In “Losing Home” by Eli Clare, he mentions how the difficulties of leaving his so called ‘home’ caused some major complications that go beyond his identity. At first, he shows great appreciation towards the exposure of queer communities in the city which he has some flaws with it. He finds issues with queer organizations and support groups that advocate for gay and lesbian rights in cities. He says, “…leaving our roots to live in cities; living fearful invisible lives in our rural communities…” (Clare 44), which insulates how someone of his background had two options which generally presented themselves as the worst internal outcomes. It brings some questions if these queer organizations ignore these parts of society because of “…straight rural people, the same folks urban people call rednecks, hicks, clods, and bigots…” (Clare 44), which are usually ignored because they tend to hold conservative views of queer individuals.
However, there is the possibility that these queer organizations, mostly individuals, likely are afraid of confronting an unknown territory or ignore due to the negative perception of these isolated places. There are a lot of assumptions that these small-town individuals should move into the city to create “…queer visibility and acceptance by building community among queer people…” (Clare 44), which is normally not possible in rural areas for queers. In addition, these organizations direct their attention to the naturally progressive cities because there are a lot of working class to upper class individuals. Stuff like “…unemployment, inadequate food and housing, unaffordable and inaccessible health care and education…” (Clare 44) are the norm for rural areas, showing how closeted individuals continue to be a challenge to a narrow-minded community.
For that reason, this reading expresses similar topics regarding the complications of coming out in a small town to this Japanese manga. It received an adaptation called, “The Summer Hikaru Died” on Netflix. The main character of this show goes through the struggles of hiding his identity from this small town as well as dealing with the loss of his first crush, and this entity who takes the form of his dead crush.
I really like your reflection on Eli Clare’s “Losing Home” and the often-overlooked struggles faced by queer individuals in rural communities. I appreciate how it highlights the difficult choice between living invisibly at “home” or relocating to cities that can feel alienating despite their supposed of inclusivity. The comparison to The Summer Hikaru Died also really adds the emotional dimension because it shows how themes of loss, identity, and fear can be experienced across cultures and geography. I really agree that more people need to hear these stories and think about who gets left behind!