Graeme

@Timothy M. I think it's reasonable to say that Jose isn't ugly on the outside, but I think it'll be fairer to say he's exotic than very handsome. While there are hispanics in Australia, they're not common, so Jose will have the allure of 'being different'. Regarding Mason's instagram account, I had intended to make a comment about it being restricted to only friends, so the number of people who see it isn't high...and most of those will be in the USA where they're unlikely to out Ben accidentally. Most of the people in Australia who can see it would be those who know about Ben. Dexter's the exception there, but his comment to Mason may prompt Mason to telling Dexter. Of course, Dexter moves in very different circles to anyone from Ben's family, so the risk of outing Ben is extremely low. In 2015, Sydney's population was at least 4.5 million, so the odds of Dexter running into someone who knows Ben's family isn't high. Dexter's reaction to Deon marching in the Mardi Gras parade is more a combination of someone famous (relatively speaking) wanting to march, and probably an unconscious assumption that someone who was molested (which is what Dexter currently believes) wouldn't want to march in a gay pride event. If he stopped and thought about it, he'd realise that that's stupid (being molested doesn't automatically make someone uncomfortable around gays...and Deon is in a gay pub at the time!), but we don't always think logically when we're surprised. As it is, he recovered quickly and after his two remarks, he was over it.

My apologies, but real-life has caught up with me. This is the last of my prepared chapters, so, unfortunately, I can't promise regular posting from this point on. I do promise that I will finish this story, but it may take longer than I expected. As you can guess, we're approaching the end, but there's still a few chapters to go. Again, I'm sorry that I won't be able to keep up with the regular posting.

Mason smiled at Clarissa and Daphne. “I think the guys need a night off. They were both exhausted when they got back to the apartment yesterday, so why don’t we take them out and let them relax?” Daphne nodded. “As long as Kevin is okay with the idea, that’s fine with me.” Mason didn’t tell her that she was included in the people he was concerned about. Daphne still hadn’t fully recovered from being outed earlier in the week, and while there were signs she was getting better, her smi

Why Is It So? was an Australian TV show that ran for over 20 years. It was one of my favourites when I was a kid. It was hosted by Professor Julius Sumner Miller and demonstrated physics in a a fun way. The ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) has collated a number of the funniest and entertaining segments. https://www.abc.net.au/science/features/whyisitso/ Enjoy!

Twin studies are useful when analysing if something is genetic. If it's genetic, there should be a difference reported when comparing identitical twins with non-identical (fraternal) twins. Many years ago I read of one such study on homosexuality. While identical twins didn't always share the same sexual orientation (as @Thorn Wilde mentioned above), the percentage of identicial twins that did was much, much higher than for fraternal twins. From memory, the figures were something like 60% vs 10%. The obvious conclusion is that there is a genetic component to homosexuality, but there is something else involved, too. Since it's known that some genes are only active when triggered, the most likely answer is that homosexuality has a genetic component that only manifests when triggered. Some speculation is that the trigger occurs in the mother's womb, but that's still largely speculation. I think this one is the study I remember (with the percentages being 65% and 30% for identical vs fraternal twins). However, Wikipedia lists other studies with wildly different results. I'm still of the opinion that the twin studies show a genetic component to homosexuality, but there's no 'gay gene' per se that makes a person gay. It's much more complex than that.

When José located the Wentworth Building the next morning, he frowned. He realised that things weren’t going to be as easy as he’d hoped. From the signage out the front, the five-storey building was used by the student union for a variety of purposes, and there would probably be a lot of people coming and going throughout the day. With multiple public entrances, there was nowhere he could sit or stand that would allow him a clear view of everyone who entered the building. Instead of a wait

To be fair to Sue, she's being protective. She doesn't like seeing her friends hurt, and naturally blames the one who hurt them. As to whether Drew needs to share some of the blame for what happened with James, we don't know

LOL -- the whole story revolves around Rick being too scared to admit he's straight.... Think of how many 'traditional' gay stories would be different if the gay guy wasn't too scare to admit the truth?

Another possible reason is because Australia has had a lot of immigration over the years, especially after WWII. That makes the opinion pool more diverse, which is generally a good thing.

