Writing Realistic Queer Characters
A handy guide on how to include LGBTQ+ characters in your novel
Diversity: it’s the hot topic in today’s publishing world, and readers are increasingly keen to see their own unique experiences reflected in what they read. As someone from several different minority groups, it’s a delight to see more books being released about queer and BAME characters.
However, while this recent focus on diversity in literature is promising, it can be tough to write about a minority group that you aren’t part of yourself. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t include diverse characters, it just means doing your best to represent them as authentically as possible.
So if you’re a straight author looking to include queer characters in your novel, here are some tips for how to get it right.
Make use of your network
You may not be queer yourself, but you most likely have a queer friend, family member, colleague, mortal enemy…you get the idea. Sit down and have a chat with them about their experiences. Ask open-ended questions and take notes. If you’ve already written up a character profile, get them to vet it. Most of us queer folk will be very happy to help, as accurate representation is in our best interests, too.
Do your research
Does queer mean the same thing as gay? What do all the labels stand for in LGBTQIA+? As well as talking to others, you should do your own research too. Queerness is more than just an identity; it’s a culture, a community, a history. One full of love, humor, and unique challenges. When you write queer characters, you’re also writing about queer culture, and to do so accurately you need to understand what that is.
Read queer books
One of the best forms of research is reading good queer fiction. It’s a way of fully immersing yourself in the experiences of those characters, and will probably give you some inspiration for your own. There are so many incredible books I could recommend, but my two favorites are: Call me by your name by Andre Aciman, and Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller.
Don’t rely on stereotypes
There are likely some stereotypes you believe about queer people. About how they dress or behave, or something else entirely. That’s okay, it’s perfectly normal. Everyone has some unconscous biases. It doesn’t mean you’re a terrible person. It just means that we see the same stereotypes in society all the time, and unless we have lived experiences to convince ourselves otherwise, we internalise them and believe them to be true.
Try to challenge those stereotypes, though. Yes, the butch/femme lesbian couples we see on TV do exist, but so do plenty of other lesbian couples who don’t fit the mold or look the part. Gay men who dress in drag and love musicals do exist, but so do gay men who like football and beer. A person’s sexuality isn’t defined by their appearance, behaviour or how they present themselves to society. Frankly, those stereotypes in fiction have become cliche, boring, and damaging to the representation of LGBT people.
Your queer character is more than their sexuality
So how do you avoid falling into the trap of relying on LGBT stereotypes? The answer is to develop your character like you would any other. Make them complex. Give them hobbies, interests, quirks, platonic relationships. Being queer is ultimately only a small part of their identity, and you shouldn’t base their entire personality around it. After all, do straight people base their whole lives around their sexual orientation and mention it every other sentence? Nope. It would be weird, right?
Conclusion
Even if they’re not the main character of your novel, writing characters with different backgrounds to your own will always be more difficult than writing from personal experience. When you portray diverse characters from minority groups, you have a responsibility to represent that group as accurately as you can. That doesn’t mean you have to get it right 100% of the time, but it does mean putting in the effort to research, ask questions and understand the unique challenges those minorities may face.
When done right, including diverse characters in fiction adds a layer of realism and complexity to novels that will elevate them and give them broader appeal. Not only that, it increases visibility of minorities that have been under-represented in mainstream literature for far too long.