Craig, a slow starter, was still in the closet. John Paul had been bullied when he first came out, but he was a tough lad on the pitch. Two sixth formers (high-school seniors) were in love. Ten years ago, living in England, I’d turn on the television for the Channel 4 evening news and catch the last minutes of “Hollyoaks,” a soap opera set in a small town in the North West and largely about working-class characters. My grandmother used to count the black faces in the Christmas choir on television and there was a time when I looked out for gay relationships in much the same way.
