#queer parents

by Sacha Lamb

What it is: A novelette about two trans boys falling in love, magic and wishes, and learning how to like yourself enough to stick around. 

Why it’s on the list: Two trans guys falling in love is not a thing you often get to see, and it’s done so wonderfully here. One of the boys also has two moms, and one of the moms is trans too! Also, in terms of other rep, the lead is Jewish and it definitely talks about mental health and depression. 

Where you can find it: The story is free to read, and you can find it here. There’s a link at the bottom to bye an ebook, as well. You can also go hang out with the author on his twitter here.

Official Synopsis

This short story sure packs a lot of great stuff into only about 10,000 words. I also found it impossible to put down once I’d started reading it. It went from ‘oh hey this link showed up, I’ll just take a look’ to ‘I don’t care how late it is, I’m going to finish this tonight and then think about it nonstop for the next few days.’

There’s something very soft and… personal, about this story. It feels less like Avi sitting down to tell us a story (as a lot if first person stories do) and more like we’re really listening to Avi’s thoughts as he navigates these six months.

Now, I’m going to say this upfront. This story, although it deals with some serious stuff like depression, suicidal thoughts, and bullying, doesn’t have a sad ending. In fact, I found it very hopeful. This isn’t a love-fixes-everything story, but it is a love-can-help-out kind of story. Also, a magic-can-help story. It’s also going to be one I come back and read more than once.

Avi starts off the story as a closeted trans boy, and although he does tell a few people throughout the story, it avoided a lot of the ‘coming out story’ stereotypes. There’s no big, dramatic coming out scene. There’s just more and more people using Avi’s name, or Ian referring to Avi as his boyfriend. It felt very honest, and his gender identity was treated as a matter of fact, and not one of the main points of tension in the story. That’s so rare to see with queer characters, especially young trans characters. Ian’s identity is treated much the same. It’s made very clear that he’s a trans guy, but it’s not really part of the plot. It’s just who he is. 

Ian having two moms, one of them being trans, and having an adoptive sister was treated just the same. And because we’re hearing about them from Avi’s point of view, we get to feel the comfort this household ends up representing for him. Very well done.

“Today is all about teshuvah, repentance. There’s three steps to teshuvah. You apologize. You mend your ways. You do a better job next time.” I put my headphones over his shoulders. “Here’s a song about being really sorry, for you.”

“You’re so weird, Avi,” he says, like it’s a gift I’ve given him.

Now, the magic. This is the part I don’t want to talk too much about, because it was the most surprising part of the story and part of the reason I can’t stop thinking about it. But what I will say is this. It felt so tangible, so grounded. Also, it was really lovely to see this magic from the point of view of someone unfamiliar with it who was also Jewish, because it really felt unique to most takes on magic that I’ve seen (and I’ve seen a whole lot) and I think that’s why it felt so unique, because of how Avi’s faith coloured it. 

If you need a shot of cute, queer love in your day, then you should absolutely give it a read. It won’t take you very long, but it will make your day better, I think. I know that’s what it did for me.

Reading Avi Cantor Has Six Months To Live? Let us know what you think! And if you’re looking for more great queer content, reminder that this is Day 6 of 365 queer reviews, one for each day of 2018. You can find all the reviews here.