Sparkatale

For me, personally, I like a wide variety of characters of various ethnic backgrounds, sexual and gender identities. It offers more conflict and for a better reading experience. Look at the success of Game of Thrones, Orange Is The New Black, Sense8, or even Avatar: The Last Airbender. These shows and novels all did well because they reach to a further audience and show light on dynamic and complex issues the majority do not face. Unfortunately the token 'gay white man' doesn't cut it, sorry.

RACE

Race plays a huge role in representation. Though falling into stereotypes can be an issue for some writers. Examples can be obvious racial stereotypes like placing someone Middle Eastern as the Muslim Jihadist who hates the west. Even writing a black woman into the 'angry black girl' trope is problematic. Not everyone is the Middle East follows Islam, and Muslim people aren't only from the Middle East. Everyone gets angry and everyone experiences a wide variety of emotions. Asia isn't only China, Japan and Korea and those countries aren't the same either as they have different cultures and languages all together. Nor are all the people from these countries timid, docile and petite. 

If you think I am reaching with this, look at the representation for white people. We literally get every possible character out there; wise wizards, hearty warriors, puckish rogues and shrewd diplomats. People of Colour can be these as well!

Regarding novels with a historical setting, POC weren't invented with the civil rights movement, they have existed before white people have. 

SEXUALITY

Anyone can be gay; kings, queens, pharaohs, monks, bishops, imams, peasants, wizards and rogues. Anyone can also be bi, pan or even asexual. There isn't a gay 'type', they aren't all camp and 'sassy'. They are people. not caricatures. Bisexuals exist as well, and can often have sexual or romantic attractions to two different people of two different genders. Shocking, I know. Look at Oberyn Martell from Game of Thrones, he was bisexual and was engaged to Elia Sand, of whom he had an open relationship with, having sexual relations with numerous men and women.

Asexuals do exist and always have. They aren't damaged or had a traumatic event happen to them that put them off sex for life. They have nothing against sex, just don't want to do it. Your protagonist can even be asexual, because a romantic relationship isn't required when they sign the hero contract. 

GENDER AND GENDER IDENTITY

Though history and society likes to paint men and women as polar opposites, they, in fact, aren't. There is really no such thing as masculine and feminine, only things we assume are; like the colour pink or war. I'll come onto that in a moment. 

Let's pretend trans or gender fluid people don't exist for a moment like society has done for the last 2000+ years. Women make up 1/2 the population and not all of them have long hair, flawless skin and a naturally beautiful face. This isn't Disney. Women get periods, get emotional, grow hair, get acne, have cellulite, stretch marks and scars. Men aren't all hypersexual, heterosexual, manly men from Mars either. These are just negative stereotypes and they're even more fun to break.

Ignore everything you've been told since birth about gender. It literally doesn't exist, it's just a concept, like race. If it was naturally born in us for women to like pink and guys to like blue then we wouldn't have female presidents, astronauts, generals or anything. Male and Female exist however, evidence is between your legs. However penis doesn't always equal male and vagina doesn't always equal female. This is where trans and genderfluid people come in. Those who do not feel natural in the sex they were born with at birth and so seek surgery to change this so they can finally be the person they were supposed to. Trans people, like gays/lesbians/bis etc have always existed as well and deserve proper and fair representation. This is a very complicated, personal and deeply emotional period for people to transition. Genderfluid people don't feel a strong alignment to either male or female and so ignore them all together or flow between the two. 

I'm cis, white and bi, so if I can understand most of this, then so can you. If I have in any way given incorrect information I do apologize. Message me a more correct or appropriate definition and I'll correct it. 

deactivated account | October 16, 2015