mou ned. Bu
despi e being an
age
ma ked by despai , he pe iod
al
so wi nes
se
d he bi h
o
a lo ing and dedica ed
communi y.
Since
hen, di e en au ho s ha e ec ea ed his c i
sis
in hei wo ks, bu he ep esen a ion
o
he
AIDS
c isis in
Young
Adul
(YA)
ic ion
has
been mo e limi ed and o en endowed
wi h
a didac ic pu po
se
aimed
a
ein o cing o ms
o
no ma i e he e osexuali y by highligh ing he dange s posed
by
quee
iden i ies. Depa ing om hese con
si
de a ions, he aim
o
his disse a ion
is
o
examine how
he
AI
DS
c isis
has
been e isi ed in ecen wo ks
o
YA
ic ion which
ce
leb a e, a he han condemn, gende and
sexua
l
di e si y.
To
his end, he s udy will p o ide an o e iew
o
how his c isis
has
been ep esen ed in
YA
li e a u e
wi h
quee hemes and
i
will hen mo e on
o
p o ide a clase eading
o
wo
con empo a y
no els: Da id Le i han's Two Boys Kissing (2013) and Abdi Nazemian's Like a Lo e S o y (2019). Acco dingly,
he s udy will
be
di ided in o
wo
main pa s.
In
he
i
s one, 1 shall lay ba e he c i ica! appa a us
ha
will
in o m he subsequen analysis
o
he no els, e iewing c i ica! wo ks on quee s udies
and
showing
how
hese heo ies ha e in luenced
h
e ep esen a ion
o
quee iden i ies in
YA.
A e ospec i e
o
he
HIV
c isis,
plus
i
s depic ion in li e a u e, will al
so
be
included in his sec ion. The second pa
o
he s udy will be
cen e ed on a clase eading
o
Like a Lo e S o y and Two Boys Kissing, ocusing on he di e en s
a egies
each
o
hem
uses
o e isi he pas
and
c ea e a collec i e memo y while simul aneously celeb a ing he
ex
is ence
o
di e en gende and sexual iden i ies.
S
RA
.
PRE
S
ID
E
NTA
DA
COMISIÓN
DO
TRABALLO
DE
FIN
DE
GRAO
San iago de Compos ela, 02 de no emb o de 2022.
Sina u a do/a in e esado/a
Fi mado
REY
digi almen e
po
GONZALE
R
EYGONZA
LE
Z
ICI
AR
-
Z
ICIAR
-4S
14
6834L
4S
146834L F
ec
h
a:
2022.
11
.02
14:58:
11
+O
1 '00'
Vis o e p ace (sina u a do/a
i o /a)
PEREIRA
SRA.
PRE
S
IDENTA
DA
COMISIÓN
DO
TRABALLO
DE
FIN
DE
GRAO
Ap obado pola Comisión do
T aballo de
Fin
de G ao
coa
da a
2. 5.
NOV.
2022
Decla ación de o ixinalidade
Dona Icía Rey González, con DNI 45146834L, decla a que o p esen e T aballo de Fin
de G ao é ín eg amen e o ixinal, non endo sido emp egada ninguna on e sen se
e e enciada, sendo conscien e do deli o de plaxio que cons i úe o con a io.
En Ou ense, a 30 de xuño de 2023.
REY
GONZALE
Z ICIAR -
45146834L
Fi mado
digi almen e po
REY GONZALEZ
ICIAR - 45146834L
Fecha: 2023.06.30
14:00:05 +02'00'

Table o Con en s
In oduc ion ................................................................................................................................ 1
Theo e ical F amewo k .............................................................................................................. 6
Chap e 1: Quee Theo y and Young Adul Li e a u e .......................................................... 6
1.1. App oaching Quee Theo y ......................................................................................... 6
1.2. Quee ness in Young Adul Li e a u e ........................................................................ 10
Chap e 2: The AIDS C isis and i s Rep esen a ion in YA Li e a u e ................................. 20
2.1. Con ex ualizing he AIDS C isis ............................................................................... 20
2.2. Rep esen a ions o he AIDS C isis in YA Li e a u e ............................................... 23
The AIDS C isis in Da id Le i han’s Two Boys Kissing (2013) and Abdi Nazemian’s Like a
Lo e S o y (2019) ..................................................................................................................... 28
Chap e 3: Da id Le i han’s Two Boys Kissing (2013): In e gene a ional Dialogue a ound
AIDS..................................................................................................................................... 28
3.1 Re isi ing he AIDS C isis in Two Boys Kissing ....................................................... 32
3.2 Pas and P esen in Two Boys Kissing ........................................................................ 37
Chap e 4: Abdi Nazemian’s Like a Lo e S o y (2019): The AIDS C isis h ough Teenage
Eyes ...................................................................................................................................... 41
4.1. Re isi a ion o he AIDS C isis in Like a Lo e S o y ................................................ 44
4.2. The In e sec ion o Pop Cul u e and Quee Iden i y in Times o C isis in Like a Lo e
S o y .................................................................................................................................. 49
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 52
Bibliog aphy ............................................................................................................................ 56
1
In oduc ion
The peak o he HIV epidemic, also known as he AIDS c isis, ook place in he las decades
o he p e ious cen u y and p o ed o be a de as a ing ime o all, bu especially o LGBTQ+
people. The al eady ampan disc imina ion agains he quee communi y wo sened du ing his
pe iod, leading o mo e iolence and s igma. Un o una ely, many indi iduals died in
undigni ied condi ions wi hou any suppo , o go en in hospi als and wi h people e using o
ouch hem. Howe e , his e a also wi nessed he eme gence o a ious aid o ganiza ions aimed
a helping hose in di e need, ACT UP and Quee Na ion a e some p ominen cases in poin . A
s ong sense o communi y was also o ged amids he agedy, based on p o ound compassion
among indi iduals ying o ake on he un a homable loss su ounding hem. This uni y was
also cha ac e ized by in e sec ionali y, gi en ha people o di e en gende s, e hnici ies, and
social backg ounds we e a he o e on o he igh o a be e u u e.
Du ing his pe iod o c isis and collec i e auma, a became a powe ul ehicle
h ough which di e en c ea o s ied o make sense o he p eca ious eali y a ound hem,
whils simul aneously aising awa eness. To gi e jus a ew examples, enowned a is Kei h
Ha ing (1958-1990) c ea ed g a i i-like a on he s ee s o New Yo k, which ea u ed
humo ous ske ches aimed a p o iding sca hing c i icism on he negligence o hose poli icians
who decided o igno e he a ious ho o s a ec ing Ame ican socie y, such as he c ack
epidemic and he AIDS c isis; and Felix González To es (1957-1996), ano he in luen ial a is
in he pe iod, c ea ed pe o ma i e a based on his and his pa ne ’s expe ience wi h he
disease. Simila ly, he so-called AIDS c isis also le i s ace on he 1980s and 1990s li e a y
landscape, wi h some au ho s ini ially sha ing pe sonal accoun s o hei expe iences and hus
con ibu ing o b eaking he silences su ounding he disease. One p ominen example is Paul
Mone e’s Bo owed Time: An AIDS Memoi (1988), whe e he au ho e aces he las nine een
mon hs he spen wi h his pa ne , om Roge Ho wi z’s AIDS diagnosis un il his dea h. The
2
memoi o e s a candid accoun o he expe ience o hose who we e HIV-posi i e in he 1980s,
and he impac hei su e ing had on hei lo ed ones. This au obiog aphical wo k and some
o he s pa ed he way o subsequen wo ks o ic ion engaging wi h he c isis such as Tony
Kushne ’s play Angels in Ame ica: A Gay Fan asia on Na ional Themes (1993)
1
. Kushne ’s
wo k is, in ac , a no able example o he inco po a ion o he c isis in o ic ion, blending he
s o y o an HIV-posi i e man wi h an as ical elemen s such as he angels ea u ing in he i le.
In Young Adul (YA) li e a u e – he ocus o his disse a ion – he opic was ini ially
a oided o a ious easons, om bla an homophobia o he alleged need o keep young people
unawa e o he c isis and hus shield hem om i s de as a ing e ec s. Be o e he publica ion
o Nigh Ki es (1986) by Ma ijane Meake , AIDS was no commonly ea u ed as a majo plo
poin in YA ic ion and, in hose a e cases in which i was, au ho s used AIDS o con ey a
didac ic and cau iona y message agains quee ness. E en a e he publica ion o Nigh Ki es,
he po ayal o he AIDS c isis in YA li e a u e con inued o be highly inaccu a e and idden
wi h p ejudice and ideas ha mo phed in o opes in la e na a i es. To gi e jus some
examples, mos wen ie h-cen u y YA li e a u e in es ed in he my h ha only adul s could
con ac AIDS, po aying eenage s as being oo innocen o all p ey o he disease. Simila ly,
and as an icipa ed ea lie in his in oduc ion, he AIDS c isis was o en b ough o he o e as
a wa ning abou he g ea pe ils associa ed wi h same-sex in imacy, which, in u n, se ed o
ein o ce he e osexuali y as he no m – he al e na i e was indi ec ly equa ed o dea h.
Fo una ely, in he new millennium, he depic ion o he AIDS c isis in YA li e a u e has
expe ienced p o ound changes, pa ly due o he no maliza ion o di e se sexual o ien a ions
and gende iden i ies. This has led o he b eaking down o igid de ini ions o quee ness and
he eme gence o a mo e inclusi e LGBTQ+ expe ience in li e a u e. The exponen ial g ow h
1
The play is composed o wo pa s, he i s one, Millennium App oaches, was published in 1991, he second
one, Pe es oika, in 1992.
3
o Young Adul li e a u e has also played a c ucial ole in his ans o ma ion. The hemes
explo ed in hese publica ions ha e become inc easingly di e si ied, a o ing he inco po a ion
o subjec i i ies ha all ou side o he he e ono ma i e canon and leading o a e-e alua ion
o he AIDS c isis in YA li e a u e. Some ins ances o ecen wo ks ha ha e aken pa in he
e isi a ion o he AIDS c isis wi hin he li e a y landscape o he USA a e: Ca ol Ri ka B un ’s
Tell he Wol es I’m Home (2012), Da id Le i han’s Two Boys Kissing (2013), Abdi
Nazemian’s Like a Lo e S o y (2019) and Helene Dunba ’s We A e Los and Found (2019),
amongs o he s.
