By, Kaylee Teets

Alison Bechdel tells a story of her difficult relationship with her father and also speaks out about her childhood and how it was for her growing up with her family. This comic included very key arguments and points such as sexual identity and suicide. One of Alison’s struggles growing up was who she actually was, and who she was attracted to sexually. Little did she know her father struggled with the same problem, which ended up leading to his death by suicide; this caused future struggles for Alison herself. This story is very realistic, and includes a lot of different things that people in this world struggle with on a daily basis. Am I gay? Am I straight? Am I bisexual? Am I normal? These are the questions that float through some people’s brains on a daily basis, like Alison.

 Alison Bechdel wrote Fun Home: A Family Trigonomic  Story takes place in Deep Creek, Pennsylvania  Bechdel had to deal with her father’s suicide, and also the questioning of her own sexual identity  She finally came out as a lesbian soon after her father’s suicide  Her father was a closeted gay man  The story reflects on Alison’s past, and the signs of her father’s suicidal intentions, and what it was like for him to be hiding that he was gay  She speaks on behalf of her father’s death in the story, and questions why she did not see it coming sooner  The book that he wanted Alison to read (insert book title) had some clues about his thoughts of suicide  Alison also puts together pieces of her life puzzle: mainly when it comes to her father. She starts to reflect on her past and speaks about certain stories where it was more obvious to her that her father was gay  Her father’s anger and self-confusion had a large impact on his home life, and Alison’s mother was greatly affected by his actions  The way Alison portrays her mother in Fun Home makes it seem as though her mother was aware that Bruce was interested in other men

 Definition: an inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to other people (The Human Rights Campaign)  Being straight, gay, bisexual or transgender is not a choice among us  There are different myths and theories as to why people are the way that they are, but it has not been proven that people’s sexuality is based upon family life or situations that occur as a child  For example, if some young boy were to be sexually abused as and later on in life identified himself as gay or even transgender, it has not been proven that it has to do with the fact that he was abused in the past  Usually sexual identity is recognized at a young age: it is said to be immediate awareness  Some who did not realize they were gay at first often recognized the fact that they felt differently among their peers (Nemours)  Alison Bechdel’s father Bruce struggles all of his life with his sexual identity  It is not seen as “socially acceptable” for Bruce to be gay, so like many other people, he struggles with it his entire life which ultimately leads to suicide

 Is sexual identity determined in the eyes of God or by our own minds?  Who is god? Why do people believe in god?  Some people believe in the fact that there is a “God” that exists  In my personal opinion, you can be a believer of “God” or not, but I think in the end of the day, sexual identity is determined by our own minds  I believe that if there is a “God” out there, he/she does not determine the way our minds think, I believe that WE determine the way our minds work and think  I don’t believe that a “God” figure can determine our ways of thinking  Personal preference or choice is not determined by god  Many people who believe in God or believe that there is a God may speak differently on behalf of their beliefs  We cannot base how we feel off of how society believes that we should feel  That being said, just because it is not the “normal” thing to feel, it doesn’t mean that we cannot feel it (Piper)

 Whether someone is attracted to the same sex, or opposite sex, they cannot help how they feel about that person or push their own feelings aside just because someone said it is not okay  I think that this is where Bruce Bechdel struggled  Bruce believed that it was not socially acceptable to be gay, so he stayed in and closeted his feelings  His daughter, Alison, did the exact opposite, despite how anyone else felt about it…. She did what she wanted to do and expressed how she feels, and that is a feeling that is not going to change.. Therefore society needs to accept it

 One in five children are likely to develop a psychiatric disorder  Children often display grief, distress and dysphoria  There are emotional and behavioral difficulties among these children: often reported by these children themselves  Highest rates of difficulties are found in boys (Dowdney)  Exposure to parental suicide can lead to substance abuse (O’Brien, Wright, Vaughn, LeCloux)  Although we have not seen that Alison has a substance abuse problem, it could be possible  The reader can tell that Alison definitely has problems dealing with his death, but she tries to do things such as write or read to help with the grieving process  Dealing with a parent’s suicide is something that scars a person for their entire life, and there may not be any “proper” way to cope with it  In this situation with Bruce Bechdel, Alison uses literature to cope with her father’s death, and writes about it and their memories in great detail  Alison’s way of grieving is healthy, and much better than turning to something like drugs or becoming an alcoholic to solve her problems and internal feelings

 Family relationships are extremely important, and I believe that communication is key in any relationship  Family is important, and growing up it is extremely helpful to have your parents be your number one fans and supporters  In Fun Home this did not seem to be the case for Alison Bechdel  Alison had a tricky relationship with her parents, and her father especially  These two were very similar people, and Alison begins to figure this out as she explains it in Fun Home  She does not feel complete rejection by her mother, and does not seem to feel the same way as her father about coming out… she actually did it, unlike her father

 Studies have shown that lesbian, gay or bisexual adolescents lack support from their parents  Parents give negative responses to their child’s choice of gender preference  Some children are verbally or physically abused  Some children wait an excess amount of time before revealing to their parents what their sexual identity is  Parents are rarely the first people that LGB adolescents talk to about their sexual orientation  There is some fear of rejection, causing them to withdrawal from social relationships  Not all LGB youth fear rejection; some may be treated completely the same and know that their parents are non-judgmental when it comes to their life choices  A lot of LGB youth feel love and support from their family members (Pearson)  In Fun Home I got the impression that Alison was timid at first to come out as a lesbian, I think just like anyone would be, but she overcomes those fears and is strong willed about her beliefs and gender preference  It is important to be true to who you are as a person, and to be real with everyone around you who you are  Sometimes if you are not true to yourself, you could end up mad or angry about it subconsciously, and I have seen this happen a couple times  People, such as Bruce Bechdel, hide their feelings causing a bad temper or other issues in life, and its hard to be completely happy with yourself if you are not honest with yourself in the first place

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