Professor Brim: “Okay, it was nice meeting all 

of you! Don’t forget to read Sexile and I’ll see you all next week” 

Abi: “Umm did he say LGBT studies?”

Jen: “I think so” 

Jalil: “Nah he said Queer Studies” 

Asha: “honestly I didn’t even know there was such thing” 

Gabby: “Same, I thought this was just a regular English class” 

Abi: “this is honestly so gay. I don’t wanna be stuck in this class” 

Jalil: “man that’s hella gay” 

Gabby: “yea mad gay” 

Everyone else agreeing! 

So we all went home a little confused, a little upset and a little excited all in one and read “Sexile”

We picked Sexile Because it was the first gay story any of us had read, especially in college English course. This piece introduced us to the depths of the LGBT studies and forced us to see it from a whole new perspective. We will always remember this text because of the rawness and vivid pictures.  The author not only drew the pictures for us to see but with his words we were able to draw a deeper mental picture. The story changes your perspective for beginning to end. When you open the page and see you naked character,  you read about his sexual experience at such a young age and at first your disturbed by the end of the story we have a clear view and better understanding of the main character. It was also the first time we were introduced to pronouns he and she and when to properly use them. Professor Brim even not frustrated at times. 

Short recap of the story. 

Adela, Born as Jorge in Cuba always had a passion in exploring her in her sexuality. At a very young age should pleasure herself using trees and even pimping “goats” to little boys. Determined to live the dream she sells to America where she’s using sex as a way to pay for her “rent”. Making her way to LA to live with her dear friend Ronald, she finally feels the freedom she’s been longing for. After Ronaldo‘s passing devastated Adela sold her body and took heavy drugs to relieve her pain. She than wondered what it was like to look and live as a woman so she “Womanized” herself. She had finally found inner peace, found herself and was exactly who and where she wanted to be! 

Adela overcame a lot of obstacles throughout the whole story: 

-Leaving her family for a better (free) life in America 

-Getting Beat up on the way to America 

-Most of the time using sex to pay her way around 

-Getting her First STD 

-Losing her friend Ronaldo 

-Hitting Rock bottom and turning to sex and drugs. 

There’s are just a few examples where she showed so much strength as a person trying to “make it”. Many of us go through everyday struggles and similar problems and we don’t all get up the same way.

When we first discussed Sexile everyone’s reaction was similar. A little confused but we all fascinated. Once we got into groups and presented the best pages and quotes from the story it because easier to understand. 

The memory we have that will always stay with us over the shock in the beginning, nothing can change that. It was also the way excepted and understood not only Adela But the whole LGBT community. I think many of us don’t know enough,so we judge and we hate because it’s something we’re not used to. We also became more open minded to Adela, her lifestyle and constant struggles so we can only imagine how Many more people deal with this sort of loneliness and pain. 

Adela kept pushing. She was fearless and inspiring miles away from home doing what ever it took to “live free”. 

You come across different people every day and you never know what they’re dealing with or what they’re going through. Most lesbian/Gays still live “in the closet” because of fear, lack of support and many aren’t able to deal with it. We also as people don’t make it easier. We often judge and we aren’t educated on this to know the differ types of trans and what all the letter stand for. So It was not only Adela’s  story, but this whole course that taught us how much our support means. A lot of them are forced to run away from Parents and family members who don’t agree with their sexual preference. Many more turn to drugs and selling their body as a way to survive. One thing I will take from this texts and how I live my life will be to educated everyone around me in the importance of accepting and hoping to open their mind. Myself and everyone here has been in rough or even similar situations and she can over come it then we all can !