Deaths in prison in Australia are rare, but I believe the attitude to those who harm kids is similar...just not as fatal.

Given what else Mason believes his father has done, why wouldn't he think he'd investigate his friends, too? Especially friends who will be living two doors away. His father appears paranoid about who Mason will be associating with, so it's not unreasonable for Mason to believe his father will have a report on his friends, too. I agree that their focus needs to be on Daphne, but transgender confuses a lot of people. As an analogy, there are also people who don't understand homosexuality. That doesn't mean they don't accept people who are homosexual. All it means is that they don't understand how someone could be attracted to someone of the same sex in that way, let alone have sex with that person. They can lookup information on what homosexuality is, but that doesn't tell them what it's like to gay. They will probably never understand how one guy can be attracted to another guy, but they can certainly accept it. With Daphne and Kevin, some of the confusion was shown before that conversation when Neil asked if this means Kevin is gay. Transgender disrupts the norm of binary sexes and this introduces confusion. We're used to labelling things, and that includes people. But people don't always fit into nice little boxes (unless you use a chainsaw), and that can throw people. Look at how much confusion there is about bisexuality. There are still a lot of people who think that someone is gay or straight; the idea that someone could be attracted to people of either sex makes some people uncomfortable. Transgender takes that confusion to another level. The group is certainly rallying around Daphne, though only time will show how much support they'll give. Words are cheap, as they say. It's actions that show the real friends.

Mason has never been as alone as he is right now. Yes, he needs a friend.

“Thanks, everyone.” Mason glanced around the still largely bare apartment before grinning at his guests. “I still have trouble believing this place is now mine.” Deon chuckled as he used a fork to spear some stir-fried vegetables from the plastic container in his hands. “And I’m having the same problem with knowing I’m moving in here tomorrow.” He glanced at Kevin. “What about you?” Kevin shrugged. “I’m just excited.” He leant over and gave Daphne a kiss on the cheek. “And to make it

As with everywhere, there is quite a range of kids and their attitudes in Australia. David has been taught to respect authority, though he's not totally subservient to that principle. Adam is too aware that the only reason he's not homeless is because of David's parents and is reacting accordingly. Other people have a different attitude.

I love that SATW comic, @Timothy M. it certainly epitomizes the attitude some people have to coffee.

I don't know what it's like in Europe, but instant coffee has a bad name in the USA. Australian instant coffee isn't that bad, so that was all a play on Mason not wanting to drink instant coffee, and is willing to pay for an espresso machine instead. Now, Australians love expresso coffee, and in Melbourne, in particular, coffee is a very personal thing. Melbourne has a lot of coffee shops with personal barisitas to make coffee for their customers. The big coffee chains aren't as successful there as they are in the USA...

Thank you! I hope you enjoy the other stories just as much

Firstly, my apologies for a lack of response to the comments so far. Unfortunately, work commitments means I'm currently travelling a lot, and my online time (and writing time) is very limited. As @Timothy M. knows too well, I generally don't say anything about what's coming up later in the story. However, since I'm still convinced that Timothy has hacked into my computer and read the upcoming chapters and my notes, everyone feel free to ask him what's going to happen Seriously, though, thank you everyone for what you've said. As for what may or may not happen the next day (Tuesday, story time), while it's the day off for both Kevin and Deon, they'll be at the unit moving in. They won't be near the university.

Thanks, @Colortom for answering @Efmaer's question. When Mason was trying to get his parents to buy the unit, they had his planned renters investigated. As part of that investigation, they found out that Daphne's original name was David. Mason's father told him as part of his argument that Kevin was an unreliable renter.

Ben shuffled his feet awkwardly while staring at the airport carpark’s concrete floor. It had been a fun two-and-a-half weeks, but it was over. Mason was heading back to Sydney, and while Ben had agreed to join the other Leopards who were going to the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney the first Saturday in March, he knew he and Mason couldn’t sustain a long-distance relationship. “Hey, it’s only for a couple of weeks, and then we’ll see each other again.” Mason reached over and cupped the

Yes, long distance relationships are hard work, but Melbourne and Sydney are only an hour apart from plane, and Mason has access to enough money to make the trip regularly. The main issue will be finding the time...

