Writing Queer-Related Characters · 11:55pm Mar 11th, 2022
Hey guys.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve written any blogs like this. I’ve looked back on some of my other advice blogs I’ve written some time after I first joined this site. And while I’ve gotten mostly positive feedback for them, the advice itself in the blogs, or at least how it was presented, could use some work.
And I’m here to talk about a bit of a delicate subject, which is homosexuality representation in stories.
I may not be bi or homosexual, but I’m always happy to read a good fic that has a queer-related character or a gay couple in the spotlight. I also have a few friends who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and I’m really happy to know them. Not to mention that Fimfiction itself is chock full of a shipfics, and a very good chunk of them are focused on lesbian couples, due to the show’s predominantly female cast, with stallions also getting their fair share.
With how many sexualities there are, there are countless ways to write queer characters, canon or otherwise, but it’s possible to mess up when writing queer-related, and it’s also possible to mess up really badly. Trust me, I’ve seen it.
Today, I’m going to be talking about a few things to keep in mind whenever you’re writing homosexual and bisexual characters, or even just the concept of queer in general.
Just remember, these are only suggestions and pointers, not rules. There’s definitely more than just a few ways to approach queer themes in fanfiction, and there’s many, many to write a queer character. So take my personal thoughts and feelings with a grain of salt.
This is also most likely going to cover constructing an LGBTQ+ related character, like an OC or when fleshing out a background pony. If you want to use this advice when using a canon character in the main cast, go for it.
If I end up saying something wrong, please let me know.
With that being said, here we go.
Do your research on the sexuality you’re covering.
This is the very first thing you should do when writing a character in your story, especially when it’s a sexuality you know very little about or haven’t even heard of.
Now a good majority of people, especially here on Fimfic, are familiar with the idea of being attracted to the same gender, or even both genders, but that’s just scratching the surface of LGBTQ in general. There’s pansexuality, asexuality, demisexuality, aromantics, biromantics, and so, so much more.
It’s never a good idea to jump straight to writing a story about a character of a certain sexuality if you have no idea what that sexuality actually is or what it means. Otherwise you’ll end up offending someone who is of their sexuality.
Here’s a story: I was once scrolling on DeviantArt one day, and I had discovered this one user has had a history of drama on the site (which I’m not going too far into for this blog). One of their actions included posting this weird skit thing where their OC was stabbed and sent to the hospital where they were “diagnosed” as asexual, and apprently this user thought it meant “being allergic to sex.”
That is obviously not how asexuality works at all.
Asexuals get as much crap as the rest of the LGBTQ community, since there are people who don’t believe it’s possible to not have any sexual attraction towards anyone and view asexuality as some mental disease. Posting a story treating it as a disease or an “allergy” is not only cruel and disrespectful, but if this person truly did not do any research on asexuality, it makes it even worse. So, long story short, this DA user ended up pissing off quite a bunch of people.
It’s important to have some familiarity with the sexuality you’re using for your character. If you’re not identified as that sexuality you’re covering, that’s fine. It’s best to get the basic gist of what it means and look deeper into it.
Find out what exactly people of this sexuality go through and maybe add it into your story. The more research and work put into it, the better.
A sexuality is not a personality trait.
This applies to creating queer-related OCs more than anything, but it can also be said for people writing about popular background characters who don’t have a fully established personality or sexuality, and want to give them one.
Say that you or someone else for that matter have a group of OCs (maybe 5, 6, or even 7+ of them) and they’re like maybe the main cast of a series of stories. How are they usually identified by the audience?
When people are looking at a certain character out of an ensemble cast and examining the traits they show, they’re usually go, “Oh, he’s the bright and optimistic one” or “Oh, she’s the brash and cynical one,” or even “Hey, that’s the vain and snobbish one.”
If someone supposedly looks at one character out of your make-believe cast and just goes, “Oh, that’s the gay one,” what does that say about your character?
A character’s sexuality is only one part of a character’s biography. Without everything else, like their personality or interests, the biography is incomplete and you’re most likely not able to accomplish much with this character.
It’s basically the same thing as basing an entire character solely around their race, ethnicity, or gender. A piece of cardboard can be painted the colors of the rainbow, and while it may look nice, it’s still a piece of cardboard.
Kudos to those who create a non-straight character, but remember to not base their entire personality as “the non-straight” one. While a character’s sexuality is important when it comes to how they interact with other characters, don't be afraid to display something other than their sexuality.
