Character Clues
Character Analysis
Location
Hillary Clinton famously said, "it takes a village to raise a child," and you can't create a kid like Paul without a gay-friendly village. Luckily for Paul, the New York City suburb he grows up in happens to be just such a place. Paul has had trouble with homophobes on past ventures outside the bubble of his town though, and he lets us know his friends have too, like when he says, "And I can tell that even Infinite Darlene is taken aback, because it's clear [Noah's] seeing her just as she wants to be seen. So few people do that" (7.55).
Of Tony, Paul says, "He told me about his school, which was not like my school, and his parents, who were not like my parents." (6.44) Tony hasn't had the good fortune of being born and raised in a town or to a family half as accepting as Paul's.
And the thing is, this stuff matters—whether or not characters live in places that accept them for who they are seriously impacts how they operate on a day-to-day basic. For instance, we see Tony living his village's values when he refuses to flirt with boys, and we see Paul living his when he kisses his new boyfriend on a paddleboat in the park. Where characters lives shapes who they are by limiting or encouraging expression of their true selves.
Clothing
Clothes are shorthand in Boy Meets Boy, just like they are at any high school—unless your school requires uniforms, in which case it's all about the accessories. When Paul sees Noah's paint-splattered blue suede shoes, he knows his new crush is a sensitive artsy boy who likes retro music. When Infinite Darlene wears her football jersey with her homecoming gown and tiara, we see in her outfit the difficulty of straddling genders. When Paul's mom makes him leave the house in a safety vest, we know she cares about her children but encourages their independence.
Trilby Pope takes a stab at Amber's outfit as a way of putting her down, saying, "I think I'll go look for dress ideas myself. I don't know why I asked a girl wearing OshKosh to help me in the first place." (23.24) After Amber corrects Trilby that her overalls come from Old Navy, Paul shows Amber his appreciation by saying, "I swear, if you weren't an Old Navy-wearing lesbian Club Kid, I'd probably kiss you right now" (23.30).
Lesbians in overalls? Say it ain't so. Indeed, Paul guesses Amber's sexuality via the shorthand of what she's wearing, just as she probably did his when she saw him in that fuzzy green and orange sweater. In Boy Meets Boy the clothes make the man… or lesbian… or drag queen.
Family Life
If the towns in which Paul and Noah live are the macrocosms—or larger geographical umbrellas—that shape their personalities, then their families are the microcosms. After all, there's the occasional run-in with homophobic wrestlers in the movie theater parking lot, and then there's having your mother standing over you praying for your eternal soul.
Compare Paul's coming-out experience to Tony's: when Paul told his parents the word gay was written on his kindergarten report card, they thought it was cute that he had learned a new word. When Tony came out—significantly later than kindergarten, due to fear—his mom practically put him on lockdown from all his male friends.
What's the dividing line here? Religion. Tony's mom is afraid he'll go to hell if he makes out with a boy. Paul's mom is just afraid he'll get run over walking to his boyfriend's house after dark, but that's easily remedied with a reflective vest. Sons may not be bound by the sins of their fathers, but the religion of their fathers is another story in this book.