'Sex Edutn's' Eric Effng is spiratn to Nigeria's gays, says activist : Goats and Soda : NPR

Contents:

• ERIC CHOOSG ADAM OVER RAHIM 'SEX EDUTN' UNRTIMAT THE TRMA OF GAY BULLYG
• 'SEX EDUTN' IS EXPLORG GAY SEX WAYS RARELY SEEN ON SCREEN
• 'SEX EDUTN'S' ERIC EFFNG IS SPIRATN TO NIGERIA'S GAYS, SAYS ACTIVIST

ERIC CHOOSG ADAM OVER RAHIM 'SEX EDUTN' UNRTIMAT THE TRMA OF GAY BULLYG

He is also a bully towards Eric Effng, an openly gay classmate, and is often noticed for his lack of hygiene. However, he is quickly expelled om the stutn after two other stunts amed him for owng dgs orr to ensure that Adam will not reveal that they are gay. Ined, Adam, who intified himself as heterosexual, was a bully to Eric (who was openly and proudly gay), llg him "Tromboner" and never missg an opportuny to be mean to him.

GAY.

But that do not make hurt any ls that the Netflix show disregard the experienc of thoands of queer people by cidg to have gay character Eric (played by Ncuti Gatwa) choose to date his ex-bully Adam (Connor Swlls) over the man that fairly unndnally loved him, Rahim (Sami Outalbali). Versn of Queer as Folk 20 years ago has a show so much tried to explore what is like to be a young gay man the Brish equivalent of high school. The show should be praised for tacklg plex topics like Eric's ever-changg relatnship to a relign that he was brought up but shuns him, as well as his exploratns of genr Edutn's first season should also be praised for tacklg the reali of g out gay while still school.

'SEX EDUTN' IS EXPLORG GAY SEX WAYS RARELY SEEN ON SCREEN

Per LGBTQ+ chary Stonewall, 45 percent of lbian, gay and bisexual pupils, and 64 percent of trans on were bullied bee of their sexual orientatn the last year, and ne out of 10 sendary school teachers polled reported that LGBTQ+ pupils had been bullied their school. Chary the Child Md Instute, meanwhile, found that gay teens were four tim more likely to attempt bullyg a part of many young LGBTQ+ stunts' liv, Sex Edutn serv some cred for acknowledgg that Eric was the victim of a mpaign of bullyg by Adam, and yet not lettg Eric ever be seen as purely a then the show ma Eric fall love wh Adam.

Then Season 2, Eric got a relatnship wh the out gay man Rahim, only to leave him at the end of the season to explore a relatnship wh Adam, the man who until that pot had done the utmost to make Eric's life a livg hell. There is a kernel of tth Adam's story of gog om homophobic bully to closeted gay man. Adam's progrsn om homophobe to homosexual may e some anti-gay bulli to qutn exactly why they are physilly and verbally hurtg their classmat, but also pletely unrvalu the ser trma that a staed mpaign of bullyg n do to a many Netflix viewers who have experienced anti-LGBTQ+ bullyg their past, the ia of a gay man embarkg on a relatnship wh this bully is at bt unrealistic, and at worst a horrifyg, re-trmatisg urse, we also have to nce that Sex Edutn is a edy-drama, and so has to have dramatic stak – stak that we get om the plited relatnship between Adam and Eric but did not get om the sweet, lovg relatnship between Eric and Rahim.

'SEX EDUTN'S' ERIC EFFNG IS SPIRATN TO NIGERIA'S GAYS, SAYS ACTIVIST

However, queer viewers will not fet what Adam did to Eric throughout the earlier n of the show, and Sex Edutn should not should also sp-off showg Rahim's fabulo gay adventur Paris, but that is a discsn for another Edutn Season 3 is released on Netflix on September 17. Adam tells him they weren't his, but after the Commanr asks why would they do that, Adam cis not to tell him about Le and Eli beg gays.

He's also datg Eric, officially beg a gay and even though Adam me out ont of everyone, he didn't tell his mother about . After class, Adam's wag for Eric bi his bike, when sudnly some stunts start to make lgh at Adam for beg gay. Adam, feelg unr prsure, tells Eric wasn't what he wanted, after what Eric gets angry and leav, tellg Adam that Otis was right tellg him Adam wasn't feelg fortable wh himself as gay.