Michael is a character who also struggles in life and wants to be accepted in the real world .

Seeing
Micheal dress up as a girl provokes us to think about how the culture around cross dressing (drag) is
changed. Micheal is gay and hiding his subversive relationship to gender from the world .Billy as his best
friend is the only person who is privy to the fact that Micheal crossdresses and eventally learns that
Micheal has a crush on him .

Along with the struggle of growing up in a community where he doesnt fit the expected norm for male
behaviour .Michael has an alcoholic and abusive father who belives heavily in the gender sterotypes
perpetuated and dissapproves heavily of Michael's behaviour.

Billy is sympathetic and has a nonjudgmental attitude towards his gay friend even though he is in an
exceedingly homophobic and skeptical community.Billy does not harbor the same prejudices that the
older men in his life do .Billy rather than getting upset about his freinds sexulity and crush Billy
embraces Michael to take him to the gymnasium to teach him ballet and help him put on a tatu .

This is the scene where Billy and Michael are weraing tutas and dancing in the boxing hall and they get
caught by their angry parents who then proceed to call them both ''poofs and sissies''.