Depa ing om he p e ious conside a ions, he aim o his disse a ion is wo old.
Fi s ly, he s udy seeks o examine how he AIDS c isis has been depic ed in No h Ame ican
YA no els since he 1980s, paying pa icula a en ion o he wen y- i s cen u y and
conduc ing a li e a u e e iew along his line. Secondly, his disse a ion in ends o explo e how
he AIDS c isis has been e isi ed and e ised in wen y- i s -cen u y YA li e a u e by
p o iding a close analysis o wo no els ha de ia e om he s e eo ypical app oaches ound
in much wen ie h-cen u y li e a u e: Da id Le i han’s Two Boys Kissing (2013) and Abdi
Nazemian’s Like a Lo e S o y (2019). To his end, and in e ms o me hodological app oach,
his disse a ion is g ounded in close eading s a egies and will deploy a heo e ical amewo k
in o med by quee s udies and ecen c i icism on YA li e a u e engaging wi h quee ness.
Quee s udies will be add essed, in e alia, h ough Judi h Bu le ’s wo k (1990; 1993), and he
li e a u e e iew on YA li e a u e engaging wi h quee ness will d aw on Michael Ca and
Ch is ine Jenkins’ seminal wo k Rep esen ing he Rainbow in Young Adul Li e a u e (2018),
which p o ides an o e iew o he e olu ion o YA li e a u e om he S onewall E a (1969)
o he 2010s.
Finally, as a as he s uc u e o he wo k is conce ned, he disse a ion is di ided in o
wo main pa s: he heo e ical amewo k and he pa de o ed o he close analysis o Two
10
hen expo ed as a o m o neo-impe ialis he o ic o o he pa s o he wo ld” (Gi ney, 2009,
p. 3) and his way, ce ain pa s o he wo ld ha e o apply he heo y ha o he places ha e
c ea ed wi hou he possibili y o adding hei own pe spec i e, “as i colonised by i s
ideological e ec s” (Gi ney, 2009, p. 3). Consequen ly, o some c i ics, “quee discou se in
gene al e lec s he in e es s and in es men s o his g oup o p i ileged academics and s uden s
in he global No h” (Penney, 2014, p. 3).
1.2. Quee ness in Young Adul Li e a u e
In o de o add ess quee ness in Young Adul (YA) li e a u e, i is wo h beginning by b ie ly
add essing he no ion o “adolescence” and i s eme gence as a cul u al ca ego y. O en de ined
as “a ime o in e nal u moil, o s o m and s ess” (Hil on & Nikolaje a, 2012, p. 2),
adolescence e e s o a pe iod o li e whose bounda ies a e, none heless, di icul o pinpoin
and ha e been cons an ly ed awn wi hin a spec um ha anges om 10 o 25 yea s o age
(S einbe g, 2014). As no ed abo e, adolescence is a pe iod o ans o ma ion o en
accompanied by in ense c isis. Fo i is a his s age ha indi iduals begin o sea ch o hei
iden i y, and he s ess esul ing o his sea ch is exace ba ed by hei “sexual awakening and
ho monal u moil” (Hil on & Nikolaje a, 2012, p. 12). Unde s ood as a “sepa a e pa o human
exis ence, oubled and oubling” (Hil on & Nikolaje a, 2012, p. 4), he e m “adolescence”
was i s used in 1904 by psychologis and educa ionalis S anley Hall. He was he i s “ o
dis inguish a sepa a e age be ween he onse o pube y and ma u e adul hood” (Hil on &
Nikolaje a, 2012, p. 2), and his dis inc ion mean a quan um leap. F om his momen onwa ds,
“adolescence became de ined as a p ocess, in con as o he s a ic concep o “boy” o “gi l,”
a pa h by which he child becomes an adul ” (Bax e as ci ed by Hil on & Nikolaje a, 2012, p.
2), and i was also Hall who i s posi ed ha adolescence en ailed a pe iod o “s o m and s ess”
(1904: 73) domina ed by con lic wi h au ho i y igu es, mood dis up ions and isky beha io .

11
Despi e Hall’s con ibu ion, he e m “adolescence” did no pe mea e he ields o educa ion
and psychology, as well as popula pa lance, un il he in e -wa pe iod (1918-1939). The pos -
wa pe iod b ough abou many changes, o example, in he ield o educa ion. The cu iculum
o high schools became mo e specialized, b oadening young people’s in ellec ual ho izons and
changing he p e-wa app oach in which he lessons only e ol ed a ound basic gene al
knowledge o su i e in socie y (Dob asko, 2023, n.p.). Due o he h i ing na u e o he pos -
wa yea s, he wo d “ eenage ” “became widely used wi hin he ealm o consump ion” (Hil on
& Nikolaje a, 2012, p. 7). The p e ious pe iod o ha dship was ollowed by a ime o new ound
a luence. Families, a e much dep i a ion, had once again disposable income and ee ime,
which ansla ed in o a ealm o new possibili ies. Teenage s could enjoy ma e ial goods and
cul u e, hings ha p e iously would ha e been conside ed i olous pleasu es by socie y. This
new economic si ua ion u ned adolescen s in o a a ge o he consume is socie y, and om
his momen on, ce ain p oduc s s a ed o be ad e ised o a clea audience: young people.
Tha momen coincided wi h he bi h o ock and oll, and a s yle o music ha gene ally deal
wi h hemes o eedom, independence, ebellion, and lo e was pe ec o people whose li es
consis ed o such u moil.
A concep ha has been widely used o desc ibe he space ha adolescence occupies in
socie y is ha o “liminali y”. The e m implies a sense o in-be weenness, which cha ac e izes
he li e o he eenage , as hey a e no child en bu s ill a e no able o be au onomous ci izens;
o his eason, hey “s uggle o ecogni ion agains he imposi ions o dominan powe
s uc u es” (Lojo e al., 2021, p.7). One o he main cha ac e is ics o liminali y is change,
which in u n, is one o he main ea u es o adolescence. Teenage s a e cons an ly
ans o ming, hei bodies and in e es s change, bu hei ela ionship wi h he ou side wo ld
also su e s modi ica ions, as hey end o ask o mo e independence and o en ac ecklessly,
challenging es ablished bounda ies (Lojo e al., 2021). The idea o liminali y was in oduced
12
by A nold Van Gennep and de eloped by Vic o Tu ne . Wi h his concep , bo h
an h opologis s wan ed o d aw a en ion o he phases o ansi ion li e when people a e
“be wix and be ween he posi ions assigned and a ayed by law, cus om, con en ion, and
ce emonial” (Tu ne , 1969, p. 95), which a e signalled by i es o passage. Acco ding o Van
Gennep, i es o passage a e “ i es which accompany e e y change o place, s a e, social
posi ion and age” (Van Gennep as ci ed in Tu ne , 1969, p.94). These a e, in u n, di ided in o
h ee phases. The i s phase is known as “sepa a ion” and in ol es “ he de achmen o he
indi idual o g oup ei he om an ea lie ixed poin in he social s uc u e, om a se o
cul u al condi ions, o om bo h” (Tu ne , 1969, p.94). The second is “ he liminal pe iod”: i
is he mos complex one as “ he cha ac e is ics o he i ual subjec ( he “passenge ”) a e
ambiguous; he passes h ough a cul u al ealm ha has ew o none o he a ibu es o he pas
o coming s a e” (Tu ne , 1969, p.94). The inal phase is ha o “ eagg ega ion o
einco po a ion”, in which he ansi ion is accomplished and indi idual e-agg ega ed in o
socie y. Teenage s can be said o inhabi a liminal space as hey oscilla e be ween childhood
and adul hood, a disjunc u e om he i s has occu ed, bu hey ha e no eached he second
ye . This pe iod has o en been de ined as he “p epa a o y s ages in a biological and social
p ocess o ien ed owa ds adul hood” (Lojo e al., 2021, p. 1). Such de ini ion s ips he
adolescen subjec o agency, as i educes eenage s o being jus “adul s in he making” (Lojo
e al., 2021, p. 1). This depic ion o youngs e s as “passi e subjec s” “dep i e[s] child en and
you hs o sociocul u al ele ance, in luence, meaning o agency, as i hey con ibu ed no hing
o, o p o ided no insigh in o, his o ical change” (Lojo e al., 2021, p. 1). E en hough i is
ue ha hey a e in a mo ing p ocess owa d adul hood, his does no mean ha hey do no
ha e hei own in e es s and idiosync asies. Youngs e s li e in a pe pe ual s a e o inqui y, and
his includes sexual o ien a ion, gende iden i y and e en poli ical a ilia ion. Books a e a
13
co ne s one in his p ocess, as hey a e he place whe e many people ind he c ucial pieces o
in o ma ion ha adolescen s need o s a building hemsel es.
In hei book Rep esen ing he Rainbow in Young Adul Li e a u e (2018), Michael Ca
and Ch is ine Jenkins de ine Young Adul (YA) li e a u e as: “[B]ooks ha a e published o
eade s aged wel e o eigh een, ha e a young adul p o agonis , a e old om a young adul
pe spec i e, and ea u e coming-o age o o he issues and conce ns o in e es o YAs” (Ca
& Jenkins, 2018, p.3). This is qui e a educ i e de ini ion bu desc ibing “Young Adul
li e a u e” is a he complex since he e m is “inhe en ly amo phous, o i s cons i uen e ms
“young adul ” and “li e a u e” a e dynamic, changing as cul u e and socie y — which p o ide
hei con ex — change” (Ca , 2008, n.p.). Pu di e en ly, hey a e bo h “cul u al
cons uc ions” ha e ol e ac oss ime and space (Hil on & Nilolaje a, 2012, p. 1). Al hough,
as explained abo e, adolescence s a ed o be add essed om a psychological pe spec i e a
he beginning o he wen ie h cen u y, his ea ly in e es did no ha e a di ec impac on he
way li e a u e o young people was c ea ed, so “[ ]he sen imen al adi ion o w i ing abou
child en o child en simply s e ched o include he eenage yea s” (Hil on & Nikolaje a, 2012,
p. 2). Du ing he u bulen pe iod o he G ea Wa and he Dep ession, “coming o age” s o ies
s a ed o be c ea ed in Ame ica, meanwhile in G ea B i ain: “ eal eenage s con inued o be
o e ed p e-wa child en’s ic ion: domes ic s o ies, school, and ad en u e s o ies” (Hil on &
Nikolaje a, 2012, p. 4). Ne e heless, he igu e o he adolescen in li e a u e a he ime was
s ill obscu e as eenage s we e po ayed as independen indi iduals mo ing owa ds adul hood
bu also “wi h childlike innocence, o al asexuali y, and an a hle ic de o ion o he ou doo
ad en u e cum mys e y ques ” (Hil on & Nikolaje a, 2012, p. 6). I was no un il he Second
Wo ld Wa ha w i e s s a ed o “ ejec he sen imen al adi ion and he in isibili y o eenage
in e io i y in wen ie h-cen u y li e a u e o he young” (Hil on & Nikolaje a, 2012, p. 6).
