In some ways I Think Our Son Is Gay reminds me of Gengoroh Tagame’s My Brother’s Husband since the set-up for these two series is rather similar: gently introducing the idea of gay people to non-queers by using a “relatable” narrator and “unthreatening” gay characters. I Think isn’t as toothless as My Brother’s Husband (which was so stiff that you’d think it was Tagame’s first piece of writing) which is part of the reason why I, a queer person, am enjoying it even though this series is decidedly not aimed at me. The stakes also feel higher in I Think than Brother’s Husband — Hiroki’s father still has absolutely no clue that his son is gaga for men and still makes thoughtless comments in nearly every appearance, which gives it a sense of unease for Hiroki’s future but not too much tension.
Again, this is a series that is “gently” introducing the concept of gay people to its readers, exploring the idea of reducing contact with your family over homophobic ideas would be too much for this series but having the mom (Tomoko) running subtle interference with the dad to make sure that Hiroki feels like he still has a safe place at home fits the tone well.
This idea of “well, if only people knew gay people then they wouldn’t be so homophobic!” is also in the text itself in this volume as one of Tomoko’s coworkers turns out to indeed be gay and patiently answers some questions the rest of them have. I’ve personally always been a bit skeptical of this approach. I’ve certainly seen the “heartwarming” stories of parents and grandparents coming around to the idea after a family member comes out to them, but I’ll always remember my Catholic youth group leader (from circa 2007) who would say in one breath that she loved her gay friends but in the next say that she still didn’t think they should be allowed to marry (in this context she was referring to both religious and civil ceremonies), the “moderate” approach of emphasizing but not acting upon it.
Tomoko at least has gone beyond this, seeking out her gay coworker to ask him the big question “how can I support my son if he’s gay?” and it’s definitely heartening for her to hear that being there for him, and not wanting to change him, is supporting him and doing good (and it’s probably the first conversation she’s ever knowingly had with a queer person). Tomoko is definitely a good mom, she’s always seen gay folks as human and worthy of common courtesy, and it’s nice to see her have a quiet moment of joy, affirming that her thoughts and actions toward Hiroki are in fact the “right” ones and not harmful as she may have feared.
As for Hiroki himself, he seems to be having a perfectly average and uneventful school life, finding time to hang out with his crush Daigo, and being completely oblivious to his mom’s worries. It was cute to see his neighbor Asumi joining the two of them on the cover and coming out of her shell around Hiroki; Asumi definitely has a crush on Hiroki but I’m not sure if she’s realized yet that he’s only got eyes for guys. In a more intense story I could definitely imagine this becoming a future storyline but given the tone so far, I can’t imagine Asumi taking it too badly if she learns that her feelings aren’t reciprocated. But that’s a matter for future volumes, the series is still on-going and I can’t imagine that it’ll deviate from the quiet, peaceful tone its maintained so far.