The Ice Cream Pact

- A/N -

Hey guys!!

So, I have a few things I feel that I should address.. well only one thing really-

I've actually been getting a lot of messages about my decision to make Connor gay, and I'm also overall just noticing a surprising amount of misinformation that some of you have been fed about sexuality. But no need to fear, Briella is here ;)  Theres no shame in not knowing a lot about the topic and being open to learning more. So let's talk sexuality for a sec shall we..

SO.. I'm actually leaning a lot about sexuality in my current psychology course, and I feel like sharing the science behind it might help people who have a hard time understanding it do so easier- you can fact check me if you want, and actually I encourage it as a good habit to get into, but this is all true  :)

For starters, a lot of people have said that they feel Connor is too young to be sure that he is gay. This isn't the case, though. From a scientific standpoint, sexuality/preference is something that you are in fact born with. Environmental factors can affect it a bit as well, but you are in fact born with your sexuality in place. This is due to the way that your brain is set up from the beginning to develop, and this pre-set development determines what parts of your brain are active when thinking about the different genders.

For instance, there are many studies that show how lesbians and straight men have very similar brain patterns/activity when thinking about women, and the same goes for gay men and straight women when thinking about men. This is not something that someone can control, and conversion therapy 100% does not work for that reason- sexuality is hardwired in our brains, and although our preferences can be affected, if you're gay, you can't genuinely change that. It is scientifically and emotionally part of who you are.

'Straight' is the default that society has labeled as the norm, and whether it's for this reason, or another reasons, it might take someone a long time to realize and come to terms with their sexuality. But when they do so, and no matter what age they are when they realize, they are correct :)

If you think about it, it is the same way that straight people can know for a fact that they are straight from a young age. The big and common difference, is that the hetero-default society we live in can get in the way of many queer people coming to terms with their sexuality. People take all different lengths of time to do so, and each journey/time frame is valid.

ALSO, as for why I decided to make Connor gay in the first place.. yes, while there is a complete lack of representation that I didn't want to necessarily contribute to, I also just simply thought it felt right. I definitely think that we should normalize having lgbtq+ characters, and having it not be a big deal at all. (Hence why I made Savanah being bi such a casual part of the Hopelessly Devoted series, and kept a lot of other characters unlabeled/seemingly fluid).

I don't want to paint myself as some hero for making my character gay, because it shouldn't be so uncommon that doing so is praised, you know? He just is, lol.

I also felt like reading from his POV could open some people's minds even more, perhaps.

ok that's all, SORRY if this was a lot, I just really felt like I should talk about this topic and speak for my baby Connor :)  because he's literally a fictional character and can't speak for himself lmao

And like I said, there is nothing wrong with being unknowledgeable about sexuality and the lgbtq+ community as long as you are open minded, accepting of others, and willing to learn more about it.

Unfortunately, though, I'm guessing that a lot of the people who probably needed to read this A/N have either already dropped out of this story or just decided not to read this.. but I wanted to share anyway!

OKAY OKAY we all know I like talking too much, I'll shut up now ;)

Love you all very much <3

Stay you,
Briella <3