Thanks, @impunity and @CscottyCA. Australia is very much a multicultural society. Historically, when a new cultural group arrives, they tend to stick together and live in the same general area as others from the same cultural group. After a generation or two, the children of those cultures are more integrated into the rest of the Australian community, but the legacy can still live on. For example, there is a part of Melbourne that's well known for it's Italian community, even if the area is no longer considered to be Italian. Currently, the recent ethnic groups that haven't fully integrated yet are those from the war-torn areas of Africa and the Middle East. Warwick was being polite when he used the phrase 'ethnic youths' to indicate that the group that attacked him and his friend were from one of those groups. He didn't say what nationality the youths were from, but given the location, they were most likely to be from the Middle East. The African-born population is more to the south, around Bankstown. Regarding being a black American, Mason hasn't experienced any real racism in Australia yet, and his initial impressions is that the colour of a person's skin isn't a big factor. That's true in the areas that Mason has been in so far, but he may learn that's not universally true at some point depending on where he goes. Australia doesn't have the same history with respect to African-born people as the USA, but it does have a history of racial abuse towards Australian Aborigines. However, there are distinct differences in facial features between people of African descent and Australian Aboriginies. As such, most people who may harbour prejudice against Australian Aborigines will quickly realise that Mason is not an aborigine. Whether they still hold a prejudice after realising that is up to the individual.

Ah...okay. You should know me by know that I don't give everything away. Clarissa has reminded Ty of something. Given the history between Ty and Karen, there are many possible events that he could be remembering at that time. I'm not going to try to decide which it could be Karen is a strong person in her own right, and Ty knows that. Looking after her is something that takes tact, because he knows that he can't stomp on her own independence in the process (remember the incident where he tried to pay for lunch over her objections, back in Leopard Spots? He almost lost her when he did that).

@Timothy M. When a mother thinks her child has been threatened, she's not always going to stop and think. Mandy tolerates Sam, but she hasn't reconciled with him. She accepts Deon's relationship with her ex-husband, but when someone tells her that something bad has happened to Deon, she doesn't immediately reject the idea that Sam was involved. It's sad, but true. Mason didn't tell his father the truth for the same reason everyone else is staying silent: to protect Dave. He knows who the real victim was, but it's not his place to tell others. Mason's relationship with his father (and to a lesser extent, his mother) is still on rocky grounds. He doesn't know the truth, so Mason doesn't know his father is trying to protect him. As is too common, a lack of communication is causing problems in their relationship. As for Jordan, who thinks that what the other teenager said to Jordan is acceptable? Teenage boys are not noted for being pinnacles of virtue, and Richie is a good example of that. We don't know Richie's relationship to Jordan, but I think it's fair to say that he's probably not one of Jordan's closest friends. A teenager, probably 15 or 16 years of age, said something to Jordan, and Jordan reacted. Why did Richie say what he said? Who knows, but it may be a teenager trying his best to look 'cool'... Teenage males are not the best example of calm and rational behaviour, after all.

Hi, @Timothy M. I will reply to your post on chapter 14, but I need a little more time to think about it Okay, regarding Ollie...if he grew up, would he still be the same Ollie? Some people simply never grow up, and Ollie is one of those people. He's loving and affectionate, but being serious is difficult for him. Deon is currently in the 'minor celebrity' category. People know of him. but given the circumtances of his celebrity status, more people will be reluctant to approach him. As for other real-world events, there are few that I've ignored. The Lindt siege in December where two people died (one of which was the gay manager) is one of those events. The Charlie Hedbo shooting is another. I'm sorry, but there is only so much I can include. Regarding why Ty wasn't there to see Deon and Clarissa fly back to Sydney, the simplest explanation is that he has work commitments that prevented him from doing so. He's got a full time job, after all, even if he's got the support of Paddy, he can't do whatever he wants. He'll push the boundaries when it's important, but he's going to see Deon and Clarissa again in March. He probably decided it wasn't worth annoying his club by skipping training and other club activities, just to see them off.