An Open Letter to a Dear (CIS Straight) Friend,
Walker, we have known each other for quite some time. From 7th grade, I knew that you were just this person that would exist in my life for a substantial amount of time. And I was right. After we all left for college, you were one of the few reasons that I even thought about Maryville at all. We always kept in touch, you cared about me, and I you.
But that doesn’t make you perfect. Nobody is, and that’s not what this letter is aiming to demand. Instead, I just wish to draw your attention to an actuality that may not have crossed your mind. For the sake of clarity, I will cite that one dinner at the beach.
These beach trips were always one for the books. We just all loved being around each other so much. They felt like paradise in a way. But there was one day that an acquaintance of ours came to hang out for the day. He had nothing better to do, so why not go and hang at the nice beach house? Maybe acquaintance is too familiar of a term to use for him–perhaps a guy that went to our school is better? Either way, his name is Sam, and he’s just shy of a complete buffoon. And I know you remember what he said, asking if you would EVER fuck another guy if you were given at least a million dollars. And you pondered for a while because how could you EVER even THINK about having anal sex ever? God, how taboo is that to even think that two boys could interact in other ways that don’t include sports and talking about women!
So. I got upset. I got upset quite audibly in front of all of our friends. I, frankly, wasn’t a huge fan of having conversations like this one at the dinner table. And you got offended from my comments made towards Sam. You asked why I was going “so hard” on Sam, that guy that went to our school. The well known “awkward silence” ensued, and the entire bout was over. And you then forgot about it. But I didn’t.
And I never will.
When you come out of the closet, it’s not as easy as everybody (CIS straight people) makes it out to be. When you come out, you subject yourself to knowing that you are inherently different from the general public, and that’s without all the self-hatred layered on top of it.
I want to talk to you about your advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community as well as our personal friendship. You have always been so vocally supportive of me and of my sexuality when we talk to one another, and I love that about you. But you don’t always put your money where your mouth is.
- How I feel as the only gay kid in our friend group as well as our town
- I will always be taboo
- Advocacy is about action, not just about saying that you tolerate it.
Being a friend is about action, not just saying that we are fri
Composing Self - J. Carpenter 
I am loving the new topic that you chose. A lot of passion for this topic can be seen throughout the draft. I especially love the choice to emphasize certain sentences by keeping them separate from your other paragraphs. It gives them so much power. The way that you specifically call out your friend and the other person just shows the weight that your voice carries. I cannot wait to see how you expand on the topics you haven’t fully fleshed out yet.
When writing the end, don’t forget to make the call to action clear.
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Hi Jacob, I like your change of topic because it seems more personal to you and your exigence is clearer. I can see your passion and pathos in your writing through your personal anecdotes and experiences that you share in your writing, and I think this will be a very strong open letter.
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Hi Jacob: Please let me know what thoughts and questions you have in mind from the above comments sent to you via Friday’s peer workshop on your second draft. In particular, include your plans for revision to a third and final draft.
I’d like you to actually copy and paste your text into your blog, rather than post a downloadable link. It causes another step for your peers to take, and would be unnecessary if you could copy ‘n paste your content so it’s readily available.
Your audience and call to action here are connecting. The rhetorical situation could use a bit more detail. We gather that this is a friend of yours, who has been a friend of yours since high school, and remains a friend of yours now. As you can see we are dealing with a time orientation, so it’s important to keep the reader clear on the time line. One thing I wonder is where are you now and where is he now? From where do you speak today and from where does he listen? How long ago in the scheme of things did you leave Maryville for college? Was it six months ago? Or 10 years ago?
Careful to shut this person down by telling him so quickly that he’s wrong about something. If you want to tell him he “doesn’t out his money where his mouth is,” then follow that with something like “In fact, like all of us, you’re not perfect.”
Also be cautious of using a word such as “demand.” You go on to say: But that’s not what this letter is aiming toward. Instead, I want to encourage your advocacy of the LGBTQ+ community, as it would mean everything to my personal friendship with you.
But first. I wish to draw your attention to an actuality that may not have crossed your mind. For the sake of illustration, let’s go back in time about a year to that summer night at the beach. A group of us was enjoying dinner when…
And then go on with this anecdote, which takes us to the “awkward silence.” You forgot about it. I didn’t. And the awkward silence now remains like a world between us. I’m hoping this letter can serve as a step forward, and perhaps begin to build a bridge that brings us back into the same world again.
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