Johnson often varies how they present slurs on the page, either displaying them in full or censoring them. In the author’s note, they write, “I included these slurs in the text in specific ways for specific emotional and intellectual effect” (viii). What might some of those emotional and intellectual effects be?

What role does family play in Johnson’s ability to become an adult who is proud of their identity? Consider how having a less accepting family and/or one without visible queer representation might have impacted Johnson.

Repetition is a key literary device in several chapters. What effect does this have on Johnson’s writing? Consider things like tone, motif, and word choice when analyzing instances of repetition.