David Inside Out, a new young adult novel by Lee Bantle, is a wonderful coming-of-age story that follows a gay teen in small town Minnesota who is in deep denial about his sexuality. He’s trying everything he can to be straight. He dates his friend Kick, a girl, in hopes of becoming attracted to her. He wears a rubber band around 
his wrist and snaps it every time he has “inappropriate” thoughts about his teammate, Sean. And, when his best friend, Eddie, comes out, David begins avoiding him at all costs. When Sean reveals that he might return David’s feelings, at first David is relieved. But it’s not that simple. Sean, too, struggles with how society – and the in-crowd – will see him if they knew he was attracted to guys. This compelling novel brings its teenage characters to life and deals with the reality that is growing up different in the suburbs.
I was so moved by David Inside Out – which arrived just in time for LGBT Pride Month! – that I asked Lee Bantle to answer a few questions for the blog. This is what he had to say:
BookPeople: David Inside Out is a wonderful, inspiring coming of age story. Where did David’s story come from?
Lee Bantle: From a desire to speak openly about my experience growing up. To bear witness to history. To let other gay people know that they are not alone, that I have gone through what they are going through, that many have.
BP: I understand you’re from the same region as David. How is David’s world different from the world you knew when you were growing up in Minnesota?
LB: I grew up in the last century. Coming out in high school would have been social suicide. David lives in a 21st century world. But many of his feelings are the same as mine. The world still does not approve. The voters in California took away the right to gay marriage. In the military, saying you are gay brings on discharge proceedings. We can get married in Dubuque. But not in New York or LA. The world is mixed up. So is David. And the embrace of his identity still comes with pain.
BP: Do you think your own similar experiences made David Inside Out harder or easier to write?
LB: I could not have written this book without having had the experiences I did. They say write what you know. I took my high school years and updated them to 2009, realizing that while we have progressed, we still have a long way to go.
BP: I loved reading about Eddie and Kick, David’s best friends, so much that I felt like I was a part of their little group. What inspired such fun characters?BP: Sean is a character I personally struggled with – maybe because he is so real. Without giving too much away, what do you think about the choices Sean makes?
LB: Sean is like a number of guys I have known. His is a cautionary tale. He is not managing his life well, but we can understand why and sympathize with him. At the end of the book, he is the last person I would want to be. But five years from now, things might be totally different. Let’s hope.
BP: The title “David Inside Out” could be interpreted in a few different ways. What does it mean to you?
LB: David is vulnerable and lets the reader see his insides even when he is hiding his gay feelings from himself. As the book develops, he lets those internal feelings come to the fore, he lets them out. And of course, he has to decide whether to turn his jersey inside out — from gray to red – in response to the anonymous note offering gay sex.
BP: In the book, David ends up calling a gay hotline. Are there any real hotlines that struggling gay teens might find helpful?
LB: Yes. The number printed in the book is a real number for The Gay and Lesbian Hotline. 888-843-4564. Anyone can Google it just like David did. Teens can call the number to find a sympathetic voice, to learn about resources, or as David did, to get advice.
BP: We are very lucky to live in a country that has made a lot of recent strides with gay rights. But we still have a lot of work to do. Do you have any advice for teens who want to get involved?
LB: Let me put an exclamation point on the fact that we still have a lot of work to do. Harvey Milk identified the fundamental, number one thing LGBT people can do to win their rights. Come out! The more people who know one of us — or many of us — the more supporters we will h
ave. It is that simple. But joining the movement is also important. There are national groups — Lambda Legal Defense, Human Rights Campaign, the Task Force – worthy of support. Local groups abound across the country. Join them. March. Lobby. Organize. Marriage is the defining issue of our time — and for all time. Write your senators and congress people. Demand your fundamental right to marry.
BP: When I was in high school, students had just started a gay/straight alliance. But I know there are tons of schools out there that haven’t gotten there yet. Eddie is very brave to start his own – how can the other Eddies out there get started?
LB: I’m glad you asked that question. There are about 4000 gay/straight alliances in American schools in 2009. There is lots of support for people who want to start a chapter in their school. Go to the website GLSEN.com for online and personal help. Let’s create 4000 new chapters in the next five years.
BP: Sadly, there’s been some controversy about gay relationships in young adult literature. Books with LGBT themes are some of the most frequently challenged. With that in mind, what do you hope David Inside Out says to teens – and adults! – who read it?
LB: I always joke that I hope David Inside Out gets burned at a Farenheit 451-style bonfire. Nothing boosts readership and sales like censorship. In Milwaukee, they are trying to ban a gay-themed novel by the great Francesca Lia Block called Baby Be-Bop (Emily’s note: this book is now out of print, but 
can be found in the Weetzie Bat omnibus: Dangerous Angels. It’s highly recommended). I do not understand this attempt at mind control. Don’t read the book if you don’t like it, but please, dear god, let me read what I want to read.
I do have a strong feeling about what I hope people will take away from the book. Not so very long ago, left-handed people were thought to have evil in them. Parents would bind their left-handed children’s arms to their torsos with a strap so they would learn to use their right hands. They did not accept left-handedness as a natural genetic variation. I hope that the readers of David Inside Out will come away gratified that David has embraced his left-handedness, that he has learned the truth about himself, and fought to become the person he was truly meant to be.
BP: Thanks so, so much to Lee for such a wonderful interview! I hope you all enjoyed hearing from him as much as I did! David Inside Out is available now in BookPeople’s teen section – hurry up and snag a copy for yourself. I guarantee you won’t be able to put it down!
Keep your eyes on the BookKids Blog this week for more LGBT-themed posts in honor of Pride Month, and be sure to check out our queer-themed teen display in the store!
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