He Never Said Anything

Abstract

As gay suicide becomes more frequent, deaths of gay men (particularly young gay men) become less shocking. I believe we should still be shocked. Moreover, I believe we should be incited to speech and action. This work is the nexus of four different but interacting stories: a call for critical, qualitative researchers to promote change; a conversation about the use of poetry as critical voice; the stultifying suicide rates and stories of suicides among gay youth (10-25); and my own personal story as a largely closeted gay man. The organization of this piece includes a brief introduction of these four intersecting lines, a subsequent sequence of poetry and prose that connects them, and a final reflection on how the intersection(s) of critical inquiry and poetry should usher change.