High-Risk Homosexual
Edgar Gomez
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A riotously funny and poignant debut by a quick-witted new voice, High-Risk Homosexual offers a powerful exploration of author Edgar Gomez’s adolescence and early adulthood, one that lays bare all the confusing, painful, messy, awkward, and hilarious contradictions and discoveries that pervaded his coming of age as a queer Latinx person. Opening with an unsettling account of his tíos’ attempts to “straighten” 13-year-old Gomez during the latter’s trip to Nicaragua, the memoir delves into Gomez’s various endeavors to hide his sexual orientation from his family and conform to Latinx culture’s hyper-masculine male ideals – efforts that he contrived in order to preserve his connections with his mom and brother, with his romantic partners and classmates, but which often came at the expense of his joy and freedom. Yet as Gomez gets older and is introduced to other queer individuals and spaces in his hometown of Orlando, he comes across mentors and experiences that pierce, redefine, and otherwise expand in his mind the possibilities of what life can be for queer people. A life-changing exchange with a group of strangers in a balcony in Managua; the unearthing of new connections in a raucously joyful, body-positive burlesque troupe; and the devastating loss of old friends and loved ones in the tragic shooting at Pulse in 2016 are only some of the experiences recounted in the pages of High-Risk Homosexual, precious and affecting junctures that radically transformed Gomez’s relationships with his family, his friends, and ultimately himself. |
Displaying a masterful blend of humor, personal reflection, and thoughtful commentary on Latinx culture, Gomez’s first work is as good as it is largely due to its emotional sincerity, its willingness to examine the mistakes and lessons learned just as closely as it does the triumphs. But even as Gomez recalls his past missteps, describes the ways in which he hurt others and in which others hurt him, he does so with stunning empathy and levity. He renders these experiences faithfully, but he does so with a compassion that recognizes them for what they fundamentally were: a young queer person’s attempts to build a life for himself – one that exists beyond the oft-repeated cautionary tales, clichéd Hollywood stereotypes, and tragic news headlines that seem to promise only pain and loss to those who are queer. This book – open, anguished, brimming with humanity – is, above all, a work of hope.
A hilariously (and at times, heartbreakingly) authentic reflection of what it means to grow up as a queer person, High-Risk Homosexual is an engaging read announcing the arrival of a new and extraordinary talent.
Edgar Gomez (he/she/they) is a Nicaraguan and Puerto Rican writer. Born and raised in Florida, he holds an MFA from the University of California, Riverside, and has been published in The Rumpus, Catapult, Ploughshares, and elsewhere. High-Risk Homosexual (2022) is his first book.
High-Risk Homosexual is a publication by Soft Skull Press.
A hilariously (and at times, heartbreakingly) authentic reflection of what it means to grow up as a queer person, High-Risk Homosexual is an engaging read announcing the arrival of a new and extraordinary talent.
Edgar Gomez (he/she/they) is a Nicaraguan and Puerto Rican writer. Born and raised in Florida, he holds an MFA from the University of California, Riverside, and has been published in The Rumpus, Catapult, Ploughshares, and elsewhere. High-Risk Homosexual (2022) is his first book.
High-Risk Homosexual is a publication by Soft Skull Press.
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