As time goes on I find myself less and less likely to read stories that don't involve queer characters. I also find myself becoming very particular with how the queer characters are handled. Based on my experience writing, researching, reading and being, here are a few tips and tricks for creating a queer character.
Make sure your audience knows the character is queer. That feels like something I shouldn't have to say, but too often authors have confirmed a character's sexuality after the book has already been published, despite the fact that the character gives no hints at that aspect of themselves during the book. The story doesn't have to be about the character's queerness, but it does have to be part of their character. Trying to claim it afterwards without giving any genuine representation is cheap, and you're better than that.
When I write, I try to follow two steps to ensure an audience knows I'm making a character queer;
1. Either actually label their sexuality or gender identity, or make it irrefutable. IT IS OKAY TO GIVE CHARACTER'S LABELS. IT IS OKAY TO SAY WHAT THEY ARE. Andrew Joseph White is a beast when it comes to this, and I highly recommend his work as a guideline for queer characters and also, generally, an enjoyable read. I feel like a lot of authors skirt around labels because they don't want to commit or think that it feels clunky, but it only feels clunky because no one does it. So I beg of you, please God do it. Have characters ask for each other's pronouns or turn someone down because they're gay.
A FANTASTIC example is Jordan from the show Gen V. Jordan is Bigender, and can change their appearance from masculine to feminine whenever they wish. Their gender identity is a large part of their character! They say the word Bigender multiple times, discuss their identity with their parents and friends, reflect on what it means to and for them. That's important! From a political standpoint, it's huge.
(I couldn't find any really good articles talking about Jordan, but this video gives a decent and quick rundown!)
Another example; in the book I'm currently querying for, my FMC says that gender makes no difference to her when it comes to partners, and it's not something she heavily considers. My MMC, by comparison, says that the thought of being with anyone romantically or sexually makes him incredibly uncomfortable, and he's never had any real interest in any of it. FMC is pansexual, MMC is asexual and aromantic.
Asexuality and aromanticism (which I believe is the proper terminology, but please correct me if I'm wrong), as well as other lesser-known labels like demisexual and the like are a little harder to make clear unless you give the actual name, but there are a few other ways you can make it clear.
2. Bring their identity up more than once. I say three times at least. For my MMC, he will bring it up multiple times in the future, worried that he isn't capable of "loving people properly", and how he wishes he were different. Even if I never say the words asexual or aromantic, this makes it pretty clear what I'm referring to.
Likh from The Bone Witch Trilogy never identifies herself as trans, but she does wish to be a witch, wears female clothing, wants to learn magic the way women do, and switches her pronouns halfway through the series. That is a stellar way to create a queer character in a fantasy realm, where modern terminology might not make sense. Fantasy is not an excuse to exclude queer people.
Again, if a character's queerness isn't meant to be a plot point, you can still mention it! A girl finding another girl attractive, an offhanded comment about the pins on a character's backpack, small things that, when put together, make it clear that you're writing a queer character.
I also heavily encourage writing queer characters who identify as several different things, or identify as part of smaller, less discussed groups. Trans people can also be bi, people who are demiromantic can be pan, so on and so forth. Queer characters should reflect queer people, and there are a million different ways a person can be queer. Explore!
"But Astrid, isn't that overkill?" I am genderqueer, biromantic and asexual. No, it is not overkill.
To add to my opinions on queer diversity, do not make all of your queer characters cis white men. Do not do that. Remember how I said that queer characters should reflect queer people? That includes queer people of color. And queer doesn't just mean sexuality, it also refers to gender!
STEREOTYPING. Let's talk about stereotyping.
Don't!
I'll be a little more specific; seriously, don't. If you are writing a queer character and cannot think of a stereotype for that label off the top of your head, google it. You will find a million sources on stereotypes for certain sexualities and gender identities, and then you can avoid them. I'll give you a few that I can think of off the top of my head.
The Angry Lesbian, hyper-feminine gay men, infantilized trans men, queer black women being viewed as inherently masculine, bisexuals are cheaters, asexuals are deeply uncomfortable with anything seductive and don't feel any sort of physical attraction, aromantics do not want love of any kind. The list keeps going. If you go to google and look up "queer stereotypes", you'll find an endless fountain of sources.
Research in general, stereotypes aside, should be done if you are writing about a character that is part of a group you are not part of. Even if the story isn't about their queerness, I recommend doing research. What are the challenges they face? What are shows or books that represent them well? What about the representation makes it good? This is the only form of borderline plagiarizing I encourage.
I promise I'm not trying to make this seem overly complicated. When I write queer characters, other than being conscious of stereotypes, I don't consciously think about most of the things I mentioned above, it just happens organically. So I wouldn't stress about it too much, but if you're concerned, this is definitely a good guide to follow. Queer people deserve safe spaces, and if you want to create one, don't half-ass it. Seriously.
Happy Writing!
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