42 pages • 1 hour read
Juno DawsonThis Book is Gay
Nonfiction | Book | YA | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 7-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 7 Summary: “Coming Out”
Chapter 7 addresses the thorny social situations around coming out as LGBTQ+. Dawson traces the term “coming out” back to debutante balls for young women in the 19th century, where women met potential (male) suitors. Coming out has become a term for making one’s LGBTQ+ identity known to the world. Coming out in high school can be hard, but Dawson believes it lets a person be confident, proud, and happier in who they are.
Dawson wants readers to understand the risks of coming out to friends and family. Sometimes it doesn’t go well, and Dawson cites a story from her survey in which a young person was kicked out of their home and left unhoused for being gay. Dawson stresses the potential danger to make sure her readers make informed decisions about if and when to come out.
Dawson gives a list of dos and don’ts for coming out, including telling people you trust the most and keeping things that could accidentally out you private, such as your web history. She also gives scripts readers can use and modify to come out to their friends and families. This includes ways to respond to objections and potential anti-LGBTQ+ biases. The chapter ends with testimony from Irene, a transgender woman, on how coming out and beginning hormone replacement therapy (HRT) saved her life.
Chapter 8 Summary: “Where to Meet People Like You”
Chapter 8 begins Dawson’s discussion on the social aspects of LGBTQ+ identity. LGBTQ+ people often gather in community spaces, such as bars or cafés. Many people make friends and meet potential partners in these spaces. Dawson explains that these spaces can be confusing to navigate for newcomers and sometimes involve illegal drugs. Dawson stresses that nobody should ever feel pressured to take drugs and that bodily autonomy will be respected in an LGBTQ+ community space. She also recommends that readers find nearby interest-based clubs for LGBTQ+ people, which are especially common in big cities.
The rise of smartphones has led to dating and hookup apps like Tinder and Grindr. Dawson uses Grindr as an example of an online LGBTQ+ space. Since apps for LGBTQ+ people were relatively new in the early 2010s, her survey respondents were equally in favor of and against using them instead of physical community spaces.
Dawson ends the chapter with a brief discussion of dating while transgender. While it can lead to complications with partners who have anti-transgender biases, most of Dawson’s trans survey respondents indicate that their dating life improved after coming out as transgender.
Chapter 9 Summary: “The Ins and Outs of Gay Sex”
Chapter 9 addresses the details of lesbian and gay sex. Dawson strictly uses binary terms within this chapter, so references to “gay sex” and “lesbian sex” means pairs in which both partners have penises or both have vaginas. Dawson states that real life is very different from pornography, and no amount of pornography consumption will prepare somebody for genuine sexual experiences, LGBTQ+ or otherwise. Dawson uses the term “gay virginity” to describe having one’s first LGBTQ+ sexual encounter. She uses this term instead of “virginity” because many people are sexually active with opposite-sex partners before they come to terms with their identity.
Dawson provides detailed diagrams of cisgender men's and cisgender women’s bodies to give concrete examples of the many ways cisgender gay or lesbian sex might happen. Dawson also addresses sex for transgender people. While she acknowledges it is more difficult to navigate finding partners, her transgender survey respondents reported more fulfilling sex lives after coming out as transgender.
Dawson covers safe sex practices before ending the chapter. Some ways of maintaining sexual health include frequent STD testing, always using penile condoms and dental dams, and preventing HIV transmission through medication like PrEP (a daily preventative medication) or PEP (a medication taken after exposure). Dawson ends the chapter by stressing that sex does not equal love. This reframes the chapter by making it clear that sex is not the sole focus of LGBTQ+ lives, which was a stereotype Dawson addressed in Chapter 4.
Chapters 7-9 Analysis
Chapters 7 through 9 introduce readers to LGBTQ+ social life, which starts with coming out. Dawson gives advice on when, where, and how to come out to scaffold up to LGBTQ+ dating, friendships, and sex. Chapter 7 relies heavily on anecdotes about coming out from Dawson and her survey respondents, using pathos to convey different scenarios and instill confidence in the reader. Chapter 8 uses concrete examples of LGBTQ+ dating apps, clubs, and bars to walk readers through socializing within these spaces, and Chapter 9 relies heavily on humor to talk about stigmatized sexualities. This section of chapters is a crossroads where all of Dawson’s themes are most prominent, particularly Self-Acceptance and Pride and these two traits are often developed in community with other LGBTQ+ people. Likewise, the theme of Education as a Cure for Culturally Inspired Shame is developed as Dawson touches on topics that are not addressed in school, like gay/lesbian sex and STDs. Sexual Health and Humor are especially important for discussions on safe sex, and Dawson’s use of humor emphasizes that sex can be fun, exciting, and empowering. These themes develop here and not earlier because of Dawson’s scaffolding technique. Now that Dawson has built up her reader’s knowledge, she can delve into the heart of the issues at hand.
Chapter 8’s dating advice is primarily centered on the cisgender, allosexual, gay man’s experience. The handkerchief code, Grindr, and the specific hookup culture at LGBTQ+ bars are largely only applicable to the aforementioned identity. Some applications, websites, and spaces are mentioned that fall outside of this experience, like the lesbian-focused app Qrushr, but are not given as much attention. This limited focus is due to Dawson’s previous lived experiences before she began her transition. She also provides general advice for all LGBTQ+ people on flirting and encourages readers to look for local LGBTQ+ clubs on the internet. Many of the experiences presented, however, are treated as universal when they are more applicable to cisgender, allosexual, gay men.
