Absolutely. The essay does actually address that towards the end (the two paragraphs just after the black and white photo).
A gay teenager stuck in rural Alabama. A woman born into a controlled religious society. A New York sports fan in Boston.
One of these things is not like the other, unless Boston is killing New York fans regularly. (Which wouldn't surprise me. My sister's a Red Sox fan.)
Quite true. I interpreted that as an intentional introduction of a slight amount of levity, because the topic was so dark and saddening. As usual with humor, it was not intended to be taken in earnest. I do not believe the author thinks sports rivalries are as egregious as the other two.
I personally wouldn't judge any Yankees fan living in Boston who chooses to remain closeted about their allegiances and only discusses sports online.
BraveSirZaphod@kbin.social 9 months ago
Having been the gay teenager in a rural southern town, I can absolutely affirm that being able to connect with other gay guys online was massively helpful to me.
At the same time, now that I'm in a much better place, I can also affirm how much worse it is than actual real-life connection with a real community, and I do think that that's something that's quite a lot harder to access nowadays since so much social activity has shifted online.