One of the characters in my story is gay but has not come out yet, but I’m not sure how to write that in if the story is not from his POV. Is there a way for the reader to be able to tell without making it super obvious? I’d appreciate any help I could get on this.
Hi, lesbian speaking here! First of all, in terms of writing a closeted character, it's necessary to show what put them in the closet in the first place. It doesn't necessarily have to be drastic, it can be religion,family,friends or maybe they're just not ready yet. Alongside that, I think the first part of letting the readers know that this character is closeted, is letting them know that this character has a secret in general. According to my experience, when people are closeted, they're generally careful or nervous around new people and avoid oversharing. Alongside that, let the character blurt out hints or imply his attraction to the same gender, because personally, I find that in relation to coming out, the person in question may blurt things in the heat of the moment, or be impulsive and desperate to have people know, while still being anxious to hide, and that being a conflict related to the character, that I have personally felt myself. These are way better ways to show someone struggling in the closet and obviously gay, than stereotypes (the predatory butch,the weak gay man,cheating bi/pan,etc) and I recommend looking up on fiction with actual LGBT+ writers/voices involved (Love Simon,Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe,Lets Talk About Love,the show Shadowhunters,Moonlight,etc) and hear from other LGBT+ voices! I hope this helped, and that you have fun writing your story!
thank you! I appreciate the help. (he’s afraid to come out because his family is very religious and he’s scared of getting kicked out of the house)
No problem!
another lesbian here! if you don't mind me asking, how does this character being closeted relate to the plot? and by saying that the story isn't from his POV, do you mean that he's a side character and the story is from someone else's POV, or something else? if he's a side character, I'm thinking that the main character doesn't need to realize he's closeted - unless that's something related to the plot. I completely agree with what @Cryptidswearingcrocs says about hinting at your sexuality when in the closet. it's something I also did when I was still in the closet. sorry if I'm not being very helpful!
@flower has a point! If he's a side character, it doesn't have to be made clear to the main character that this character is in fact,gay and in the closet, it would be better to have the side character eventually go from anxious and secretive about his orientation to open,either slowly or in a rush. Let the character come out on his own!
Thanks for the help guys! The character is not the main character, but he’s the main character is just best friend and I want him to come out later in the story because a main point of it is for the main character to be more accepting towards people and I thought that might help. I just don’t want to accidentally write anything too inaccurate or offensive.
Well, that's great!And I appreciate you not wanting to write anything offensive, so thank you!
Now, first of all,what's your main character like?I'm going to assume that they're just learning to be more accepting,so consider showing your main character in fault,and also use this in showing what put this character in the closet in the first place,as I advised earlier!Second of all, don't let the main character go "but why didn't you tell me?I thought we were friends" because that is a huge misconception, that not coming out earlier is a terrible act and it means that they don't trust you.Basically, don't let the main character make it about themselves!
Personally, the best reaction to someone coming out is always something joking or supportive,but not too much.Just let the main character go "oh okay"or something like that,if you want to show them as accepting!
ok thank you!
No problem!