Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Blue writes that he successfully came out to his mom, and that she reacted calmly and well. Her main worry was talking to him about safe sex, even after he told her he wasn’t sexually active. Blue thanks Simon for helping to give him the courage to talk to her.

Simon writes that he is proud of Blue. He jokes that Blue should only be thinking about having sex with someone “who has a little bit of a problem with fragmented sentences and accidental self-disclosures,” by which he means himself (128). He shares that he came out to one of his best friends, and it went well, although he felt embarrassed that maybe he “made it into a bigger deal than it needed to be” (128). He feels like it’s scary that he can’t undo this change.

Blue says he is proud of Simon, too. He writes that he thinks they will remember these steps for the rest of their lives. Like Simon, Blue feels like the process of coming out is not something that can be reversed; it is one way. He says it’s both easier and harder than he thought it would be. He says he only thinks about having sex with “a very specific type,” and mentions many of Simon’s idiosyncratic habits like eating Oreos, hiding from his eighth grade girlfriend, listening to depressing music, and never wearing band shirts (129).

Simon doesn’t think he can go on in the current situation with Blue; he feels desperate to meet him. He thinks he might be in love with him. During rehearsal, Simon watches Cal and mulls over whether Cal is Blue.

After rehearsal, Simon takes Bieber over to Nick’s basement to hang out with Nick and Leah and play video games. He wants to tell Nick and Leah that he is gay, but he realizes it is much harder than it was with Abby. He has known Abby for months, whereas Nick and Leah have been his friends for years. Simon thinks that he doesn’t know how to tell them this “and still come out of it feeling like Simon” (133). When his dad calls him, he is relieved to go home.

The first Saturday of Christmas break, a play rehearsal is held where everyone wears pajamas. Simon talks to Cal, who is drawing a superhero, which Simon finds significant, as Blue likes superheroes. He is increasingly convinced that Cal is Blue. Cal is put in charge of a small group of the cast, including Simon, Taylor, Abby, and Martin, and they run songs by themselves in an empty room. When they finish, they play around in the empty school, and Cal pushes Simon in a rolling chair down the hall, then grips his hand. Abby and Simon sit with their arms around each other and watch the other kids roll in chairs. Cal and Martin both observe them.

Later, Martin confronts Simon. He says he thinks Simon is laughing at him, and Simon can’t understand why he is mad. Martin says Abby rejected him. He marches off, angry, leaving rehearsal early.

Blue and Simon (signing as Jacques) now sign their emails off with “love.” Blue tells Simon that his father told him that his stepmother was pregnant, meaning that Blue, previously an only child, was going to have a sibling. Simon congratulates Blue, but comments that he can’t quite tell how Blue feels about it. He observes Blue’s father broke the news almost like a teenager who got someone pregnant, and he says he thinks that is the “straight person equivalent of coming out” (145). He wonders why straight must be the default—why everyone shouldn’t have to state their sexuality. Simon admits it’s been a strange day for him, too.

Blue agrees that straight shouldn’t be the default, and he adds that white shouldn’t be the default, either. He doesn’t think people who don’t fit “the mold” are the only ones who should have to think about their identity, and he says maybe this is the “Homosexual Agenda” (147). He asks Simon to guess what he is eating. Simon suggests it’s the “Homo Sapiens Agenda” (148). He guesses that Blue is eating several phallic foods.

Blue tells Simon that he loves the “Homo Sapiens Agenda” suggestion. He says he’s eating Oreos, in honor of Simon. Simon says he appreciates Blue having Oreos for breakfast. He writes that although he is nervous, he really wants to know who Blue is. He says that he thinks they should meet.

On Christmas Eve, Simon’s family spends time hanging out, including Alice. Alice gets a two-hour phone call, and Leah and Nick ask Simon to go for a walk with Bieber. They ask if he wants to talk, which he finds strange. Leah goes home, and Nick seems sentimental in a way that Simon doesn’t understand.

Simon’s family has dinner, and Simon thinks about how there is “this spark missing” to Christmas (156). He wonders if it’s because Alice has been gone, or because Blue isn’t ready to meet him. After dinner, Nora comes into Simon’s room and tells him to look at the school Tumblr. A post is pretending to be from Simon, saying it’s an “open invitation to all dudes,” outing Simon as gay and alluding indirectly to Blue (159). Nora says she has reported it, but Simon says that people have seen it anyway. Nora wonders who would post it; Simon knows. He worries about Blue seeing it.

Simon tells Nora that it’s true—that he is gay. Nora suggests he could deny it, but Simon says he’s not ashamed. He also says he doesn’t know what people will think about it, or whether he will tell the rest of their family. Simon has many texts from Abby on his phone, all asking if he is okay.

Christmas morning, Simon isn’t in a typical holiday mood. He walks downstairs feeling agitated. He pours coffee, and his mom comments she didn’t know he drank it. Simon is frustrated and thinks if coffee is news to her, his coming out as gay will be bigger. The Spier family opens presents. Simon tells them he’s gay. His family doesn’t react badly; they react in character. Regardless, Simon feels tired and sad.

Later, Alice talks to Simon about his news, telling him it’s nothing to feel sad about. He wants to listen to his depressing music in his room, but she won’t leave him alone. He asks her to tell him about her boyfriend, needling her that he can tell she has one from the long phone calls. She admits she does, but she isn’t ready to tell the family yet. He encourages her to come out as straight, and they share a moment.