 Mod-two diagonal class of the real projective plane

The cohomology ring of the product of two real projective planes is ${\mathbb{F}}_2[x,y]/(x^3,y^3)$, with $|x|=|y|=1$. Pairing against $x^2$, $xy$ and $y^2$ identifies the Poincare dual of the diagonal as $x^2+xy+y^2$. For a self-map $f$ with $f^{\ast }x=\epsilon x$, the graph pullback evaluates on the mod-two fundamental class as $1+\epsilon +{\epsilon }^2=1$. Thus no graph of a map on the whole projective plane can avoid the diagonal. The argument uses a relative Thom class and does not assume transverse intersections.