Penelope Douglas’s novel Tryst Six Venom helped me gain a better understanding of what people in the LGTBQIA+ community experience, and the troublesome discrimination they sometimes face from others. The LGBTQIA+ novel is the story of Clay Collins and Olivia Jaeger, two teenagers at a Floridian boarding school where one comes from a privileged life while the other barely makes ends meet. The book’s focus is the hate Olivia receives from her town as a whole for being lesbian, but specifically her white privileged classmates who have never dealt with the hardships others face due to their race, sexual identity, and economic status. Throughout Olivia’s entire high school career, she experienced harassment, verbal abuse, and her sexual identity being taken advantage of, including others using her body to reach the heartthrobs of the town; her brothers. To everyone else, including her brothers, her body being used for alternative motives is not taken seriously; this is because her encounters are not with males. This leads to Olivia’s constant struggle to maintain friendships and to be taken seriously. Clay Collins, one of Olivia’s classmates, is the main source of the homophobia she receives. Olivia may forgive Clay without an apology, but her choice is not condemnable. Readers can empathize with her as she makes this difficult decision, the desire to be heard and listened to can cause decisions that will only hurt them.
As a reader who is accepting of anyone, but does not exactly understand why people may hold a bias against others who are not the same race, gender, or identity as me, this book made me realize why someone may experience “random” discomfort around someone else; the discomfort stems from homophobia or a lack of understanding of sexuality beyond heterosexuality. I never understood why someone may have an unfair dislike for someone because of who they like or how they identify. Still, Clay Collins’ character uncovers one of the root causes of homophobia: fear. Homophobia is never appropriate. However, Clay does help readers see why someone may resort to homophobic behavior; there is not enough support from their loved ones and community to come out themselves, so they resort to hateful actions. The underlying meaning is that LGBTQIA+ youth deserve and need support.
I have a friend who identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community. It never bothered me or made me feel a sense of discomfort, so when she lost multiple friends because they were “uncomfortable” with her identity, this book helped me process possible reasons why they abandoned my friend. While these high school students are on the drastic side of “being uncomfortable” the book provides the perspective of the experience of and with a person who is not straight. Sexual identity is personal, and not easy to navigate alone, and a book like Tryst Six Venom can transport the reader and connect them to a level of deeper understanding that leads to an impactful message about the importance of support and acceptance for all.
Sonnet Ettekal is a rising Junior at the Albany Academies. Some of her favorite activities include reading or hanging out with her friends and sister. While she does enjoy her time with friends and family, Sonnet is very dedicated to her school work to improve her chances in the future. She is interested in continuing her education after high school at one of the UCs or studying abroad. She plans to major in politics or economics, and to find a job that will make changes to the United States to improve social and economic equality.