Why Gender Matters

Symptoms of Being Human (2016) is the debut novel of actor and musician Jeff Garvin. Garvin is best known for his television roles in the 1990s: as Furman in The Wonder Years and as Scott in Caroline in the City. Symptoms of Being Human was a Lambda Literary Award Finalist, an ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection, and a Goodreads Choice Awards semi-finalist. The book tells the story of Riley Cavanaugh (pronouns: they/them), a closeted gender-fluid teen with a punk rock aesthetic who, at the suggestion of their therapist, anonymously writes a blog about bullying, anxiety, and the realities of life as a gender-fluid youth. One day, an unnamed commenter on the blog, claiming to know Riley’s true identity, threatens to expose them; Riley must decide whether or not they are ready to come out publicly.

Riley Cavanaugh is the child of a congressman representing Orange County—a conservative district in California—who is running for reelection. Riley is gender-fluid but has not come out to their parents. Riley struggles with dysphoria and feeling comfortable in their own skin, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. They also deal with bullying from their classmates at their private Catholic school. On the advice of their therapist, Riley starts a blog using the pseudonym “Alix” as a way to cope with their struggles and connect with other LGBTQ teens. The blog helps Riley create a supportive community online that is missing in other aspects of their life. Riley transfers to a public school in the hope of escaping the bullies at their old school only to find that the students there can be just as cruel. Riley makes a friend in Solo, an overweight black boy who is bullied in part because he used to wear a Chewbacca backpack. Solo suggests that Riley’s problem is that they draw too much attention to themself through their androgynous appearance, inevitably inviting harassment.

Noticing that Riley is bullied for their gender nonconforming appearance, a fellow student named Bec, whom they initially mistook for a boy, approaches Riley to invite them to Q, a support group for LGBTQ individuals. Bec reveals to Riley that her sister was transgender. At the Q meeting, Riley experiences a sense of community and belonging in-person that they had only ever felt before online. On the blog, Riley connects with a transgender girl named Andie Gingham, who is experiencing suicidal thoughts after coming out to her parents went badly. Andie’s story is published in the paper when she is badly beaten by her father. In the story, Andie thanks Alix for comforting her during her time of crisis, claiming that they were a big part of her decision not to kill herself. Andie says that, in spite of the violence directed at her, she does not regret coming out. The publicity generated by Andie’s story makes Riley’s blog go viral. Another member of the Q support group, Mike/Michelle, starts reading the blog and recognizes Riley as Alix from the way they speak. Mike/Michelle invites Riley to speak at a panel about social media’s role in creating an LGBTQ community online.



The blog’s sudden popularity also leads a fellow student at Riley’s school to hack their site and threaten to out Riley as Alix. With the pressure of reporters and their father’s reelection campaign, Riley decides to come out on their own terms, essentially derailing their father’s campaign. Riley’s parents do not react well to their confession, leading Riley to leave home alone. That night, Riley is attacked by three boys from their school, who viciously try to determine Riley’s sex based on their narrow conceptions of gender. Solo and Bec find Riley and are able to stop the attack. Their anger about this act of violence gives Riley the courage to publicly own their identity leading them to the decision to participate in the panel about their online community.

Symptoms of Being Human received starred reviews from both Booklist and Publisher’s Weekly. The novel speaks not only about the spectrum of gender identity but about anxiety and mental illness, bullying, the importance of community, and the power of visibility. Dahlia Adler, the author of Under the Lights and Just Visiting, writes, “Riley Cavanaugh is a sharp, funny, powerful voice for those who haven’t quite found theirs yet. Both highly entertaining and highly necessary, Symptoms is the kind of book that makes you a better human for having read it. I loved it.”