I was talking with a friend about how I don’t like how J.K. Rowling handles Dumbledore being gay. I think it’s horrible of her to claim that he’s gay representation when he isn’t even established as gay in the canon content. What do you think on the issue? Should authors clearly state that LGBT characters are LGBT or should it depend on relevance to the plot? Sorry if I’ve explained this badly!
well is being heterosexual relevant to the plot?
I always see people saying that. like "why does character x have to be a POC/LGBT/anything else? it doesn't further the plot" the answer is, why not? What else can they be? u know what I mean?
If it's not important to the story, I wouldn't bring it up unless an opportunity arises. If it's important to the character, like they're bullied for it, then you should mention it. If there's no reason to mention it, don't add it. Adding it will stray from the focus.
(*And, personally… I think J.K. might have just said that about Dumbledore to keep the series alive. It could be an actual thing that she planned from the beginning, but it was sort of out of left field.)
the default, unfortunately, is straight. even if there is no romance in your story, the majority of readers will probably see your character as straight. i think stating it is important for the representation. it's not that hard to work in a mention even if it's not relevant to the plot. one of my characters is transgender. was that relevant to the plot as a whole? no, but he was having a moment with some other characters while something else was happening. those characters didn't get along the whole story but that small part helped them understand each other a little bit better. another side character happened to be gay. he's never mentioned again, but the main character was talking with him during a party where she was obliged to talk to as many people as possible, and he was distracted by another man. obviously i wouldn't recommend having a side character who is never mentioned again be lgbt, because once they're shoved to the side and the focus returns to the main character no one is going to remember them. that's why i think it is important to state is, especially for main characters, even if it's not part of the plot. like @writelikeyourerunningoutoftime said: "why not?" not every lgbt character needs to be bullied in order for you to state that they are lgbt.
if a character isn't straight, it doesn't hurt for them to mention that in an offhand comment at some point.
If there is a romantic interest, it will be implied what their sexuality is. But if it's more complex than straight, bi, or gay; then maybe write in first person so it's easier to share.
Don't make it super exposition-y. I was reading a book today and when it's revealed that the older sister is bi, it's casual and offhand. Don't make a big deal about it, but bring it up nevertheless.
If the story is any genre other than romance, it should probably only be implied by their love interests or such, but do whatever you want. Just my opinion. Generally, I’m the kind of person who would make a reader guess.
I wouldn't really directly state a character's sexuality if it isn't relevant to the character development, plot, or to a specific scene/moment.
I have a lot of aces, because we have like no representation (I interpreted Rey’s discomfort over shirtless Kylo as her being ace, but that will probably be disproved 😢) and some bis and a pan. Also a grey aroace. And two lesbians. And that’s just in one story!
You should at least make it clear who they're into just don't make it extremely obvious. Don't make a big deal that a character is gay, don't make a big deal about any sexuality in general. Just treat who they are and who they like as a normal thing unless it is relevant to the plot.
It depends on what direction your story is going in. If it's a romance or coming-of-age, obviously you should go in depth with a person's sexuality. Otherwise, you might want to just mention it and possibly give them a love interest of whatever gender they love. You would also include it if it's important to the plotline- like a motivation or backstory.
For representation, I feel that it is important to tell the readers the sexuality of your character.
Unfortunately, the default is cis-het, so if your characters are anything other than that it wouldn't hurt just to mention it. Really it is not hard.
I think that it's necessary if it has relevance to the plot, otherwise it just feels like the LGBTQ-ness has just been thrown in to appeal to more people. I hate that scene in Riverdale when mild spoilers Betty and Veronica kiss, because it's not even addressed throughout the rest of the season (and so far the show). I respect her writing and the impact she's had on the literature industry, but I just think it's a little shallow for J.K. Rowling to just throw in a character's sexuality but not commit to it canonically. But for me, I think that it should be mentioned, but that it shouldn't be a characteristic of them or a driving plot point.
Well JK Rowling can say whatever she wants about it, she wrote the book…
It's fine for a gay character to not be obviously so. No one wants to see Dumbledore flirt. A character doesn't need to have a love interest to be LGBTQ.
To answer bluntly, no I do not think that it is important.
I always thought that if you have a lgbtq+ character, then it should just bleed into the writing (unless it's relevant to the story). Like the character flirts with multiple genders or maybe they fall in love with their teammate who is the same gender as them. So unless the story is specifically about identification, I don't think it should just be thrown in there.
