King and the Dragonflies

King and the Dragonflies is a coming-of-age story, meaning the protagonist, King, is on a journey of self-discovery. At the beginning of the novel, King recalls when his friend Sandy told him he was gay, and King responded that he might be gay, too. However, he decides that he can’t be Sandy’s friend anymore because his brother Khalid overheard their conversation and told King, “You don’t want people to think you’re gay, too, do you?” (27). Khalid is now gone, so King believes that being friends with Sandy would dishonor his dead brother’s memory. King’s father has also expressed anti-gay sentiments. He also recalls his father saying that being gay is “unnatural” (56). During a Thanksgiving Dinner, King’s father said, “Black people can’t be gay. [...] If a Black person is ever gay, it’s because they’ve been around white people too much” (57). Thus, for King to accept the feelings he has for other boys and finally embrace his own identity, he must overcome the anti-gay influence of two people he loves. It is not until the end of the novel that King admits to himself that what Khalid told him about being gay hurt him, even though Khalid meant no harm and was just trying to protect him.