When I was a kid I loved the color purple. Purple is a strong color, associated with royalty and filled with emotion. Plus, I thought it looked good against my red headed complexion. You know what was fun about dressing up as the Joker for Halloween as a kid? I got to wear purple AND make-up. Here is me,
Unfortunately, as most children like me find, purple is a "girly" color. I struggled with this. I think it was bullying that finally led me to believe life was easier when I tried to hide any preferences that were too "different".
The problem was, I didn't like lying. I still don't. Lying is wrong. If telivision hadn't taught me that, religion certainly had. To get around this, I contrived a scenario that my young mind was able to classify as bending the truth and not breaking it. I told everyone I had two favorite colors, blue and purple. I thought it was genius. I committed myself so strongly to this course that I even convinced myself it was true. "Why should I only pick one?" I would say. “I’m recognizing my masculine AND feminine side.” I was hiding from the world, hiding from myself and doing a terrible job at both.
The Boy in Pink Earmuffs is about a boy who doesn’t hide from these moments. He likes what he likes and that is that. This is a comic written for the few of us who made aesthetic choices or had uncontrollable mannerisms which revealed us as “gay” or “different” long before we knew those words had meaning.
In one word, The Boy in the Pink Earmuffs is adorable. It’s about a little boy named Danny who is different. He just moved into a new town and has the luck to move next to a perfect little neighbor boy named JJ. This pair becomes friends and as to be excpected, oh-so-young-and-awkward love ensues. There never seem to be enough open minded boys like JJ in this world. Hopefully this comic will help to create more of them.
I’ll say it again, this comic is adorable and in the spirit of sharing, I will also admit that I liked to wear clip on earrings as a kid...but only one, in my right ear. It made me feel cool. ;)