14
These new na a i es appealed o he youngs e s by “sympa he ically po aying he
aliena ed pains and pleasu es o adolescence” (Hil on & Nikolaje a, 2012, p. 1), allowing hem
o “see hei own aces e lec ed in he pages o a book and [ hus] ind he co olla y com o
ha de i es om he knowledge ha one is no alone in a as uni e se, ha he e a e o he s
“like me””(Ca & Jenkins, 2018, p.3). Apa om he com o and unde s anding ha YA
books p o ide, gi en he ac ha hese books a e o ien ed o young minds s ill in o ma ion,
hey also se e a didac ic pu pose ins uc ing adolescen s in espec and ole ance by b inging
hem “ ace o ace wi h di e en o ms o cul u al aliena ion i sel : he legacy o colonialism,
poli ical injus ice, en i onmen al desec a ion, sexual s e eo yping, consume ism, madness, and
dea h” (Hil on & Nikolaje a, 2012, p. 1). The lou ishing o YA li e a u e in he wen y- i s
cen u y has e en been conside ed “ he mos signi ican li e a y e en o his cen u y” (G ee ,
2021, n.p.), and his has also b ough abou a di e si ica ion o YA li e a u e in e ms o gen es
and conce ns deal wi h. Teenage s connec wi h he s o ies since mos o he main cha ac e s
su e om a lack o agency, and his ends o be one o he youngs e s’ us a ions as hey
yea n o independence (G ee , 2021). Howe e , his idea also esona es wi h olde people.
Adul s endu e he consequences o o ces beyond hei con ol, so he idea o seeing hei
su e ing po ayed p o ides a sense o com o . Acco ding o he s a is ics p o ided by
Wo dsRa ed, o e hal o he consume s who buy YA books a e o e he age ange a ge ed by
his li e a u e, and hal o hose buye s a e in ac be ween ages 30 and 44 (Cu cic,
2023). Ano he ac o ha has impac ed he cu en p omo ion o YA li e a u e is TikTok. The
c ea ion o an in e na ional communi y known as “Book ok”, which e e s o c ea o s whose
con en e ol es a ound alking abou books and ecommending hem, has been emendously
in luen ial. An example o his could be he Colleen Hoo e phenomenon, a comple ely
unknown w i e wo yea s ago who in 2022 held “six o he op 10 spo s on The New Yo k
15
Times’s pape back ic ion bes -selle lis , a s unning numbe o simul aneous bes selle s om
a single au ho . She has sold 8.6 million p in books his yea alone” (Al e , 2022, n.p.).
Mo ing om he gene al o he pa icula , i is su p ising ha he i s YA no el o deal
wi h LGBTQ+ hemes did no come ou un il he S onewall io s
3
in 1969, and I am he e
e e ing o John Dono an’s I’ll Ge The e. I Be e Be Wo h he T ip (1969). Howe e , he
no el does no pain an al oge he posi i e po ai o he LGBTQ+ communi y. Same-gende
a ac ion is depic ed as a di ec consequence o a p oblema ic si ua ion a home, in pa icula ,
a oubled ela ionship wi h he a he igu e, hus pa hologizing quee ness. The publica ion o
YA LGBTQ+ books back in he 1960s was no wi hou con o e sy since i was no conside ed
sui able o he minds o he younges , as i was pe cei ed as a co up ing o ce. The men ion
o homosexuali y in wo ks aimed a hese ea ly s ages was pu ely inciden al, and when
quee ness was indeed ackled, i was o en po ayed in a bla an ly disc imina o y way (Ca &
Jenkins, 2018).
In hei seminal wo k Rep esen ing he Rainbow in Young Adul Li e a u e, Ch is ine
Jenkins and Michael Ca examine YA li e a u e wi h LGBTQ+ con en om he 1970s o he
new millennium and hei indings e eal he ollowing p opo ions: “Ten young adul i les
wi h LGBTQ+ con en we e published in he 1970s, o y in he 1980s, eigh y- wo in he 1990s,
292 in 2000–2009, and 513 i les in 2010–2016” (Ca & Jenkins, 2018, p.xi). Al hough a i s
glance his may seem like an abundan amoun and a good p og ession, when compa ed o he
numbe o publica ions o YA books wi h he e ono ma i e cha ac e s, he po ion
co esponding o quee YA books is minuscule. One p oblem ha can be no iced by looking a
he s a is ics p o ided by Ca and Jenkins is he p edominance o homosexual cha ac e s o e
3
The S onewall Rio s we e a se ies o p o es s and demons a ions ha s a ed on he 28 h o June o 1969 in New
Yo k Ci y. They eme ged as a eac ion o a iolen police aid o he gay club S onewall Inn. The io s con inued
o six days, led by se e al membe s o he LGBTQ+ communi y who we e demons a ing o hei igh s and
agains police b u ali y. This e en is conside ed he dawn o he igh o he igh s o he quee communi y.

16
hose ha ing o he sexual o ien a ions. In addi ion, he e is also a componen o gende bias,
gi en ha mo e han hal o hese s o ies ha e men as p o agonis s (Ca & Jenkins, 2018).
Ne e heless, i mus be s a ed ha a p og essi e ans o ma ion owa ds a mo e posi i e and
ai h ul ep esen a ion o he quee communi y in YA li e a u e can be de ec ed.
In Rep esen ing he Rainbow in Young Adul Li e a u e, Ca and Jenkins di ide
con empo a y YA li e a u e dealing wi h quee ness in o h ee main ca ego ies: homosexual
isibili y, gay assimila ion, and quee consciousness/communi y. Acco ding o hem, wo ks
a ge ing “homosexual isibili y” ha e been he mos nume ous o e he yea s. These books
a e cen e ed a ound a cha ac e coming ou , hei sexuali y being he s o y’s sole ocus. Ye ,
mo e o en han no , his li e a u e is “ma ed by s e eo ypical cha ac e s and p edic able plo s
cen e ed abou he inhe en mise y o gay people’s li es” (Ca & Jenkins, 2018, p.17). The
books na a e he p ocess o acknowledging one’s sexual o ien a ion, “ i s , disco e ing one’s
sexual iden i y, hen second, s uggling o come o e ms wi h i , and hi d, sha ing he u h
abou onesel wi h o he s” (Ca & Jenkins, 2018, p.56). The p edicamen s a s when he
na a i es only del e in o he di icul ies o exis ing as a quee pe son. This ype o s o y is
mo e o ien ed owa ds he educa ion o cishe e osexual people abou “ he s uggles ha quee
people ace daily, by making disc imina ion some hing isual, a he han abs ac ” (Kau ,
2021, n.p.). Hence, he e is a dissonance be ween he subjec o he s o ies and who i is aimed
a . Quee people end o eel uncom o able by hese s o ies because i is a con inuous eminde
o he su e ing hey endu e. Howe e , he main issue is he ac ha be ween he la e 2000s
and he ea ly 2010s, his pessimis ic po ayal o he LBTQ+ communi y became he main
quee publishing end. Du ing his pe iod, some au ho s had a pe nicious ixa ion wi h
po aying he so ows o quee ness, as i was expec ed o quee cha ac e s o endu e
emendous ho o s. “Guil , sel -ha ed, social opp ob ium, and homophobia wi h hei
co olla y h ea s o iolence—ei he sel -imposed o imposed by o he s” (Ca & Jenkins,
17
2018, p.102) a e some elemen s ha desc ibe he cha ac e s. The e was a endency o ace a
“cause-and-e ec ela ionship be ween homosexuali y and physical iolence—e en dea h”
(Ca & Jenkins, 2018, p.29). This is no o say ha all publica ions ollowed his example,
al hough his was he main endency, he e we e se e al excep ions. Ne e heless, as Camille
Pe i s a ed in he essay “Telling Quee Lo e S o ies wi h Happy Endings Is a Fo m o
Resis ance” (2018): “The s uggle shouldn’ always be he s o y”, s o ies abou empowe men
and o celeb a ion a e also needed. The nex subdi ision, “gay assimila ion”, deals wi h
cha ac e s ha “jus happen o be gay” (Ca & Jenkins, 2018, p. x ). This c ea es a wo ld o
possibili ies whe e mo e nuanced dynamics be ween quee cha ac e s can be explo ed. The
hi d and inal g oup desc ibed by he au ho s is ha o na a i es cha ac e ized by he p esence
o a quee communi y (Ca & Jenkins, 2018). This idea was no e y p esen in he i s no els
o he gen e, as he communi y ended o be desc ibed as “being somewhe e o s age, o en in
he pas , some imes in he u u e, usually u ban, and de ini ely a om he een p o agonis ’s
home” (Ca & Jenkins, 2018, p.85). Howe e , om he 1980s onwa ds, he e ha e been
se e al examples whe e glimpses o a communi y can be seen in ba s and cul u al spaces. (Ca
& Jenkins, 2018).
