#and unlike Michael. Emory is actually capable of apologizing

[basilibino]

ANYWAY with Michael on the brain let's branch out from him let's talk about how Emory is his primary target of abuse not only because Emory can't hide who he is even if he wanted to, but also because Emory is too similar to Michael and it scares him and those two things cannot be separated. Let's talk about how he tells Emory that one could murder him with very little effort and then Emory is the one Alan targets. Let's talk about how he told Emory to shut up his goddamn Minty mouth and get back in the kitchen after Alan attacked him. Let's talk about how Michael says faggots are worse than women about their age...they think their lives are over at thirty, then continues to comment on Emory's age. Let's talk about how the only time Michael ever half-defends Emory is when Alan calls him a pansy and they're alone in Michael's bedroom. How he does nothing when Emory is attacked. How Emory is specifically the one Michael tried to make conform, then shoved him away when he wouldn't.

Let's talk about how in the original script, when Michael attempts to make references to films and plays, the only one there who knows what he's talking about is Emory. And how Michael's response is, essentially, "yeah. You would."

Let's talk about how Emory is the externalization of everything Michael hates most about himself, but also Let's talk about how there's probably a part of Michael who either fears or envies Emory, because Emory survives.

Let's talk about how Emory is the oldest faggot there. Let's talk about how Emory has been caught by the vice at the baths, several times, and still he is resilient. Let's talk about how Emory is the only one who acknowledges STIs, and still he pursues pleasure. Let's talk about how Emory's been clocked since he was 4, was outed in high school, and lived anyway. Let's talk about how (in the original script) Emory is the only one noted to be friends with a lesbian, the only one to have a named friend outside of this group, and outside of the gay male community.

Let's talk about how Emory has a job and it pays him well. Let's talk about how he's everything Michael thinks is wrong with himself, but he's still here and he's still kicking and he's still refusing to hide because his sense of self was forged in goddamn fire but guess what. He never stopped feeling love for another man, even when he stopped being his high school's funny gay joke. He outlasted that hate and he still will.

Let's talk about how Emory's racism occurs within the context of some kind of agreement between Bernard and himself, how he was uncomfortable at Bernard's self-minimization during his code-switching, and how, when he finally heard Bernard say he doesn't like the way Emory talks about him...Emory apologized and swore to stop, all the while Michael's racism only gets worse as the night goes on, and how he doesn't try to explain or stop or change, he just tries to ask what makes him so different. And then continues to be racist.

Let's talk about Emory as Michael's foil pleasepleaseoleaseolaespleasePLEASE