The default is straight only because the majority of people are straight, so it's not anyone's fault if your readers will assume that your characters are straight from the get-go. I think if you're intentionally including characters who aren't straight in order to have more representation in your story, then I think those characters are wasted if the reader comes out of it not ever knowing. I personally think having the narrator state it is just a problem because of "show don't tell," but giving context clues or having the character themselves or other characters state it would be fine. It'll be most obvious if they have a significant other and/or husband/wife, and having characters like that already married would actually be really cool, in my opinion.
the way rick riordan does is good though. unless its important to the plot (like nico di angelo, because it reveals why he acts the way he does toward percy) or a thing that will come up on an every day basis(e.g alex fierro, for obvious reasons) it isn't made a big deal of, its just obvious, i.e will solace; magnus chase. because of their romantic interests their sexuality is clear. same with poc. if it doesn't affect their personality, such as piper mclean, samirah al abbas or carter kane(as they have both been bulied/judged because of their skin colour, therefor making them determined to show it shouldn't matter) and in a way hazel levesque (being from the 1930's and all), it is just mentioned, such as blitzen. to paraphrase: if you want them to lgbtq+ and/or a poc, state this IN THE BOOK (this is the mistake rowling made with dumbledore). no, it doesnt need to be said over and over-unless its important to the plot and/or personality. but dont forcefully make someone gay etc just to have some representation of it, no one will really believe it 100%
im sure other authors do this to, he was just the first to come to mind
I don't think that its really important…. Unless they have a definitive love interest
exactly
i think the main thing to remember is :DONT FORCE IT FOR THE SAKE OF THE GODS
@"Bianca di Angelo" YES!!! I have read too many books where a character’s ONLY TRAIT is their sexuality or gender, and it’s awful! WE ARE PEOPLE!! WE HAVE FEELINGS AND INTERESTS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!!!
If you really wanna throw a twist in, only mention the sexuality and/or gender of all your cis-het characters!
But in all seriousness, I do believe it's important. Obviously you should write characters first, but I think that if you can find a way to work it in, do it. If you're not comfortable being explicit, be subtle! Not too subtle because people will find any excuse to argue why their favorite characters can't be LGBT because reasons, but you can add little characterizations like having them briefly flirt with a same-sex character, having them complain about their binder being too tight today, or them trying to remember if they told so-and-so at work about their new pronouns, and etc. Be creative! Being inclusive takes effort, and if you think it'll bog down your story, then I'm sorry to say that you're just not thinking very creatively. All it really takes is a couple of throwaway lines every few chapters or so to tell (and remind) your readers that a person is not straight or cis.
Now, here's an example that I cobbled together in a few minutes:
"She's pretty cute", said Api, referring to a slim, pale young woman with pink lips and cute hips. "Think I have a chance?"
"In your dreams," said Lyra. She grinned at her friend and patted his chest. "Watch this."
Lyra got the woman's attention with a prolonged wave. As soon as the woman looked up, Lyra made dreadfully loud kissing noises, suggestively licked her lips, and winked, causing the poor stranger to blush bright pink and sharply turn away. Api shook his head as his friend sulked.
"Pro-tip," he said. "If it wouldn't work for me, it damn well won't work for you."
That wasn't the best thing that I could come up with, but I think it's pretty obvious to say that Lyra is, at the very least, not-straight, and I didn't even have to directly state it. But that example is pretty blatant, so let's go with something more subtle:
"Hey there! What's a lovely lady like you doing in a place like this?" said a lanky man that was loitering in the entrance. Paprika almost visibly cringed.
"Me? Uh, nothing, I guess. Just gonna go get a drink," they said non-noncommittally.
From that, I think it's not too hard to guess from Paprika's reaction to what the man said, as well as the pronoun I used, that Paprika most likely does not identify as a "lady", even if they may look like they do. Those are just a couple of examples, and whether or not you think they are any good, I think they get my point across. You don't have to have your characters or the narrator halt the story, look at the audience, and say "I am/This is so-and-so, and I/they am/are (insert LGBT identity here)." It's possible to have fun with it, mix it up, and stretch your creative legs. As we like to say around the writing sphere: show, don't tell. If you're not sure that you're getting someone's characterization right, or you're worried about coming off as offensive, ask someone in the know. There are thousands of fellow writers out there who both know better and are willing to lend a helping hand, some of whom are on this very site.
So there you have it. TL;DR, absolutely you should add LGBT characters and identify them as such, and there are multitudes of possible ways to do it. Thank you for coming to my TED talk!