This las decade has been excep ionally b illian o he publica ion o LGBTQ+ books,
and i also s ands ou o he inno a i e and mo e sensi i e ea men o ce ain opes. One
example is he in oduc ion o homosexual amily membe s o e en eache s, which shows
quee eenage s ha ha ing a ul illing u u e is possible o people like hem. These cha ac e s
also se e as men o s, being a guiding o ce helping quee you h na iga e he speci ics o
g owing up being pa o he communi y. The au ho s pay special a en ion o he igu e o he
uncle as “a iable ole model o young homosexuals and, come o hink o i , o all young
people” (Ca & Jenkins, 2018, p.44). Th ough his cha ac e , hope is ansmi ed o he
younge gene a ions. Ano he imp o emen has o do wi h he di e si ica ion o gen es
18
deployed o add ess quee ness wi hin YA ic ion. YA quee li e a u e was ini ially con ined
mainly o omance ic ion; howe e , he e is now a wide ange o op ions, om his o ical
ic ion, such as Las Nigh a he Teleg aph Club (2021) by Malinda Lo, o g aphic no els such
as Cosmoknigh s (2019- p esen ) by Hannah Temple , an asy, as in The Da k Tide (2020) by
Alicia Jasinska, amongs o he s. In addi ion, o e he las decade, YA li e a u e add essing
quee ness has also inco po a ed cha ac e s om di e en e hnici ies and class en i onmen s,
hus explo ing he in e sec ions o di e en iden i y pa ame e s. A p io i, his di e si ica ion
may appea o be a solely posi i e de elopmen , as i gi es a oice o hose who ha e been
sys ema ically silenced. Ye , i is a mo e nuanced a ai , as i is possible ha he au ho s ha e
ul e io mo i es o including hose cha ac e s, o his eason: “ he e is he isk o okenism,
such ha he inclusion o he quee cha ac e is supe icial di e si y a he han genuine
inclusion” (Ca & Jenkins, 2018, p.129). Un o una ely, okenism is some hing ha is p esen
in oday's li e a y landscape. To a oid backlash o he lack o di e si y in hei na a i es,
ce ain au ho s eel obliged o inse cha ac e s who belong o an opp essed collec i e wi hou
any knowledge o in en ion o make i igh . A p ime example o his would be he Ha y Po e
se ies. The au ho , J.K. Rowling, named he only Asian cha ac e in he whole saga “Cho
Chang”, using wo common Asian su names. This, one could a gue, shows a comple e
dis ega d o he cul u e ha she is ying o ep esen . Secondly, Cho Chang is me ely
in oduced as a pawn o he de elopmen o he main cha ac e , ep esen ing he i s lo e
expe ience ha will p epa e him o his chosen one, and hen she disappea s comple ely. Wha
is e en wo se is he ac ha he su name o he only black cha ac e is “Shacklebol ”. Gi en
he his o y o sla e y, i is qui e un o una e. A e c i icism due o he lack o sexual di e si y,
J.K. Rowling announced ha Dumbledo e was indeed gay, e en hough he e is no explici
e e ence ac oss he whole se ies (Owlca ion, 2022). This is a case o e oac i e ep esen a ion,
which happens when “c ea o s explici ly (and e oac i ely) claim ha ce ain cha ac e s a e
19
LGBTQ+, al hough no hing in he s o y de ini i ely con i ms i ” (Kau , 2021, n.p.). This was
a ploy used by Rowling o ge mo e people o wa ch he new ilms abou he Ha y Po e
uni e se, despi e he epea edly using he pla o m o a ack he ansgende communi y. Fo
some c i ics and e iewe s, hese a e all examples o elemen s ha she in oduced in he
na a i es in o de o ill a quo a o “di e se cha ac e s” because all o hem a e “ei he
unde eloped o ine ec ual, packed alongside con inuing s e eo ypes” (Kau , 2021, n.p.).
Re u ning o he ecen de elopmen s in YA li e a u e engaging wi h quee ness, he las
decade has also wi nessed he inclusion o he whole LGBTQ+ communi y. This en ails a s ep
o wa d i we conside ha , in he wen ie h cen u y, LGBTQ+ ep esen a ion was mos ly
es ic ed o gay o lesbian cha ac e s, wi h he absence o o he quee iden i ies being a
pe sis en ea u e. The p esence o bisexual cha ac e s, o example, was negligible; in mos
cases, hey we e elega ed o a seconda y ole. Thei depic ion was lawed, as he e was a
endency o unde s and bisexuali y as a ansi o y sexuali y o a synonym o p omiscui y (Ca
& Jenkins, 2018). Some examples o ecen publica ions ec i ying his bias a e Hea s oppe
(2016- p esen ), a g aphic no el c ea ed by Alice Oseman and in which he ocus is he
ela ionship be ween wo eenage s, one gay and he o he bisexual, and how hey bo h lea n o
accep hemsel es and na iga e he p oblems associa ed wi h adolescence. Ano he ins ance o
his is he an asy saga The Ra en Cycle (2012-2016) by Maggie S ie a e , in which one o
he main cha ac e s is bisexual and has ela ionships wi h people o di e en gende s
h oughou he saga. Rep esen a ion o ansgende indi iduals has also been conspicuous by
i s absence. In he i s ins ances in which a pe son belonging o he ansgende communi y
was included in a li e a y wo k, he way in which hei gende iden i y was ea ed was en i ely
e oneous and ha m ul, in mos cases, wi hou using he app op ia e e minology. The ew
exis ing publica ions a e om he 2010s, and al hough he numbe has been g owing, u he
a en ion o his ques ion is much needed. As cases in poin , we could men ion: And ew Joseph
26
gay iden i ies by abolishing he classic igid de ini ion o homosexual, which es ablished ha
people who iden i ied as such had o sha e a ixed se o ai s. In addi ion, o e coming he
dicho omy o he good gay/ bad gay has also played a c ucial ole. Acco ding o his bina y
logic, he good gay is someone “who wan s o be ‘an o dina y Ame ican’ and no ‘challenge
o h ea en he no m o he e osexuali y’” (Seidman, 2002, as ci ed in Duckels, 2021, p. 431).
This echoes he p ejudiced idea ha people can be whome e hey wan inside closed doo s,
bu ou side, hey a e expec ed o beha e as model ci izens. A “bad gay” wan s o exp ess
himsel in a pa icula way ou side he hegemonic model (Duckels, 2021). De elopmen s in
he ideological a ea ha e also been ans e ed o he c ea ion o quee YA li e a u e. Fo his
eason, he quee expe ience has been di e si ied in he pas decades. One o he main
imp o emen s is ha “gay ep esen a ion is now cen al a he han pe iphe al o he p oduc ion
o cul u e o child en and young people” (Duckels, 2021, p. 431).
As Ca and Jenkins s a e in Rep esen ing he Rainbow in Young Adul Li e a u e,
al hough he si ua ion has imp o ed, one should no o ge ha “AIDS- ela ed li e a u e
emains a e y modes subgen e o LGBTQ+ li e a u e” (Ca & Jenkins, 2018, p.67). This
seems o be con i med by he s udy on he p esence o HIV/AIDS in YA li e a u e conduc ed
by au ho s Melissa G oss, Anne e Y. Goldsmi h, and Debi Ca u h, co e ing a ime ame
om he beginning o he pandemic o 2008. A e ha , he esea che s compiled he esul s in
he book HIV/AIDS in Young Adul No els: An Anno a ed Bibliog aphy (2010). The o al was
nine y- h ee books dealing wi h he AIDS c isis and, gi en he ac ha jus se en een we e
w i en be ween he 1980s and 1990s, he o he se en y-six co espond o he wen y- i s
cen u y. This da a has no been upda ed, as no u he esea ch has been conduc ed along hese
lines. Howe e , De i Mason, in his a icle “How Has Quee YA Add essed HIV/AIDS?”
(2021), decla ed ha , a e ca ying ou an in o mal in es iga ion h ough he pla o m
Good eads, he ound ha be ween 2015 and 2019, only eigh YA i les published in hose i e

27
yea s deal wi h HIV. This is pa icula ly dishea ening gi en ha , as men ioned in he p e ious
sec ion – “Quee ness in Young Adul Li e a u e” – he e has been emendous g ow h since
2010 in he p oduc ion o YA li e a u e. Ye , he AIDS c isis emains ba ely add essed (Mason,
2021). Mo e han hal o he a o emen ioned i les a e se in he wen ie h cen u y, a he peak
o he c isis. The p edicamen o his is ha hey ep esen HIV/AIDS as a “his o ical issue ha
is la gely de ached om young people hemsel es” (Mason, 2021, n.p.), c ea ing a sense o
sepa a edness, when “despi e wha YA sugges s, HIV/AIDS con inues o be a e y eal pa o
he li ed expe ience o many young people in con empo a y Ame ica” (Mason, 2021, n.p.).
Among hose wi h a con empo a y se ing, only one, Ch is ophe Koehle ’s no el Poz, has a
eenage as he one who is HIV posi i e. F om his, we can deduce ha some o he biases o
he p e ious cen u y a e s ill in o ce, like he eluc ance o show in ec ed young people
ollowing he adi ion o innocence associa ed wi h you h o he p edominance o
cishe e osexual main cha ac e s. Two ecen examples o quee YA books ha deal wi h he
AIDS c isis a e Two boys Kissing (2013) and Like a Lo e S o y (2019). No ably, hese wo
no els also e use o p esen Young Adul s as po en ial ic ims o he illness, ep oducing he
p e ious pa e n. Two boys Kissing (2013) by Da id Le i han na a es he li es o se e al
young gay cha ac e s li ing in he wen ie h cen u y. All he s o ies a e in e wo en and old
h ough a G eek cho us made up o he oices o hose who los hei li es du ing he
HIV/AIDS c isis. In so doing, Le i han’s no el es ablishes a connec ion be ween
con empo a y people om he LGBTQ+ communi y and hose who p eceded hem and who
s a ed he igh o hei igh s. Fo i s pa , Like a Lo e S o y (2019) by Abdi Nazemian ells
he s o y o a gay eenage g owing up du ing he peak o he AIDS c isis in Manha an. The
een and his g oup o iends become in ol ed in one o he g ass oo s ini ia i es o he ime,
ACT UP, because he uncle o one o hem is HIV-posi i e. He ma ches he a che ype o he
wise homosexual uncle who ac s as a men o o he new gene a ions.
28
The AIDS C isis in Da id Le i han’s Two Boys Kissing (2013) and
Abdi Nazemian’s Like a Lo e S o y (2019)
Chap e 3: Da id Le i han’s Two Boys Kissing (2013): In e gene a ional
Dialogue a ound AIDS.
