The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School

Bo takes Yami to the library after school to reprint the Code of the Heart poem that she bloodied. Yami invites Bo into her house for the first time. They kiss, and then Bo notices the glass on the floor and cleans it while telling Yami to stay on the bed and rest. They replace the poem on the bathroom mirror together. Later, Yami’s mother drives her to visit Cesar at the Horizon Behavioral Health Facility, where she brings him Takis as a comfort food.

During their visit, Cesar reveals that he broke up with Jamal as “penance” after confession with a priest, hoping to “get right with God” and possibly become straight (333). Yami challenges his internalized antigay beliefs, reminding him of “In lak’ech,” the Mayan phrase meaning “You are my other me” (26), or “Tú eres mi otro yo” in Spanish, arguing that if he loves her, he must love himself too. This seems to reach him as he begins eating the Takis and asking about her relationship with Bo, his typical personality beginning to reveal itself again.

After returning home, Yami finally comes out to her mother. To her surprise, Maria is accepting, telling her, “Mija, I love you. That’s never going to change” (337). She apologizes for her previous antigay comments and for putting too much pressure on Yami. When Yami reveals that her father stopped speaking to her after she came out to him months ago, Maria becomes furious and immediately calls him to confront him, showing her fierce protection of her children.

When Cesar comes home from the Horizon Behavioral Health Facility, he and Yami find that their mother has baked rainbow pan dulce (a sweet Mexican pastry) and draped decorative paper in rainbow colors from the ceiling. She says that she wants to celebrate her gay children, but Cesar is initially skeptical. When he asks how she can abandon her religious beliefs so easily, she tells him that nothing will ever stop her from loving her children, especially now that she’s seen what can happen if she doesn’t support them. She says, “The Bible also says to love everyone, and not to judge. I believe God has a place in Heaven for everyone with a good heart” (340). Cesar accepts this explanation and eats the pan dulce, grateful for his mother’s support.

Cesar is not ready to go back to school, and Doña Violeta comes over to look after him while Maria works. Yami decides to come out at school, in part to help make Cesar feel more supported. After a conversation with Cesar in which he admits that he still has Jamal’s promise ring and that he’s “working on” his shame about his sexuality, Yami decides to come out by publicly asking Bo to prom.

Yami and Cesar overhear their mother crying while shouting at their father on the phone. Yami takes the phone and angrily tells her father that he is out of their lives forever. Maria and Cesar huddle around the phone with Yami, and they all shout curses at Emiliano until they realize that he’s already hung up. The experience is cathartic and brings the three together.

In art class, Ms. Felix reveals to Yami that she is also part of the LGBTQ+ community but is not out at school, she offers Yami advice on which of her pieces to enter in the art show, suggesting that Yami choose one that “makes a statement.” Later, the family bonds while making jewelry together, and Maria gives Yami a new phone to replace the one she broke. Yami immediately uses it to take a picture of the three of them together. Maria declares that she will not speak to the children’s father until he accepts them for who they are, explaining that she cannot love someone who doesn’t love her children. Cesar requests an LGBTQ-friendly therapist rather than continuing with his current one, who seems inexperienced with LGBTQ+ clients. The family searches for options together, demonstrating their growing solidarity.

At the art show, Bo displays a detailed portrait of Yami that moves Maria to tears. Yami reveals her prom proposal—a rainbow-colored painting with “PROM?” spelled out in white letters. Bo accepts with a kiss, receiving cheers from many classmates. However, on Monday, Principal Cappa announces that Slayton Catholic “does not endorse romantic same-sex couples for prom” and that they are updating the code of conduct immediately (358). When Yami protests in class, Mrs. Havens threatens to send her to the principal’s office, and Yami responds by going there of her own volition. Bo follows.

Principal Cappa gives Bo and Yami detention for their “inappropriate public display of affection” (361), claiming that some students and parents were uncomfortable. Throughout the day, Yami receives a mix of supportive comments and hostility, discovering an anti-lesbian slur written on her locker, which Bo modifies to transform it into a gesture of support. In detention, approximately 40 students, including Cesar, Hunter, David, Amber, and Emily, show up in solidarity with Yami and Bo, turning their punishment into a protest.

At lunch the next day, Bo announces through a megaphone that she’ll be hosting an “anti-prom” at her house, inviting anyone who feels disenfranchised by the school rules. She gets on one knee and, in view of everyone in the cafeteria, asks Yami to attend with her. The idea gains popularity, with about half the “promposals” over the following weeks being for “anti-prom,” which students begin calling “gay prom.” On the morning of prom, Cesar confides in Yami that he still struggles with his feelings for Jamal but has invited him to gay prom as friends and plans to wear the promise ring.

On prom night, Jenna and Karen appear at Bo’s door, wanting to apologize. When Yami refuses to let them in, a struggle ensues, with Karen pulling Yami out the door, tearing her purple dress. Embarrassed but laughing, Yami and Bo change into matching casual clothes of leggings and T-shirts. The anti-prom becomes a success, with approximately 100 students attending, including many of the school’s students of color.

Cesar attends with Jamal, wearing his promise ring again even though they’re attending as friends. Both Cesar and Jamal participate enthusiastically in dancing, pulling Yami into their circle. She grabs Bo to join her, and they create a dance trend with their improvised arm-flailing movements. Outside on the grass, Cesar accidentally reveals that Yami loves Bo before running off with Jamal. This leads to Bo and Yami confessing their love for each other, kissing and laughing.

When Selena’s “Dreaming of You” plays, Yami and Bo dance together as Yami sings the lyrics. As they lie together on the grass afterward, Yami realizes that she’s no longer just surviving but truly living. She has embraced her authentic self and is no longer afraid of who she is. Looking into Bo’s eyes, she says, “Tú eres mi otro yo” (385)—“You are my other me”—signifying her complete self-acceptance and love.