‘Love, Simon’: ‘I’m just like you’

“Dear Blue, it doesn’t seem fair that only gay people have to come out. Why is straight the default?”

In the romantic comedy feature film, “Love, Simon,” main character Simon Spier, played by Nick Robinson, opens up about his life as a closeted gay high school student through a series of anonymous emails to a secret online correspondent, Blue. Simon develops feelings for Blue, but an unfortunate incident results in Simon’s untimely coming out, throwing a wrench in their blossoming relationship.

“Love, Simon,” one of the first major studio films about coming out, is a romantic comedy adapted from Becky Albertalli’s best selling book “Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda.” The movie revolves around the central themes of acceptance and love, announcing that Simon is “just like you” within the first five minutes of the film.

Since its release on March 16, “Love, Simon” has captured the hearts of teens and adults alike, with a worldwide box-office gross of over $49.7 million.

“Love, Simon,” tackles more than just romance; it challenges LGBTQ stereotypes as well.

Spier doesn't have a high, sassy voice, nor does he particularly care for fashion; his unique personality and ability to disprove stereotypes demonstrate that members of the LGBTQ community cannot be forced into a box any more than straight people can.

Perhaps the best thing about “Love, Simon” is how it normalizes homosexuality, emphasizing that being gay is only one characteristic —  just as being straight is not an all-defining trait.

Even so, New York Times writer Jacob Tobia called the film industry’s usage of feminine- or gender-nonconforming gay men as “desexualized comedic relief.” Tobia said that because “Love, Simon” carefully establishes that Simon is “not that kind of gay,” it follows the trope that only masculine gay men can be crowd-pleasing protagonists, which is in turn insulting to femme gay people.

To further his point, he referenced a dance number in which Simon imagines he is at college and is free to be as openly gay as he pleases, parading around the dorm with a troop of people wearing bright colors and waving pride flags. But at the end of the scene, Simon says, “Well, maybe not that gay,” lending evidence to Tobia’s views.

While the film may have flaws, “Love, Simon” makes an effort to display diversity not only in its story but also in its cast; three of the film’s prominent characters, played by Keiynan Lonsdale, Alexandra Shipp and Jorge Lendeborg Jr., are of African American descent, and Lonsdale happens to be openly bisexual himself, adding true LGBTQ representation into the mix.

Actress Katherine Langford, who plays Simon’s best friend Leah, maintains that the film’s success comes from its ability to connect with everyone.

"You take a piece from every character and you resonate with them in some way,” she told Popsugar Australia. "[There's that] feeling of insecurity. Not knowing who you are and trying to find out [when] everything around you is changing and evolving at such a rapid rate.”