Be o e he launch o his i s no el, Boy Mee s Boy (2003), Da id Le i han had a success ul
ca ee as an edi o , as he was, and s ill is, edi o ial di ec o a Scholas ic, and he ounding
edi o o he PUSH imp in , whose pu pose is o ind “new oices and new au ho s in een
li e a u e” (Le i han, 2023, n.p.). As an edi o , Le i han has wo ked wi h many enowned
au ho s and helped launch he ca ee s o se e al bes selling au ho s who pa ed he way o he
YA gen e, including Suzanne Collins, Maggie S ie a e , and Cassand a Cla e. Le i han’s own
li e a y ca ee s a ed in 2003 wi h he publica ion o Boy Mee s Boy (2003). I is a eel-good
no el, depic ing a u opian ci y whe e di e ences a e emb aced, and hus, he LGBTQ+
communi y is, o once, ee om p ejudice and iolence. Boy Mee s Boy was concei ed o
ul ill he au ho ’s desi e o “w i e he book ha I d eamed o ge ing as an edi o – a book
abou gay eens ha doesn’ con o m o he old no ms abou gay eens in li e a u e” (Le i han,
2023, n.p.). The opes ha he wan ed o lea e behind a e he ones p e iously men ioned in
Sec ion 1.2. – “Quee ness in Young Adul Li e a u e” –, namely hose in ol ing s o ies “abou
a gay uncle, o a een who ge s bea en up o being gay, o abou ou cas s who come ou and
ind hey’ e s ill ou cas s, albei ou cas s wi h hei ou cas edness in common” (Le i han, 2023,
n.p.). F om his momen onwa ds, he has become a p oli ic w i e wi h o e hi y i les
published hus a . He has openly decla ed his inclina ion owa ds Young Adul li e a u e,
despi e ha ing explo ed mul iple gen es and o ma s o e he cou se o his ca ee . His
p edilec ion o his gen e is due o he ealm o possibili ies i has o e ed him and, mos
impo an ly, because “ he pa h o quee YA is he pa h o inclusion” (Le i han as ci ed in
29
F anklin, 2018, n.p.). He u he consolida ed himsel as a w i e o quee na a i es wi h ye
ano he no el po aying LGBTQ eens: Two Boys Kissing (2013). The no el came ou on he
10 h anni e sa y o he au ho ’s i s wo k, bu mainly, as he au ho poin ed ou , because: “ he
wo ld o LGBT eens has changed so much in he pas decade, [he] wan ed o ake a look a
whe e we a e now” (Le i han as ci ed in G a e , 2013, n.p.). Le i han wan ed o explo e and
es ablish syne gies be ween he quee gene a ion be o e his, deeply sca ed by AIDS, and he
cu en one, who li es in an en i ely echnological wo ld wi h access o all kinds o con en and
in o ma ion (G a e , 2013).
Be o e plunging in o he analysis o Two Boys Kissing, i is wo h conside ing bo h he
no el’s co e and i s e y i le. The idea behind he co e , which was con o e sial upon
publica ion, was ha he au ho ound i necessa y o inally ha e a kiss be ween wo men in
he YA sec ion o b eak he aboo su ounding same-sex ela ionships (G a e , 2013). Equally
signi ican is he i le, which comes om Wal Whi man’s poem “We Two Boys Toge he
Clinging” (1867), a beau i ul li e a y piece abou he lo e be ween wo young men o ged
amids he ha dships o wa . The poem is also eci ed in he s o y by he main cha ac e s when
he eco d-b eaking kiss occu s. In e es ingly, i was Da id Hockney’s eponymous a wo k
(1961) ha d ew Le i han’s a en ion o Whi man’s poem. The image y o he a wo k de i es
om he poem i sel ; and, in ac , speci ic lines om he poem appea on he can as. Le i han
ci es many o he li e a y wo ks as inspi a ional sou ces o he no el, mos no ably accoun s o
he AIDS epidemic w i en du ing i s peak back in he 1980s-1990s. As Le i han has
acknowledged in di e en media, while w i ing he no el, he ead di e en gen es, jou nalis ic
epo s, memoi s, and ic ion o pe ec he oice he wan ed o es ablish o he cha ac e s.
Among hem a e he classic And he Band S ill Played On: Poli ics, People, and he AIDS
Epidemic (1987) by Randy Shil s, he memoi Bo owed Time: An AIDS Memoi (1988) by
Paul Mone e, and he widely known play Angels in Ame ica: A Gay Fan asia on Na ional
30
Themes (1993) by Tony Kushne , which is men ioned on mul iple occasions. In addi ion, he
no el also echoes a symbolic e en in LGBTQ+ his o y: wo s uden s, Ma Daley and Bobby
Canciello, b oke he Guinness Wo ld Reco d o he longes con inuous kiss in 2010. Daley
con ided o Le i han ha he ound he mo i a ion o do his a e eading Le i han’s Boy Mee s
Boy (2003). As Le i han was ying o pay homage o his p e ious gene a ion o gay pionee s,
he li e o his uncle, who is gay and was once close o ge ing in ec ed, was a guiding o ce in
he wo k.
Two Boys Kissing (2013) na a es he li es o eigh gay eenage s li ing in wen y- i s -
cen u y No h Ame ica: Ha y and C aig a emp o se he Guinness Wo ld Reco d o he
longes kiss as a o m o ac i ism, hus esponding o he ac ha hei iend Ta iq, ano he
main cha ac e , was a ic im o gay-bashing; A e y and Ryan a e a newly- o med couple
na iga ing he s a o a new ela ionship while dealing wi h hei insecu i ies; Pe e and Neil
a e long- e m boy iends coping wi h hei solidi ied ela ionship; and, inally, Coope is a gay
een u e ly e i ied o being ou o he close and who sea ches o a connec ion on he In e ne
o make him eel ali e. As he no el p og esses, he s o ies o hese cha ac e s in e wine,
o e ing a di e se and complex po ayal o he li es o LGBTQ+ you h as hey na iga e
miles one e en s: i s lo e, ela ionships, pain, coming ou , and accep ance in a wo ld ha may
no always unde s and o suppo hem. In addi ion o his se o wen y- i s -cen u y cha ac e s,
ollowing he ancien G eek adi ion, he no el includes a cho us composed by nameless men
who died o AIDS back in he las decades o he wen ie h cen u y.
Ce ain o mal ea u es o he no el con ibu e o i s e ec i eness and impac . Fi s ly,
he sec ions na a ed by he cho us a e, o he mos pa , w i en in a s yle ha bo ows om
he s eam-o -consciousness echnique so popula in Mode nis w i ing, and his allows o he
join explo a ion o pas and p esen , while gi ing a d eam-like quali y o hese unique
na a o s. I is in e es ing o men ion ha he no el has an expe imen al s uc u e, gi en ha
31
he book is no di ided in o con en ional chap e s bu comp ises sho sec ions. This s a egy
helps o es ablish he agmen ed iden i ies o he di e en cha ac e s in he s o y, a he same
ime as i se es o con o m a mosaic o sha ed expe iences. The no el e e ences his o ical
e en s and cul u al elemen s o c ucial signi icance o he LGBTQ+ communi y, adding
con ex and dep h o he cha ac e s. Some examples could be he inclusion o in e ex ual
e e ences o quee books such as Gio anni’s Room (1956) by James Baldwin o The Pe ks o
Being a Wall lowe (1999) by S ephen Chbosky, as well as allusions o such his o ical e en s
as he S onewall Rio s, o o pop s a s o g ea impo ance o he communi y such as Lady
Gaga. Finally, he mos in e es ing ea u e, and he one ha makes his book an excellen
umina ion on AIDS, is he na a i e s yle. Da id Le i han’s no el Two Boys Kissing (2013)
in eg a es a G eek cho us in he na a ion, gi ing a oice o hose who we e sys ema ically
silenced, ha is, a g oup o unnamed gay men who succumbed o HIV- ela ed complica ions:
We a e you shadow uncles, you angel god a he s, you mo he ’s o you
g andmo he ’s bes iend om college, he au ho o ha book you ound in
he gay sec ion o he lib a y [...] We a e he ghos s o he emaining olde
gene a ion. (Le i han, 2013, p. 3)
This s o y- elling echnique is appealing because i allows he eade “ o see and hea he ac ion
om an omniscien en i y ha commen s, eaches, chee s, and g ie es” (Ha is, 2014, n.p.).
These men ca y he na a ion and, as he s o y p og esses, hey e lec on hei cumula i e
expe iences and li es o gi e con ex and counsel. The G eek Cho us eminds he eade ha
he quee communi y had o endu e a long his o y o p ejudice and opp ession, b inging o h
hei s uggles, while commen ing on he main cha ac e ’s expe iences. Howe e , he collec i e
oice is “[d]enied ue agency, Le i han’s spi i s can only wa ch he s o y un u l, enla ging i s
meanings whe e hey can and ease ou c oss-gene a ional epiphanies” (Baya d, 2013, n.p.).
Fo example, a he ime o Coope ’s acciden al ou ing, hey know wha will happen, as many

32
o hem ha e al eady expe ienced i . No wi hs anding, he e is no hing hey can do o change
he cou se o e en s:
We shi e in ecogni ion a wha ’s abou o happen. [...] We wan o wake
Coope up. We wan o make he doo loude as i opens. We wan his a he ’s
oo s eps o sound like hunde , bu ins ead hey sound like ligh ning.
(Le i han, 2013, p. 24)
O e all, he all-seeing igu es ha make up he cho us p o ide a nuanced examina ion o
he s uggle o LGBTQ+ people back in he peak o he c isis du ing he 1980s and how hey
we e ea ed du ing his de as a ing pe iod, while also gi ing con ex o he s o y. They also
“ ie oge he pas and u u e, li ing and dead, and gi e hema ic weigh o he no el’s o m,
wi h i s sepa a e s o ies s i ched in o a la ge whole, like he AIDS Memo ial Quil , begun in
1987 and s ill being sewn” (Qua lebaum, 2013, n.p.). Fu he mo e, he cho us con eys a sense
o hope and esilience, demons a ing ha , despi e he su e ing, he e is a s ong sense o
compassion and solida i y.
