I felt that he did not know what his sexuality was. I felt that his gut told him that he was gay but that he could not go against his friends and society in general. I thought that this struggle made him hate himself and his community (though I definitely had sympathy for his mother and that she would be sympathetic to him). Of course, he is not what we want people seeing as the only portrayal of a gay guy. Unfortunately, that is exactly what a gay guy becomes for many different reasons. At the same time, however, most people were hugely sympathetic and drawn to the Heath Ledger character who was having the same problem and was engaging in tremendously destructive behavior that impacts other people, i.e., simultaneously cheating on his wife and child with Jake. So while I did not think the main character in Beach Rats was particularly admirable I thought he was realistic and that the movie was worth watching for his performance and for the unfortunate journey he goes through, much of it of his own making.