The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School

Set in present-day Phoenix, Arizona, the novel maps Yami’s Mexican heritage onto actual neighborhoods with demographics that reveal stark cultural borders: the working-class, predominantly Latinx South Phoenix neighborhood where she and Cesar live contrasts with north Scottsdale’s affluent, heavily white suburbs, where Slayton Catholic is located. Census data show that South Phoenix is over 60% Latino (“Advancing Economic Development in Persistent-Poverty Communities.” Economic Innovation Group), while North Scottsdale is under 10% (“QuickFacts: Scottsdale City, Arizona.” US Census Bureau), a split that the novel embodies through Yami’s 40-minute commute and her joke about “selling sunscreen between classes” (4). The light-rail ride that Yami takes from South Phoenix parallels real-world students who commute from districts like Roosevelt to reach private institutions beyond their zip codes. Catholic schooling itself intensifies class tension. The Diocese of Phoenix has closed multiple parish schools in low-income areas since 2010, while elite academies thrive through donor networks. Slayton’s fundraising gala, mentioned in passing, alludes to the fact that donor culture keeps tuitions high and families like the Floreses on perpetual probation.

Within the geography of Phoenix, Reyes threads Indigenous lineage that is often erased in pan-Mexican narratives. Cesar’s jaguar pendant and his bathroom mantra, “In Lak’ech Ala K’in” (25), reference Mayan cosmology that frames self-love as communal duty: “You are my other me” (26). The siblings’ father once taught them that greeting; today, it fuels Yami’s final stand against administrative bigotry, proving that ancestral philosophies can outlast both colonial Catholicism and modern antigay bias. 

The beadwork that Maria sells blends Mexican color palettes with Indigenous craftsmanship common to markets in Sonora and southern Arizona. Real Phoenix swap meets like the Mercado de los Cielos host similar hybrid wares, rooting the novel’s fictional Etsy business in real local practices. Even food anchors heritage: The chorizo burritos that Rick cooks echo the regional preference for Sonoran-style flour tortillas, distinguishing Yami’s household from Slayton’s cafeteria quesadillas made with processed cheese. Recognizing these cultural coordinates shows that the book’s conflicts are not abstract identity crises; they are daily negotiations among neighborhood lines, economic survival, and pre-Columbian wisdom that persist despite them.