3.1 Re isi ing he AIDS C isis in Two Boys Kissing
In Two Boys Kissing (2013), AIDS o ganizes he oices o he cho us ha ame he wen y-
i s -cen u y na a i es o LGBT you hs. While he s o y may no be p ima ily abou AIDS, i s
p esence is i al o ensu e he ull unde s anding o he no el (Pea l, 2013). Monica Pea l, in
he seminal wo k AIDS Li e a u e and Gay Iden i y: The Li e a u e o Loss (2013), decla ed
ha mos AIDS s o ies ely on ealism as a li e a y gen e, because “ hey [ ealis ic no els]
embody he kind o na a i e ha is mos com o able, accessible, and amilia ” (Pea l, 2013,
p. 27). Le i han pa akes in his s a egy, albei only pa ially, because he na a i e is led by a
g oup o men who died due o HIV- ela ed complica ions du ing he peak o he AIDS c isis,
hus c ea ing a hyb id o he ealis ic gen e by in oducing a supe na u al elemen .
33
Two Boys Kissing p esen s a b idge be ween he expe iences o pas and p esen
gene a ions o quee people. This is made ob ious a he beginning o he s o y when Neil, one
o he main cha ac e s, “is s uck by a eeling o deep, unnamed g a i ude. He ealizes ha pa
o his good o une is his place in his o y” (Le i han, 2013, p. 2). This momen is salien
because he cha ac e acknowledges he secu i y p o ided by he pe iod in which he was bo n:
li ing in he wen y- i s cen u y gi es Neil access o in o ma ion and me hods o p o ec ion so
ha he can enjoy his li e as a young gay man wi hou being cons an ly o e whelmed by he
ea o alling ill. Wha is mo e, how his momen o e ela ion is desc ibed is o c ucial
impo ance: “[H]e hinks lee ingly o us, he ones who came be o e. We a e no names o aces
o him; we a e an abs ac ion, a o ce” (Le i han, 2013, p. 2). This hough is only momen a y,
and he oices ep esen ing he deceased du ing he peak o he c isis a e jus an abs ac ion o
him. The ac ha he na a o s ha e access o he eenage s’ inne mos e lec ions, such as
Neil’s, makes he ex collapse he p esen /pas sepa a ion.
Despi e he cho us being he mos salien ea u e o he s o y, AIDS is ba ely men ioned
explici ly h oughou he s o y: he e m only appea s wice in he en i e y o he no el.
Th oughou he no el, speci ic niche e e ences a e made o es ablish he ela ionship o he
cho us wi h AIDS: “We a e cha ac e s in a Tony Kushne play o names on a quil ha a ely
ge s aken ou anymo e” (Le i han, 2013, p. 3). This is no qui e as e ec i e, as i demands
p io cul u al knowledge, ob ia ing ha no many people, especially ou o he quee
communi y, know he plo o Kushne ’s Angels in Ame ica: A Gay Fan asia on Na ional
Themes (1993)
4
o he symbolic cha ge o a quil
5
in his con ex . I is ue ha , by naming
4
Kushne ’s play is an allego ical examina ion o AIDS and homosexuali y in Ame ica du ing he decade o he
1980s. The main cha ac e disco e s ha he has con ac ed HIV and his long- e m boy iend, unable o cope wi h
he diagnosis, abandons him.
5
The AIDS Memo ial Quil is an impo an emblem o ememb ance, hope and ac i ism. Each panel
commemo a es he li e o a pa icula pe son who died o AIDS.
34
AIDS/HIV explici ly, a con e sa ion a ound he issue is enabled. Howe e , by only making
allusions, Le i han conceals he eali y and he iden i y o hose a ec ed.
Ano he c i ique ha can be le elled a he no el is ha he ex p omo es he
misconcep ion ha only adul s ge in ec ed, and he ac ha AIDS is mos ly p esen ed as a
undamen ally his o ical issue ha has no eal impac on ou cu en socie y. The i s explici
men ion o he illness is on page 8 when he cho us s a es: “Some o us swea we died o
hea b eak, no AIDS” (Le i han, 2013, p. 8). This and simila sombe s a emen s a e
p onounced by he cho us o p esen he cons an su e ing and disc imina ion hey aced back
in he 1980s, and while i is u e ly impo an o b ing o h hei es imony, his could be
unde s ood as an a emp o loca e he issue in he pas . Howe e , he p esence o he his o y
eache b eaks his pa e n. Tom Bellamy, he eache , is he only pe son in he en i onmen o
he young p o agonis s who is HIV-posi i e, which b ings he illness o he p esen , e en
hough i is s ill embodied in a middle-aged pe son and mos expe iences he ecalls ook place
in he pas . I is a a o able po ayal, as he diagnosis did no mean a dea h sen ence in his
case. This was possible due o he ac ha M . Bellamy go ill la e , when medica ion was
al eady a ailable: “[W]hen his blood u ned agains him, i was a li le la e on and he cock ail
was s a ing o wo k. So he li ed” (Le i han, 2013, p. 109). Tom Bellamy belonged o he
gene a ion who ecei ed he ull-blown o ce o he c isis, so his p esence p o ides an hones
and aw window in o he eali y o he ime. I a icula es he social g ie ances o a
ma ginalized collec i e who had o su e cons an mis ea men and dehumaniza ion. Tom was
he e o all o hem, o e ing he com o ha hey p o usely lacked and holding hei hands
un il hei las momen . The cho us po ays him as a beacon o hope, who i elessly suppo ed
his com ades, despi e he immense emo ional pain his caused o him:
Tom wen h ough i all wi h us. Tom made i h ough. He was he e in he
hospi al wi h so many o us, he a changel o S . Vincen ’s, ou heal hie
35
e sion, p odding he doc o s and calling o e he nu ses and holding ou hands
and holding he hands o ou pa ne s, ou pa en s, ou li le sis e s—anyone
who had a hand o be held. He had o wa ch so many o us die, had o say
goodbye so many imes. (Le i han, 2013, p. 109)
This is a beau i ul ibu e o all hose compassiona e souls who sel lessly ca ed o hei iends
in he ace o dea h and despai . The passage also ouches on he p o ound impac ha he
epidemic had on Tom and he su i o s o he communi y: “wha losing mos o you iends
does: I makes you una aid [...] because you ha e al eady su i ed much, much wo se. In ac ,
you a e s ill su i ing” (Le i han, 2013, p. 109). I sugges s ha he expe ience has sca ed he
su i o as hey will ca y he auma o seeing hei iends succumb o he illness; bu i also
has g an ed hem a unique pe spec i e on li e, and hey a e una aid o speak ou and be
hemsel es, ega dless o wha o he s may hink. I is also signi ican ha he no el shows he
possibili y o a happy u u e o he quee elde s: Tom Bellamy is ali e, has a ul illing job and
is happily ma ied. The inal sen ence, whe e Tom looks up a he sky, is a beau i ul eminde
ha he memo ies o hose who we e los a e s ill wi h hem, e en as hey mo e o wa d wi h
hei li es.
The second ime he wo d AIDS is men ioned explici ly, i inally occu s in a
con empo a y si ua ion, de ying he a o emen ioned endency o loca e i in he pas . A
homophobic man calls on a adio o commen on he eco d-winning kiss: “I hope hey’ e
gi ing each o he AIDS,” [...]“I hope ha when hey’ e dying o AIDS, hey show ha on he
In e ne , oo, so child en will know wha happens i you kiss like ha ” (Le i han, 2013, p. 129).
This o ensi e commen p o ides an oppo uni y o Neil o con on his pa en s and exp ess
his us a ion a hem o ailing o ecognize ha he is gay. The eenage is incensed when his
amily does no seem o be aced by wha he s ange said – “When some hing like ha is
42
(Nazemian, 2022). Nazemian’s cul u al iden i y and sexual o ien a ion a e pe asi e hemes in
mos o his oeu e and, in e ec , he p oudly con esses his belonging o wha is known as he
#OwnVoices mo emen
7
. The au ho desc ibes w i ing as a es o a i e p ocess, conside ing
ha he g ew up wi hou ole models in he a is ic sphe e, which made him eel as i “[he]
didn’ eally exis , o a he e y leas like he wo ld didn’ wan [him] o exis ” (Nazemian as
ci ed in F egni, 2022, n.p.). As a eac ion, he decided o “w [i] e [him]sel in o exis ence”
(Nazemian as ci ed in F egni, 2022, n.p.), c ea ing di e se s o ies so ha no child would eel
he way he did.
Like a Lo e S o y (2019) is se in 1989 and na a es he s o y o Reza, an I anian
eenage who eloca es o New Yo k in his las yea o high school, he eby showing
au obiog aphical unde pinnings om i s incep ion. He be iends a gi l called Judy while also
s a ing o de elop an in e es in he only gay een in he school: Judy’s bes iend, A . The
cha ac e s’ d ama ic lo e iangle and amilia si ua ions in e wea e wi h a desola ing
backg ound ma ked, in e alia, by he AIDS c isis. The eenage s, h ough Judy’s dying Uncle
S ephen, become acquain ed wi h gay cul u e, and a e in ol ed in he p epa a ion o ACT UP
p o es s, gi en ha he i s ac ions o he o ganiza ion ook place in he la e 1980s. Th oughou
he no el, he p o agonis emba ks himsel on a jou ney o sel -disco e y, which culmina es
wi h S ephen’s dea h, p omp ing Reza’s comple e accep ance o his sexual o ien a ion.
The no el is a ep esen a ion o he au ho ’s childhood, as he himsel desc ibed i :
“[I] ’s like a big piece o me is on he page” (Nazemian as ci ed in Baucas, 2019, n.p.).
Nazemian aimed o depic he expe ience o coming o age as a gay immig an in he Uni ed
S a es du ing a pe iod when he only in o ma ion he go abou his sexuali y was associa ed wi h
dea h and disease. Fo him, g owing up amids he AIDS epidemic was “ he single bigges
7
#OwnVoices e e s o “an au ho om a ma ginalized o unde - ep esen ed g oup w i ing abou hei own
expe iences and om hei own pe spec i e” (The Wes po Lib a y, 2019, n.p.)

