Young Writers Society

You see, I'm in the middle of a story right now and I'm planning to turn one of my characters gay.

I'm also planning to make him fall in love with the hero's best friend. I'm not sure if I would give them a happily ever after, though.

I think it's a nice idea but I'm not so sure if others will like it. The story is mostly fantasy (Angels and stuff) and I'm not quite sure if I should go on with this idea.

Opinions please.

Hey there,

I feel that you have to overcome this stupid notion of thinking for the readers. Just write your stuff. Don't care about the reader.
I don't see any problem with homosexuality in the fantasy genre. Just do your thing.

I'm not so sure on your wording for that. "I'm planning to turn one of my characters gay" sounds like you're trying to hop on a trend, or doing it because it's a huge social issue right now.

I am not saying you shouldn't do it, but I am saying you need to do some serious thinking.

1- Is your perception of the character: primarily a gay guy, or primarily a character who so happens to be gay?

There is a big difference between the two. If he is primarily a gay guy, he is a stereotype. He is his orientation. This feels like he's a token, something you're doing because you want to add diversity.

However, if he is a character who so happens to be gay, then you think of him as a person first. He's got his own likes, dislikes, hobbies, traits... he just so happens to like guys over girls. This gives him room to not be a token and shows diversity not only in your work (by having a different orientation), but in the gay community.

2- Will his characterization change after he comes out?

If yes, stop right now and step away from the LGBTQA [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans*, Queer, Asexual] characters until you've thought a bit.

The majority of people do not change when they come out. They just realize "I like guys better" or "I like girls". (Or, for the whole diversity spectrum: "I like both genders", "I'm a guy in a girl's body"/"I'm a girl in a guy's body", "I don't really fit in a box", "I'm not interested in sex at all").

This ties into the first point. There is huge diversity in the LGBTQA community. The stereotypes are the most often shown in media, but they're not the only types of gays out there. (There is no "type of gay") If he suddenly becomes different to fit one of those stereotypes, then you're not letting him be a person. You're turning him into a Gay Character (instead of letting him be a character who happens to be gay).

It can be possible character changes because they become more comfortable with themselves when out. But this must be well foreshadowed. Even then, his mask might've been so good you couldn't tell.The change would be very gradual as he realizes who he can be— it's not a light switch (Do not do: "I'm gay! And now camp!"). It's a change not unlike becoming an adult and realizing you can explore your own interests more. However, this does not apply to everyone, and you'd have to really see if he would change at all and why.

But, please. If he is nowhere close to a stereotype and he's only uncomfortable because he's not out and wants to be honest, don't turn him into a stereotype and just let him be himself.

3- Is he a stereotype, either before or after he comes out?

Ask yourself why. Really ask yourself why. Does that stereotype even exist in your fantasy world? (If no, ask yourself why he fits it even harder.)

Could you imagine him as gay and not as one of those stereotypes, or is the association that gay=[stereotype] fairly hard wired for your character creation? (If yes, I will say this again: step away from the LGBTQA characters)

Yes, the stereotypes exist. And yes, some people fit them to a T. But not every single gay character in fiction should match those stereotypes. You might have him sort of be a stereotype, but he's different in certain key areas... that's alright, because it shows the diversity and you've developed him past that stereotype.

But remember point 1 in all of this: is he a character who happens to fit the stereotype, or a character who is a stereotype with depth? If the former, then good. If the latter, start shifting your perception on how you view LGBTQA characters.

In short, think about why you're including a gay character. Do you simply want a gay character? Or, did you discover he was gay as you were developing him/writing, and it's a very natural shift?

You should know which mindset gets you good, well-developed gay characters by now.

My advice, if you're unsure about an idea, be bold and go with it.

You'll probably have heard (or will hear) people say 'every story has already been told a million times over' because it's true. What makes a good story is not the elements included, but how you tell it.

You write differently to anybody else. You have your own influences and preferences, your own prejudices and beliefs, your own style and method.

Some people will say right away 'no that's a stupid idea,' but that's because they've never read *your* version of a fantasy, and *your* version of a fantasy is going to challenge worldy concepts- which is something I personally love in a novel.

Some people might say 'yeh, that's amazing, you should go with it and get it published,' but you might find three chapters in that you're just not very good at writing gay characters.

In summary: if you need to ask 'should I write this' then you need to write this, to explore your own literary and creative abilities if nothing else.

As for the character Rosie's advice is great but there is sooo much more to homosexuality than those things. It's a big deal, and it's different for everyone. Some people change a lot when they come out, simply because it feels like such a burden to carry. Some people actually do have those 'oh my gosh I'm gay' moments which change them because it completely crashes into the figure of their self image. I'd recommend using personal experience (a forbidden romance, a heavy secret) and/or talking to others.

Put as much thought into this character as you would into any other and that should suffice for the characterisation issue. There's no point in fretting over getting one particular feature of one particular character right if it means you may end up neglecting the others.