It’s one of those typical romantic comedies: two high schoolers bubbling with fresh romantic feelings, maneuvering their way around the awkwardness of being a teenager in order to pursue a cute relationship that the audience will obsess over. Except this one’s different. The guy’s love interest isn’t a cheerleader or the blonde from the gymnastics team; his crush is an athletic guy in his grade.

There have definitely been a number of LGBTQ movies and television shows, but Love, Simon is one of the first widely mainstream movies that centers on a gay relationship, and people are excited to see this new, fresh representation.

“My overall impression of the movie was that I really, really enjoyed it. I think it’s my new favorite movie,” junior Julia Coverdale said. “It’s a really solid story, even taking away my own connection to it with my sexuality. I think it’s really sweet, and the cinematography and sound track really work well together.”

Senior Alysha Bell, who is openly bisexual, agreed with Coverdale’s satisfaction with Love, Simon.

“I really liked the movie. I thought it was relatable, funny, but also touching,” Bell said. “I think it’s very important for representation. I know I’ve heard a lot of stories on the internet of parents whose perspective changed because it shows insight into what a lot of teenagers are dealing with.”

The movie is based on Becky Albertalli’s book Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. The story follows the character Simon Spier, a closeted homosexual who experiences the ups and downs of coming out to his friends and family.

Senior Greg Bilek read the book for Books to Movies Club, and the story resonated with him.

“The book was a lot better in my opinion, as it should be,” Bilek said. “I feel like the book did [have more of an impact on me]. The movie was great, but it was more the book that did it for me. I’ve never heard a whole lot of stories on a gay kid’s coming out, but it definitely made me feel more comfortable.”

The messages in the movie are positive and very much needed, according to Coverdale.

“It’s important because I have seen so many people that are queer get the courage to start coming out,” Coverdale said. “This movie personally inspired me to start coming out to my extended family, and that’s something that I’ve known I wanted to do, I just could never push myself to actually start that mile. It’s also important for the people who are having trouble accepting people that are queer, because it shows us in a human light.”

The movie also worked hard to portray the process behind coming out to a person’s close ones.

“[I might not relate to] the actual coming out moment, but [rather] everything leading up to actually coming out,” Bell said. “It was kind of the struggle of even though you know logically that these people are going to accept you, in your mind you make up a situation where it’s going to go awful.”

The tension and rush of emotions that arrive with coming out to another person were similar to Bell’s own experience.

“The first person I ever came out to was my best friend, and that was my sophomore year. It was very awkward because I was nervous, and I remember thinking the next day, ‘Oh my god, that actually happened.’ That was just an interesting experience, and it was never really talked about again, so it almost felt like I didn’t come out. But when I came out to my parents, it was a big relief, because they were fine with it. They didn’t entirely understand, but it was just a big relief for them to know this big part of my life that they previously had no indication of,” Bell said.

In Love, Simon, the main character is outed by a kid named Martin, who attempts to blackmail Simon into getting him a date in exchange for keeping his sexuality a secret. For Coverdale, this storyline hit close to home.

“I spent the second half of the movie crying,” Coverdale said. “It really hit me when he was outed because I was outed to my own parents, and I think it’s important to discuss and to show audiences in America that it’s our own choice when to come out and no one should take that right away from us.”

The cast and crew behind Love, Simon was just as diverse as the plot’s characters. The film’s director, Greg Berlanti, is openly gay, and actor Keiynan Lonsdale came out to his coworkers halfway through filming the movie.

Even though Love, Simon is a very diverse film, it’s just the beginning of a process to normalizing people within the LGBTQ community, according to Coverdale.

“I feel like a rom com was a really good start to dealing with LGBT issues, but also it’s important to integrate them into stories that they’re not the main focus [of], like action movies, where there’s queer characters not because they’re important to the plot, but because they’re just as valid to be there as heterosexuals,” Coverdale said.

Bilek believes that the movie is important for all types of people, regardless of orientation or beliefs.

“It’s a good watch, but also if somebody’s struggling to see someone’s viewpoint on it, like if someone has a conservative view and doesn’t understand, maybe you could see this movie and be like, ‘Hmm, maybe these people are emotionally struggling as well as I am with relationships and they’re no different,’” Bilek said. “I feel like no matter what, just watching a good old teenage drama is good for the heart sometimes.”