In Fun Home, Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir about her family and coming of age, one moment that stood out to me was Alison’s “ring of keys” moment. The scene captures Alison’s first experience of queer recognition. While eating at a diner with her father, she notices a woman who defies typical gender norms. She has short hair and is wearing masculine clothing. Alison writes, “But like a traveler in a foreign country who runs into someone from home- someone they’ve never spoken to, but know by sight- I recognized her with a surge of joy” (Bechdel 118). It’s the first moment she recognizes someone who reflects what she has felt about herself inside.
What makes this moment so powerful is the way Bechdel uses image and text to convey this moment. Alison doesn’t have the language to understand why she may feel herself drawn to this woman, but she knows she does, and that the connection is meaningful and joyful. The woman is front a center on the page, but it’s young Alisons reaction that is the most powerful part. Her tiny face looks on with awe. She is viewing this woman with reverence, seeing what is possible, a version of herself that she didn’t know could exist.
But this moment is quickly shut down when her father dismisses her joy and the woman, rejecting what Alison is feeling. The interruption shows how fragile moments of self-discovery can be, especially when they challenge tradition norms of family or society.
In the musical adaptation of Fun Home this scene turns into a ballad sung by a young Alison. It gives voice to everything she couldn’t articulate in the moment, focusing on the woman’s “ring of keys,” something so simple but confirming for Alison. The lyrics express the longing of the encounter.
This visual memory becomes a turning point for Alison. She begins to understand her identity through recognition and seeing someone she could become. Bechdel shows how important moments of recognition are to young queer children. Visibility is important, and recognition can become transformative.