Alien Romance, the daily comic strip
Jan. 12th, 2026 02:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gs_silva
This is a long one, and I'm actually in a big hurry! So I'll summarize. Sorry for the inconvenience. I'll try to avoid this as often as I can.
Ren, on his way home from university, stops by Liquor Warehouse where Maurice works, and waits outside. He's worried about the 'pizza date' he made with Alex. Ren suspects that Alex really likes him. He asks Maurice's advice, but Maurice only encourages Ren to ditch Alex.
Ren asks Maurice to come along, but Maurice has band rehearsal. They've made it home by now, and are walking up the stairs. Ren wonders if Cathy can come instead. "Cathy's not gonna want to hang out with some random gay kid," Maurice states, just as they reach Owen and Seth's landing. Owen comes out to greet them, with Cathy, who invites them to come in! And listen to some techno!
***
Adding LGBTQ+ development is a little bit of a balance, because these characters have to face sexuality in a variety of contexts - their own and each other's. Christine is now openly bisexual (sort of; she had to start over now that she's started med school in a new city, but that city is Boston, so she'll do well), Ella is beginning to embrace being an ACE lesbian (although it wasn't called that in 1990), Jon accepted Ella's sexuality before Ella did, and now we have the ravers to challenge my last two stick-in-the-muds. Realistically, Ren and Maurice are more likely to double down on the homophobia - it doesn't gain them much in society to be openly accepting, except for all of their friendships.
That's kind of a big thing.
So, yeah, into the sexual/gender identity melting pot they go!
Cathy has it easy. She's the only one who is intentionally progressive. She grew up in the Fine Arts community in Lyon, and she's known about LGBTQ+ pretty much all her life. She was definitely one of the earliest kids who got sat down by her parents and had explained to her, "Guillaume and Jacques are a couple. They're like a husband and wife, but instead, they are two boys. Boys can love boys and girls can love girls. Now go play."
no subject
Date: 2026-01-12 08:38 pm (UTC)And yes, Cathy will have had much more exposure to all kinds of relationships! That's not to suggest there are no homophobes this side of the Atlantic but they're less widespread mostly.
Yes ...
Date: 2026-01-12 11:36 pm (UTC)I got almost exactly that explanation from my hippie mother. :D
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2026-01-13 03:42 am (UTC)My own parents neglected to mention that "We don't condone that in this household" until it was considerably too late and I'd already figured things out for myself. It was the better move on their part, anyhow. They're the ones who pushed me into art school, and imagine showing up there with undue prejudices!