How was it like writing something that hits pretty close to home? I was really intrigued to read that the book is partly inspired by your life growing up in eastern Washington. This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.

In our conversation, the author, who identifies as genderqueer, shares what inspired Jay’s story, the importance of writing gay sex scenes, and what it means to craft a world full of queer joy and acceptance. Along with addressing and defying queer tropes, Jay’s Gay Agenda is sex positive and depicts Jay’s sexual awakening, as the 18-year-old learns more about his desires through consensual, safe experiences.Īfter publishing several books for kids, Jason June is excited to enter the YA world with Jay’s Gay Agenda. “It’s not until he gets to have that face-to-face time that he understands the magic of physically interacting in a friendship sense with other queer people, and then in a romantic and sexual sense,” Jason June said over Zoom last week. His family suddenly moves to Seattle, and now Jay will spend his senior year with access to a thriving LGBTQIA+ community. Only that one day ends up happening sooner than expected. Longing to experience the firsts that his straight classmates are talking about, Jay creates a list of relationship and friendship goals he hopes to accomplish one day. In this particular rom com, the main character is Jay, the only openly gay teen in his small town. He wants to let queer readers know-or remind them-that they too are “deserving of being the star of their own rom com.” * On Wednesday, May 10, former President Donald Trump will participate in a CNN presidential town hall in New Hampshire, hosted by CNN This Morning anchor Kaitlan Collins and airing at 9/8c.Jay’s Gay Agenda bursts with queer joy, which also happens to be author Jason June’s agenda for his debut YA novel. Additionally, the streamer has ordered to series Justice on Trial, a court program in which Judge Judy Sheindlin and a team of legal experts examine “pivotal court cases, past and present, that have had a long-lasting impact on society.” * Amazon Freevee has renewed the courtroom show Judy Justice for two more seasons. * The Real Housewives of New York City Season 14 will premiere Sunday, July 16 at 9/8c on Bravo. * Wendell Pierce ( Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan) will recur during Season 3 of Starz’s Power Book III: Raising Kanan as Ishmael “Snaps” Henry, “a living legend on the street, former bank robber, and OG dealer who now acts as a mentor and financier for up-and-comers like Kanan,” our sister site Deadline reports.

* Human Resources, Netflix’s Big Mouth spinoff, will drop its second and final season on Friday, June 9.

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The Spells We Cast by Jason June