43
in luence on [his] li e in a a ie y o ways, bo h good and pain ul” (Nazemian as ci ed in Lewis,
2020, n.p.). The au ho sough o con ey he ea and shame he expe ienced back hen, as well
as he lo e and uni y ha he also el du ing he pe iod. Because, acco ding o Nazemian, his
is a s o y abou “lo e o you iends, o you cul u e, o you communi y, and so in a lo o
ways, he jou ney o he book is ha ha ealiza ion, ha lo e is ul ima ely s onge han ea ”
(Nazemian as ci ed in Baucas, 2019, n.p.). The na a i e b ims wi h hope as i pays homage o
he many indi iduals who aided he au ho in o e coming he s igma and accep ing himsel ,
including a is s, ac i is s, and men o s, he ones who made i and hose who did no .
Nazemian d ew inspi a ion om his expe ience du ing he heigh o he AIDS c isis,
ha is, he 1980s. This is e lec ed in he way he implemen ed he ja gon used by eenage s a
he ime o he music popula among he communi y’s younges membe s. E en so, he ne e
pa ook in any ac i ism mo emen , so he equi ed ho ough esea ch, gi en he impo ance o
he opic and his wish o p o ide a bona ide accoun o he e en s. Apa om eading se e al
ch onicles o he ime and wa ching documen a ies, Nazemian coun ed on wo ACT UP
ac i is s o supe ise he accu acy o his w i ing because he au ho was adaman abou ge ing
i igh o p o ide he mos accu a e po ayal o he o ganiza ion as possible. Nazemian ci ed
se e al w i e s as ouchs ones o quee a such as Osca Wilde o James Baldwin, much like
Le i han, and ilmmake s such as Ped o Almodó a . Old Hollywood is ano he o he au ho ’s
main ascina ions, and i plays an in eg al pa in he no el, gi en ha du ing he mo ie nigh s,
a c ucial momen o com o o he cha ac e s o he na a i e, hey always wa ch ilms om
ha e a (T acy, 2019).
As o he i le – Like a Lo e S o y – i eme ged om one o Nazemian’s chie sou ces
o inspi a ion: Madonna. The s o y’s cha ac e s discuss why she names he wo ks “Like a”,
ci ing he albums Like a Vi gin (1984) and Like a P aye (1989) as examples. A a gues, o
example, ha Madonna is explo ing he illusion o some hing, in his case, o sex and eligion.
44
Howe e , be ween hese wo albums, he singe eleased ano he called T ue Blue because “sex
and eligion a en’ clea -cu o he , bu lo e is” (Nazemian, 2019, p. 67); i no , she would ha e
p obably named i Like a Lo e S o y. Rega ding o he o mal ea u es, he no el has a iple
pe spec i e, as Reza, A , and Judy ake u ns na a ing he s o y. The h ee o hem ep esen
he di e en a che ypes o people who we e a he on lines o he igh : hose who we e ou
and p oud and eady o igh like A , hose who we e no ye p epa ed o emb ace hei
“au hen ic” sel es like Reza, and inally, hose who o e ed hei allyship because o hei
in insic connec ion wi h di e si y, as hey ound hemsel es ou side he hegemonic canon, like
Judy. As adumb a ed a he beginning, he imeline o Like a Lo e S o y co e s oughly he
school yea o 1989-1990. The choice o ha pa icula yea is s a egic. I was he yea o he
ACT UP p o es s ha a ac ed he au ho ’s a en ion, as well as a pi o al momen in his
adolescence. The no el is di ided in o h ee sec ions, which a e, in u n, subdi ided in o
con en ional chap e s based a ound an ACT UP ac ion.
4.1. Re isi a ion o he AIDS C isis in Like a Lo e S o y
Conside ing wha has been explained in Chap e 2.2., one could say ha Like a Lo e S o y
(2019) belongs o he na a i e end o e isi ing he AIDS c isis om new lenses, a endency
desc ibed as: “[T]he impulse o look back a he s a o he c isis om he pe spec i e o a
p eca ious bu amelio a ed p esen in which he dus has se led on an o iginal scene o auma”
(Duckels, 2022, p. 5). In e ec , as no ed abo e, he no el akes place amids he highes poin
o he epidemic, and in one o he mos punished s a es: 1989, New Yo k ci y.
Nazemian does a an as ic job ep esen ing he pe iod in which he no el is se and he
AIDS c isis. The au ho humanizes he c isis by gi ing insigh and no depic ing a
my hologized e sion o he pandemic. Despi e none o he main cha ac e s being HIV-
posi i e, hei ela ionship wi h S ephen makes hem connec wi h ACT UP and ha e a window
45
in o he eali y o hose who su e . This access makes an hones po ayal o he illness
possible. Nazemian does no shy away om gi ing explici desc ip ions o he ha sh si ua ion
o HIV-posi i e people du ing a pe iod when “gay iden i y and disease seemed inex icably
en wined” (Wood ow-Bu che , 2019, n.p.). The au ho desc ibes he impac on he physique o
hose in ec ed, how hey look like ghos s o who hey we e be o e. Towa ds he end o he
no el, his is illus a ed du ing S ephen’s las days, when his niece e lec s on he aes he icized
iew o pain usually shown in he media, and which con as s wi h wha he is expe iencing.
Judy adds ha his uncle has been educed o a shell o wha he once was, now needing his
younge sis e o end o him as i he we e a child. Ano he c ucial de ail ha con ibu es o he
depic ion o he si ua ion a he ime is added by S ephen, when he men ions ha he in ec ed
did no ecei e a modicum o digni y, since hei co pses we e ca ied ou om he hospi al in
ga bage bags – and his also happened o his pa ne . The no el is he e d ama izing a p ac ice
ha is well documen ed as shown by he ollowing lines om he documen a y How o Su i e
a Plague (2012)
8
, “when people died in he hospi al, hey used o pu hem in black ash bags”
(F ance, 2012, 00:20:14). In addi ion, he documen a y also men ions ha ce ain une al
homes did no accep o bu y he bodies o hose who we e in ec ed. These ac s exempli y he
double indigni y o which HIV-posi i e people we e condemned, i s in li e and hen in dea h.
I is wo h men ioning ha he no el echoes speci ic pa e ns o he ep esen a ion o
he AIDS C isis in YA li e a u e. Fi s , he e is he p ominen ole o he gay uncle as a men o .
The connec ion wi h S ephen helps A unde s and he complexi y o sexuali y, guiding him
h ough he p ocess o sel -accep ance. Gi en ha A ’s amily is homophobic, he looks up o
S ephen as: “[T]he dad [he] wish[es] [he] had, he dad [he] was supposed o ha e, he man [he]
conside [his] spi i ual a he ” (Nazemian, 2019, p. 22). Mo eo e , S ephen ul ills he ole o
8
How o Su i e a Plague (2012) is “ he s o y o wo coali ions—ACT UP and TAG (T ea men Ac ion
G oup)—whose ac i ism and inno a ion u ned AIDS om a dea h sen ence in o a manageable condi ion”
(How o Su i e a Plague, 2023, n.p.).
46
he men o by gi ing A lashca ds explaining “[THEIR] his o y” (Nazemian, 2019, p. 68) and
by showing him he impo ance o o ganized poli ical ac ion. Towa ds he end o he no el,
A ’s e olu ion is comple ed when Judy ells him ha he has “li e ally u ned in o S ephen”
(Nazemian, 2019, p. 357). Ano he signi ican aspec is ha only adul seconda y cha ac e s
a e in ec ed he e, as is o en he case in much YA ic ion (see Chap e 2.2.). In he epilogue,
he eade lea ns ha A is HIV-posi i e; howe e , his is only men ioned in passing, and i
happens once he ge s olde , ein o cing he idea ha eenage s a e oo innocen o be a ec ed
and in ec ed. No wi hs anding, i mus be highligh ed ha his no el di e ges om he gene al
end and depic s he c isis as “a conce n o quee adolescen s[...] acknowledg[ing] hei
pe sonal connec ions o he ime pe iod and hei ole as i s wi nesses” (Duckels, 2022, p. 5)
As no ed in Chap e 2.1., he pandemic b ough a sense o e o o many people,
ende ing hem incapable o con inuing hei li es wi hou being e i ied. In his no el, Reza
is consumed by pa anoia due o he pe asi e s igma and he gene al lack o exposu e o
accu a e in o ma ion abou HIV. F om a young age, Reza knew he was in e es ed in boys, bu
when he i s a i ed in To on o, he saw a magazine discussing he ho o s o he AIDS
epidemic:
[S]ickness, disease, lesions, young men dying. I knew ha I liked i when boys’
swim unks ell. Bu he ac ha his would kill me, his was some hing I did
no know un il ha momen . Un il Time magazine in o med me ha I would
die soon. (Nazemian, 2019, p. 8)
F om ha momen onwa ds, he s a ed o ea o his u u e, e en going so a as o claim ha
he will no ge o each old age. When he sees A ’s pic u e, he s ops himsel om eeling
a ac ion by hinking abou men dying o AIDS, which ellingly poin s a his in e nalized ea .
