Travis sat slumped on the edge of his bed in his cosy apartment, the walls were adorned with rainbow flags, posters of iconic gay activists, and shelves lined with queer literature that he cherished. At 22, Travis was a cute, hairy guy with a trim build that had proven to be very popular on dating apps. Travis sighed as he sat on his bed, his dark chest fur peeking out from the collar of his new t-shirt emblazoned with a supportive message for LGBTQ+ rights and a brand that donated to equality causes. He'd just posted a photo of himself wearing it, beaming with pride at a recent pride event recap, hoping this would be the one to boost his fledgling influencer career. But as he refreshed the app obsessively the likes trickled in at a pathetic rate, he barely had a dozen after an hour and with zero comments there was practically no engagement at all.
Travis’s heart sank, all his efforts on gay events, parades, activism, and book reviews felt futile. "Why bother?" he muttered to himself, the dream of building a community and making a difference slipping away like sand through his fingers. Disheartened and on the verge of tears, Travis stared at his phone screen. From a slight trembling lip he whispered a desperate wish aloud
"I just wish I could be successful on social media. Anything to make this work."






