When you called me a “negative stereotype” and a “punchline,” it did feel a lot like a personal insult, a judgement, and it still would have felt like one if you were White, male, and straight, but I now understand that your intention may have been lost in translation. The reason I specified “Black” and “gay” is because both qualities largely inform who I am and how I respond to the world — and as I pointed out in the piece, due to my experiences as a Black man (and I would add as a gay man), it is not always with linear reasoning. I do appreciate your reaction to my work. I don’t think anyone has ever said I made them “gloriously uncomfortable,” but now that you have, I hope it’s not a one-time, one-reader thing. Thank you for paying attention.