Being Different
The essence of the memoir is highlighting the human experience of those grappling with their gender and sexual identity. As a queer kid, Johnson tells his story of growing up different from other children and the expectations and struggles that come with it. In his childhood, there was barely any representation or exemplars to soften their confusion and journey. Gender nonconformity is a tough path for a child having to battle heteronormative expectations and discrimination. Therefore, the narratives aim to teach the younger generation that their journey does not have to be as traumatic since there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Toxic Masculinity
The social construction of gender assigns traits to each sex category restricting the freedom of those not conforming to them. Black queer teens have to cope with the definition of masculinity that has been imposed on black men. For that reason, the queer experience of black boys involves reconciling this expectation and their feminine interests. In young adulthood, Johnson joins a fraternity in college to have a sense of belonging among other males. However, the dynamic of this brotherhood is sometimes accompanied by toxic masculinity that forces certain compliance. This reflects the heteronormative constructs that define maleness even though manhood or femininity is not attached to such constructs.
Racialized Violence
Intersectionality is at the core of the book as the stories demonstrate the challenges of black queer people. The intersection of black identity comes with several layers particularly for women, the LGBTQ community, and young men. As a journalist, he incorporates the current stories in the news about the killings of black men by the police. The title also denotes the color of the police uniform since they are enacting violence upon young black kids. While Johnson delves into the hate crimes against queer people, he goes on to speak on the racialized violence in the current social climate.
