Thinking Straight
Page 32
Now why would he ask that question? Even when I’m at home, there’s nothing femme about my appearance, my voice—no giveaways. And in here, where every guy dresses in almost exactly the same boring khaki crap, there’s really no way to tell a gay guy unless he’s outright swishing.
Mrs. Harnett had refused to say why this kid was coming here. That he’d tell me why if he wanted me to know. I’m thinking he’s telling me why. I’m thinking that between the heavy hand with the obscenities, the belligerent attitude, and the fear so close to the surface, I know why he’s here. I think he’s gay.
Several retorts occur to me. I choose the simplest for Kent. “Yeah. What are you here for?”
“Huh! Not that, and you’d better keep the fuck away from me.” He heads for the door.
I think, “Liar.” But I say, “We always wash our hands here, Kent.” Charles’s words coming out of my mouth. Who knew?
In Kent’s face I see myself. I see what I must have looked like to Charles less than two weeks ago now. Only I had opted not to flip my middle finger at Charles. Kent shows no such scruples. I ignore it, standing there like patience incarnate. And he goes to the sinks.
He doesn’t bother with soap, but as long as he uses water and a paper towel I’m not pushing for more. I watch as he extends his arms. And as he does, I see something showing from under the long sleeves. Something white.
Bandages. On both wrists.
Gotcha. Gay. Gay and suicidal.
I know what I’m going to say to my folks on Sunday night.
And I know that Will, my sexy, marvelous boyfriend, even after four more weeks, will be waiting for me. I have faith in that. It’s because of love.
A READING GROUP GUIDE
THINKING STRAIGHT
Robin Reardon
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The suggested questions are intended to enchance your group’s reading of Robin Reardon’s Thinking Straight.
Discussion Questions
Angela, the girl Taylor’s parents try to fix him up with, says that if you don’t have to make sense, you can say anything at all. She’s talking about religion. Could what she said apply equally as well to politics? To race issues? To homosexuality? Do you think it’s always the case that what someone says makes sense to him or her? Or do you think people know when they’re expressing absurdities, or when they haven’t given the topic any thought at all? How often is this something you do?
Taylor observes that his father’s version of God acts like his father, and his mother’s is more like her. It seems that for some people, it’s easier to believe in a God who agrees with their own view of the world. Others seem to modify their view of the world to match that of the God they worship. Are there observations that can be made about each of these approaches that pertain to the people you meet at Straight to God?
A few times over the course of his stay at Straight to God, Taylor sees characteristics in Sean that he takes for cowardice, or at least a lack of assertiveness. And yet Sean proves himself to be a powerful ally when Taylor most needs him. What do you think contributed to Sean’s apparently cowardly behavior before that crucial event?
People like Dr. Strickland are known to point to specific verses in the Bible to support their condemnation of homosexuality. Yet they almost always ignore the many other sacred laws that exist side-by-side with anti-homosexual scripture. Leviticus 20:9 says children who curse their parents are to be put to death. Leviticus also forbids wearing clothing of mixed fibers, or planting different kinds of plants in the same field. A Jewish man of that time could not marry a divorced woman. These supposedly sacred laws are generally ignored or explained away. People tend to cherry-pick certain scriptures they think should be followed; one person will decide to follow certain scriptures, while another will select different ones. How do you think people who follow a religion should decide which scripture to observe and which to ignore?
When Will climbs into Taylor’s bedroom the night before Taylor is to leave for Straight to God, Will has already seen the article in which Dr. Strickland expressed his belief that suicide is better for teenagers than living a homosexual life. Will is trying to convince Taylor to run away with him rather than go into the program. Why do you think he doesn’t mention this article to Taylor?
Taylor changes his opinions over time about many of the people he encounters at Straight to God. How many times were his first impressions close to correct, and how many times were they far off base? To what degree do you think Taylor’s expectations of what the program would be like colored his initial assumptions about the people he met?
At one point, Taylor tells Mrs. Harnett that he sees how difficult her role is, that she has to find a way to communicate very important messages without saying them directly. She nearly cries. What do you think is going through her mind? What moved her so much?
John and Nate seem to have different ways of offering leadership. John tells Taylor that Nate “takes an awful lot onto himself.” Nate tells Taylor that John is “definitely not in our circle.” Taylor and Nate become good friends, and over time Taylor leans to respect John and, eventually, to trust him. Can you describe their different leadership styles? Do you think they will find more common ground with the changes Mrs. Harnett plans to make at Straight to God, or will their different approaches to leadership and to scripture tend to keep them apart?
Nate sets Taylor up to work with Rye. Later, John explains to Taylor that although Charles was a good mentor for Taylor, Taylor’s personal style will be better for Kent than Charles’s would have been. What do Kent and Rye have in common that makes Taylor a good mentor for both of them? What is it about Taylor that made both Nate and John point him toward similar boys for mentoring?
We often hear the phrase, “Love the sinner; hate the sin.” What if that “sin” were that you had been born in the month of March? What if it were that you had blue eyes? If you had to interact every day with people who wanted you to believe they’re following God’s wishes when they express hatred for your birthday, or for your blue eyes, would you feel loved?
When Taylor is waiting for Kent in the boys’ room, he comes to the conclusion that Kent is gay. Do you agree?
Taylor’s father sent him to Straight to God because he wanted his son to change in a very specific way. Taylor didn’t make that change, but did he change in other ways? How do you think his father will react when Taylor comes home still gay?
All characters, situations, institutions, and curricula in Thinking Straight are fictitious and are not meant to represent any specific individuals, programs, or establishments.
All scriptural references in Thinking Straight come directly from the World English Bible, 2005, available in electronic form through eBooksLib.com and through electronic book retailers.
The following information about the World English Bible comes from eBible.org: “The World English Bible (WEB) is a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible, based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament.”
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
850 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Copyright © 2008 by Robin Reardon
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
ISBN: 978-0-7582-5352-1
ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share