Page 90 of I Can't Even Think Straight

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“As I was saying,” The Author continues,

“when I was at school,

there was a law called Section 28,

which prohibited the promotion of homosexuality

which, among other things, meant

you wouldn’t see LGBTQ+ books in school,

you wouldn’t have a visiting author like me,

and teachers couldn’t tell students

it’s okay to be gay.

This law was in place from 1988,

when I was four,

until it was repealed in 2003,

when I was eighteen.

That was my entire school career.”

The phrase “school career”

sounds kinda odd to me.

It sounds like being at school counts as a job,

which I guess is kinda true,

because it can be hard work

when students gossip about you

or teachers have it in for you.

I want The Author’s job.

But I don’t raise my hand

when the time comes

to ask him questions about it.

I’m still too embarrassed

by the negative attention.

I look down and twist

the evil eye bracelet

around my left wrist.

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