Fo a long ime, he supp esses his sexual iden i y because, acco ding o him, “ o li e, [he] can’
e e be wha [he] know[s] ha [he] [is]” (Nazemian, 2019, p. 14). Reza’s ea is oo ed in his
47
sel -ha ed bu also in his lack o knowledge. In ac , on se e al occasions h oughou he no el,
he acknowledges o be un amilia wi h how HIV is ansmi ed. This is because he is g owing
up du ing a pe iod when AIDS was s ill gene ally known as GRID (Gay- ela ed immune
de iciency), a disease “bo n o [ hei ] de iciencies” (Nazemian, 2019, p. 39), and o ha
eason, wha sca ce in o ma ion he e was on he subjec is manipula ed. In he i s pages o
he book, when Reza acciden ally hu s himsel , he s ops his mo he om ouching his blood,
“[j]us in case [his] blood is oxic. Jus in case you can ge i om ha ing oo many hough s
o boys in locke ooms” (Nazemian, 2019, p. 5). Simila ly, he is also e i ied o sha e space
wi h a pe son wi h AIDS, a aid ha he will ca ch he i us jus by b ea hing he same ai . Jus
be o e mee ing Uncle S ephen, A explains o him how he illness e ol es, and he luids ha
in e ene in he ansmission o he disease. Howe e , Reza’s pa anoia uns so deep ha he
sees simple ouches, such as kissing o holding hands, as a h ea . Finally, Reza eaches a poin
whe e he can see beyond his panic, and his is demons a ed in he beau i ul momen when he
g abs he hand o one o S ephen’s iends, e en hough ha man is HIV-posi i e:
I eeze when I no ice ano he lesion on his palm. I eel i s ex u e on me. I
emind mysel his isn’ how you ge in ec ed, and I g ip his hand so igh ha
he lesion disappea s in ou uni ed palms. The e’s no pu ple anymo e. Jus my
b own hand g ipped in o his black one. (Nazemian, 2019, p. 228)
Reza’s anxie y is also e lec ed in his ea o sex. As a eenage ha ing his i s
ela ionship, he canno s op hinking abou he possibili y o ge ing in ec ed. His ea is,
indeed, mo e p ominen han his desi e, gi en ha : “The momen [he] come[s] close o doing
mo e, [he] eel[s] he ea and ins an ly hink abou disease, dea h, blindness, and lesions. I
pa alyzes [him]” (Nazemian, 2019, p. 277). Reza is unable o pe cei e sex as any hing o he
han a dea h sen ence, e en when his iends ell him abou condoms and o he me hods

48
necessa y o be sa e. Jimmy, a iend o S ephen, ies o explain o Reza wha p o ound
meaning he union o wo bodies ep esen s:
Tha in imacy is beau i ul. Tha eeling like one wi h ano he human being is
why we we e pu on his plane . I connec s us o e e y hing good ha exis s
inside us and ou side us. And you can’ be obbed o ha . S ay sa e, bu don’
lock you sel in a p ison. Li e. (Nazemian, 2019, p. 286)
This is a poignan s a emen , because se e al people, as Jimmy men ions, we e no gi en he
possibili y o enjoying hemsel es wi hou i being a eminde o impending doom. Reza canno
anscend his e o and ha e in e cou se wi h his pa ne un il S ephen’s dea h. I is du ing ha
momen o deep so ow ha he can seek a momen o connec ion and pu e lo e wi h A .
Despi e he bleak eali y i ep esen s, he na a i e is no only abou auma, ange , o
ea . Like a Lo e S o y con ains a my iad o examples o lo e and communi y. The no el is
iddled wi h examples o lo e ha go beyond he oman ic. This encompasses iendships,
ound amilies, and uncondi ional a ec ion wi hin he LGBTQ+ communi y. One example
could be he e e ence wi h which HIV-posi i e people ea each o he . They a e no jus
indi iduals who sha e he agedy o a dea hly bu den; hey a e amily. S ephen and Jimmy,
a e he de as a ing loss o hei pa ne s, become pla onic companions. They a e each o he ’s
g ea es suppo , wi h a hea el bond based on comple e unde s anding. The pai o en de o e
hei ime o emembe ing hose who died, gi en ha hey know he impo ance o keeping
hei legacy ali e. The po en ial o solida i y and compassion is shown h ough he ac ions
coo dina ed by ACT UP, a g oup whose sole pu pose was o help hose who we e being
bla an ly igno ed in hei su e ing. Mo eo e , he s o y also men ions how some imes hey all
sha ed ac ion wi h o he g oups, o example, he Women’s Heal h Ac ion and Mobiliza ion
(WHAM!). This p o ides ano he example o how impo an he coming oge he o di e en
g oups was a he ime, and i also demons a es he powe o compassion.
49
4.2. The In e sec ion o Pop Cul u e and Quee Iden i y in Times o C isis in Like a Lo e
S o y
The phenomenon o cul u al ansmission plays a c ucial ole in Like a Lo e S o y. Old
Hollywood and pop di as es ablish a b idge be ween he younge and he olde gene a ion o
quee indi iduals. This connec ion b ings com o o bo h g oups and se es o pass on
knowledge abou he communi y indi ec ly.
The unique connec ion many gay men seem o ha e wi h pop di as o igina es om
seeing hei s uggles e lec ed in he a is s. Fi s and o emos , bo h women and gay men
su e ep ession, he o me om he pa ia chal socie y, pa icula ly gi en ha hey a e in a
male-domina ed ield, and he la e due o hem dis up ing he he e ono ma i e ma ix.
Mo eo e , bo h di as and some gays end o be chas ised o hei hype - eminini y. In he case
o women, people associa e said quali y wi h a lack o in elligence, ep esen ed by he concep
o he “bimbo”; in he case o men, i is conside ed unna u al. Hence, unde lying his
iden i ica ion be ween he gay man and he di a is, a imes, he ollowing p oposi ion: “I he
di a is accep ed and ado ed because o he o e he op, he “o dina y,” hype - eminized
beha io , maybe he gay man can be as well” (Pax on, 2011, p. 13).
In Like a Lo e S o y, a he han adding o he gene aliza ion o homosexuals being
d awn o pop music due o hei inhe en lamboyan iden i y, Nazemian “ ans o ms he
s e eo ype in o a sou ce o powe , o eg ounding i as a use ul poli ic o gay cul u al and sexual
iden i ica ion” (Duckels, 2022, p. 13). Reza is an I anian immig an ; hus, his access o media
and pop cul u e has always been limi ed, so when A in oduces him o Madonna, a whole
wo ld o possibili ies opens be o e him. Reza becomes obsessed wi h he a is , illing his oom
wi h pos e s and buying all he eco ds. He explains his deep ascina ion o he by s a ing:
“[T]he e’s some hing deepe like she is saying all he hings ha I wan o be saying”
(Nazemian, 2019, p. 91). Madonna’s music and he pe o mances p o ide Reza wi h “a
50
symbolic elease al e o he ep ession o he close ” (Duckels, 2022, p. 13), while helping
him become he pe son he has always wan ed o be. Thanks o he a is , Reza, like Abdi
Nazemian, “saw quee ness no as a dea h sen ence, bu as a communi y and an iden i y o be
celeb a ed” (Nazemian, 2019, n.p.).
When he main cha ac e s con e se abou he appeal o pop di as o he gay communi y,
A hinks ha his is because: “We [quee people] can see wha ’s hiding behind he a i ice”
(Nazemian, 2019, p. 66). This idea o a i ice ela es o he aes he ic heo y o “Camp”, de ined
as: “[L]o e o he unna u al: o a i ice and exagge a ion” (Son ag, 1964, p. 1). Old Hollywood
p o ided a glamo ous u opia o indi iduals s uck in non-p og essi e a eas. Daniel Ha ies
desc ibes he associa ion o he wo g oups wi h his poignan s a emen :
A he e y hea o gay di a wo ship is no he di a he sel bu he almos
uni e sal homosexual expe ience o os acism and insecu i y, which ul ima ely
led o wha migh be called he aes he icism o maladjus men , he gay man’s
exploi a ion o cinema ic isions o Hollywood g andeu o ele a e himsel
abo e his an agonis ic su oundings and simul aneously exp ess membe ship
in a sec e socie y o uppe -class aes he es. (Ha ies, 1997, n.p.).
In addi ion, his ana icism se ed he pu pose o iden i ica ion, “p o iding [gay men] wi h a
eposi o y o subcul u al na a i es ha became [ hei ] own p i a e language” (Ha ies, 1997,
n.p.). Decla ing an in e es in a pa icula mo ie s a could help iden i y i he o he pe son is
also quee in an elusi e way wi hou pu ing nobody a isk. In ela ion o his, “A iend o
Do o hy” was a popula way o signaling quee ness du ing WWII, gi en he “gay icon” s a us
o G e a Ga bo.
The inal c ucial elemen o cul u al ansmission in he na a i e ela es o he o e ly
didac ic “Quee 101 no eca ds” designed by S ephen. The o ma has an i onic pu pose,
mocking he idea ha “quee cul u e is some hing ha can be lea ned and e ised like algeb a”
51
(Duckels, 2022, p. 14). No wi hs anding, as Da id M. Halpe in s a ed, cul u al ansmission is
indeed an ac i e p ocess ha “mus be augh ” (Halpe in as ci ed in Hegges ad, 2020, p. 2) and
specially when e e ing o he LGBTQ+ communi y. Con en ional cul u al elemen s can be
abso bed wi hin he amilia nucleus; howe e , ega ding quee ness, an ou side ou pu is
needed in almos all cases. The concep o he gay men o , embodied by Uncle S ephen, s ems
om his need o an ou side sou ce o knowledge. The ca ds also demons a e “ he e y eal
need o pass down quee his o y om gene a ion o gene a ion, les i be o go en” (Duckels,
2022, p. 14). The impo ance o his is p o en when A , s a ing his jou ney o sel -disco e y,
asks S ephen o c ea e hem, gi en ha he knows no hing abou quee miles ones. A he end
o he s o y, a e S ephen’s dea h, he io o eenage s decide o ake his man le and aise
awa eness by sca e ing he lashca ds ac oss New Yo k Ci y.
In conclusion, Like a Lo e S o y is a no el ha deals wi h he HIV c isis om a
his o ical pe spec i e bu p o ides a e eshing app oach by including a iple eenage
pe spec i e, making i clea ha hey oo su e ed and we e also in ol ed in he s uggle.
Th ough a lo e iangle, b oken and mended iendships, and popula music, a complex s o y
abou he epidemic is wo en oge he . The in icacies o he HIV c isis a e shown o he eade ,
he ex en o he su e ing and he cons an apa hy o a socie y o which hose who we e HIV-
posi i e had o submi . No wi hs anding, no only he downside o he c isis is po ayed, he
ac s o solida i y and compassion ca ied ou by people du ing hose auma ic imes also play
a key ole in he na a i e. The inal c ucial message in Like a Lo e S o y, one could a gue,
hinges on he necessi y o commemo a ing he legacy o hose who con ac ed he illness and
died igh ing, so as o no le i all in o obli ion, gi en ha : “Wha [ hey] did. Wha [ hey]
ough o . [Thei ] his o y. Who [ hey] a e. They won' each i in schools (Nazemian, 2019, p.
377).
58
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