I know rite!? All the normative tears in the comments. People are trying to argue with them… but being able to place them as cis tears… makes me less confused and frustrated and more happy. Thanks for that.

Also. This page is so good.

Me, too! It gets very old when so-called friends claim they are “concerned,” but their feelings are really all about their own issues. If people actually were open about those kinds of things instead of passive aggressively playing it as a guilt trip wrapped in “concern,” it’d be so much easier to navigate relationships.

It is bigoted, though. Maybe not in the sense she’s spray-painting swastikas, screaming anti-gay effigies, or burning crosses, but it shows she is not respecting Titus’ identity and that is anti-trans. A person can be a sad/hurt/concerned, and still be a bigot towards the person you care about at the same time.

I may not be deliberate or come from a place of direct hate, but then again the most enduring bigotry is the kind that isn’t meant to be malicious, but is caused by inexperience/ignorance and/or fear of the unknown. We’ve been seeing this a lot in our community (we live in suburbs made from farmlands), and it’s be become so tiresome we’re considering moving. It’s not just been directed at the LGBT community either, but people of color and women as well. I’ve seen it from locals I considered “friends.” People who are “concerned” and “mean well.” That has been the hardest.

I think it can (and is) about many things. Arguing (versus discussing) about what it is seems pointless as it really depends on the person who’s reading it. I bet 10 different people here could find 10 different themes/meanings, and you know? That’s totally okay. In fact, that is better than okay. It’s wonderful!

What I see in it is a strong theme of learning to love yourself, and that is beautiful at any age (including post-death—apparently ;) ).

Complete with cis tears in the comments, it’s amazing

We won’t know the full story Blue is telling us for some time, but this scene is very much consistent with the themes we’ve seen so far. This isn’t only the story of Al and Brendan – although I’m interested in that story, too – it’s also the story of Sula, and Titus is very much part of that.

“O Human Star” has been about identity, and gender identity is very much a part of that. Is the Al we’ve been following really Al; he seems functionally human, but how far does that go? What does it say about Al that the teenaged version of him – one unburdened by the social expectations he grew up with – identifies as, and ultimately chose to be, female? Is Sula a more authentic version of Al? Is Al not cisgender?

Yes, this book started off looking like a love story about two gay cis-men, but it’s been clear since we met Sula that it was going to also be about other things. On this page, we’re seeing into the difficulty Titus having their gender respected by someone they’ve known for a long time; the fact of how long they’ve known each other actually makes it harder for Erika. (The previous page also implies some painful stuff about just how much Titus might’ve struggled.)

Right now, we’re seeing this through the lens of Titus, but this is a question that may directly impact Al-and-Brendan. I’d have to go back and re-read, since I don’t recall whether Al and Titus have ever actually spoken. If they ever talk about gender, things might get clearer for him. Sula is just sort of effortlessly female, but Titus represents someone for whom gender identity has involved more conflict. That could have a lot to do with how Al ultimately sees himself, and how he ultimately relates to Brendan.