October eleventh marked National Coming Out Day in America for people who are part of the queer community. Coming out is not only an extremely stressful experience, it can also be an ongoing one, revealing yourself to family, friends, colleagues, teachers and even strangers. Young people need to realize that acceptance will come from those who truly care about them, and they will be happiest when surrounding themselves with those people. Acceptance must also come from within, coming out to yourself is often the most difficult step, that is why positive, accurate, representation in the media is essential from a young age. Representation also helps educate those with limited knowledge about the evolving fluidity of sexual and gender identity. Queer books should not be limited to stories about coming out, being queer should be apparent during a character’s struggles, but it shouldn’t always be the cause of them. Books like “I’ll Give You the Sun” and “Six of Crows” feature queer characters just being able to live without fear of persecution. However the universal narrative of coming out is one that also needs to be addressed through stories that have a realistic portrayal and can help readers feel less alone in their personal struggles. For something like that, I recommend “I Wish You All the Best” by Mason Deaver, a non-binary author.

The first thing you need to understand about Ben: they really thought their parents would react well to their coming out.

The second thing you need to understand about Ben: they never would have imagined walking barefoot in the middle of winter to call the sister they haven’t talked to in over ten years.

Benjamin De Backer didn’t want to live a lie, they had found support online through people like their best friend Mariam, a non-binary Youtuber, and Ben felt ready to tell their parents and ask them to use they/them pronouns when referring to them. They hadn’t anticipated such a negative reaction, forcing them to move in with their estranged sister Hannah, and her husband, Thomas. Ben’s life was turned upside down in one night, but Hannah and Thomas were not only welcoming but accepting when Ben came out to them as well. When Ben gets enrolled in a new high school closer to Hannah, they fully intend to keep their head down until graduation, but the universe has other plans for them, big surprise. Nathan: sweet, talkative, energetic Nathan is basically a golden retriever incarnate, and probably one of the prettiest people Ben has ever seen, and he won’t seem to leave Ben alone. A friendship blooms despite Ben’s reservations, and they find themselves somehow enjoying themselves. It doesn’t matter that Nathan doesn’t know Ben’s non-binary, he’ll find out eventually, right? As new relationships form and the universe continues to throw Ben for a loop, they learn who will advocate for them, and that they deserve to be themselves no matter what their parents think.