Give them flaws, character traits, or even a few hobbies. After all, homosexual people are still people. And so are bisexuals, pansexuals, asexuals, etc.
Writing their story
This is for if your character goes through multiple story arcs along with the other characters as the storyline progresses. It’s very common for non-straight characters to have a “coming out arc”, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. But if you’re writing multiple arcs for this character, you don’t have to base all of them on their sexuality.
This mostly goes hand-in-hand with my previous point. Treat your queer characters the same you would with any one of your characters. Give some focus on their personality and flaws, and have them grow and develop along with the rest of the cast.
Also, remember that there’s more than one way to write a character coming out, especially if you have multiple non-straight characters. Or, you don’t have to write a coming out arc. Maybe they’re confident and open with their sexuality and the others are alright with that. Feel free to experiment, different kinds of arcs for different characters.
If you’re writing an entire story based on your character’s sexuality, that’s cool too. Flesh out their relationship with their partner, (if they choose to have one,) Their sexuality would most likely come into play when dealing with relationship issues or when questioning their self-identity.
Common Stereotypes
This might be a bit more difficult to tackle and explain, honestly.
You know that ongoing joke where Rainbow Dash was a lesbian because of her rainbow mane? Or the fact that she’s a tomboyish sporty jock character? Yeah, it’s something like that, but unfortunately it’s not always played as a joke.
Let’s be real, stereotypes are everywhere, and the LGBTQ+ community is not safe from it. How many times have you seen a gay male character wearing girl clothes and acting overly flamboyant while speaking in a lisp? How many times have you seen a gay female character with ripped jeans and heavy boots who kicks asses in the bar?
These are known as Camp Gay and Butch Lesbian, respectively.
And while it’s possible for people to write then as well-rounded characters, don’t forget that gay men aren’t always overly feminine, and lesbians aren’t always tomboys. They can be, yes, but not always.
It’s also possible to write a gay feminine guy without having him wear a dress and makeup wherever he goes. It’s especially bad if you’re doing exactly this with a canon character. Well, unless it’s someone like maybe Rarity or even her rule 63 counterpart, Elusive.
Take a look at canonically gay characters that aren’t overly based on queer stereotypes, such as Luz from The Owl House, Adam from The Hollow, or Noelle from Deltarune, just to name a few.
Treat the subject of LGBTQ+ with care and caution.
A lot of stories that are focused on a character’s homosexuality have homophobia as the main conflict of the story. It’s possible to write a homophobic character well, but you have to be wary when doing this, or else you’ll end up hurting someone… or a lot of people for that matter.
Another story: here on Fimfic, I once read a so-called “comedy” where a male character’s homosexuality is the “conflict”. Apparently this character doesn’t want to be gay anymore and wants to be “normal”, so the other characters attempt to “fix” him, with a few homosexual slurs being thrown into the mix.
The story itself was just all-around bad. Poor grammar, OOC-ness, and forced comedy galore, but what was especially disgusting was that draining the character’s homosexuality out of him was presented as the right solution.
Apparently the author claimed to not be homophobic and was only trying to write a “random comedy.” Sure, author, sure.
If you present a homophobic character and have them be presented as in the “right”, what are you saying about homosexuality in general? Do you feel like you’re handling it carefully or correctly? What does it say to the many people who are reading your story? Stop and think about the messages you’re sending to your audience.
This may sound crazy, but it’s also possible to write a homosexual character or have a homosexual couple without even focusing on LGBTQ+ in general. Lots of stories do this, actually.
Whether you choose to focus on LGBTQ+ or not, treat them both with care and sensitivity.
I know it’s quite early to post something LGBTQ+ based when it’s not even June yet? But you know what? I’m fine with that. Because this year, I’m actually planning on writing a new sexuality-based story. It’ll come eventually, like in about three months.
This was also pre-read by a friend of mine. Thanks man, you’re awesome.
That being said, thanks for reading.
Great job Bez!!! You brought up so many good points!
Since I swing both ways and I work for an ultra-conservative business, I know how touchy alternate lifestyles can be.
If people want to see how non-straight people behave in TV shows, you could do worse than look at programs like "Tuca and Berdie" or "Bojack Horseman". For my own writing, I dodge every gay cliche I can and have them talk like everyday people. I also try to not make them self-absorbed Victims of the World.
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Very interesting.