Boy Meets Boy and Luna are two clearly different texts. In Boy Meets Boy we are presented with a utopian society. Everyone is accepting of the LGBTQ community and the “norm” does not just refer to heteronormative, cis-gendered, straight people. In Luna, however, we are faced with an arguably more realistic world in which our story takes place. This world follows strict and at times oppressive gender roles. Any break in traditional gender roles, such as the mother of the family being the main breadwinner, is met with extreme discomfort and tension. These two world could not be more opposite in terms of shaping the experiences of the young LGBTQ adults living in them.
However, the two novels do share an obvious similarity; both stories have a transgender character. In Boy Meets Boy we are introduced to Infinite Darlene, a confident transgender woman who wears fabulous outfits to school and is the quarterback of the school football team. In Luna we have Liam/Luna who presents as a boy by day, only donning girl’s clothing and a wig in the safety of the night. It is interesting to note how the two different worlds the authors have created have shaped these characters. Infinite Darlene is loud and proud, accepted by (almost) everyone at her school and unafraid to strut down the halls as her true self. Liam/Luna however only wants to blend in, to pass or be unrecognizably trans. I think it’s interesting to examine the influence that acceptance, or lack thereof, can have on how a person expresses their identity, or even how they desire to express themselves. It would be fascinating to transplant Infinite Darlene into Liam/Luna’s world and vice versa and see how their self-expression changed.
I also thought it was really interesting how the societal norms shaped the personalities of Infinite Darlene and Luna in their respective stories. Why do you think this is? I looked at the setting of societal norms as a metaphorical domino set. In Boy meets boy the widespread acceptance of all sexual identity’s starts a domino effect for acceptance from all. Even outliers like Tony’s parents, who represent the most extreme level of opposition to this norm, are likely pressured by the societal outlook to be more understanding of their sun. This is a stark contrast in Luna where the societal norms are very different. Instead, there is no accountability or threat of being an outlier no matter how ignorant one’s views may be. This is demonstrated perfectly by Luna’s father. What do you think? I think that the emphasis on societal influence that the contrast between these two evokes is so important (even if the utopia presented in Luna may not be attainable) and is why I so enjoyed these novels.
It is interesting that you mention the potential change in character development if we switch the world of the two protagonists. Instead of hiding herself in pain, maybe Luna could be as confident as Infinite Darlene if people around her give her a chance to do so. I think you should elaborate more on the So What question. You did point out the main difference and the main similarity between two texts. You can go into more detail on why it is important to have two different texts that emphasize the impact of the society on LGBTQ+ community.