Told in the first person, the poem follows a gay man's struggle to be accepted, first by the world, then by himself, and finally by his family. The speaker says he was "a different kind of guy" and tries to hide it, dating as many girls as he can in the hope of changing. The poem implies this is less about what he wants than about pleasing others.
Eventually he can't deny it any longer and tells his family. They turn him away and ban him from the house. After that, the poem shows a downward slide: he goes back into denial, drinks and takes pills, wakes up to find nothing has changed, and reaches for the bottle again.
The mood is raw, lonely, and pleading. The short, plain lines read like someone speaking without defences. The title, "Blood Before Principle," sets up the final plea, where he reminds his parents that he is their "own flesh and blood" and "only son," asking them to put family before disapproval.