An LGBT main character, but the book isn't about LGBT issues

All writing has political elements to it, whether you like it or not.

Your question is a great demonstration of this. Some people consider LGBTQ people to inherently be (a) extremely rare, and (b) uniquely strange, fundamentally unlike cisgender, heterosexual people. Other people consider LGBTQ people to be a common, notable, substantial portion of the human population, with a wide spectrum of experiences and presentations, with nothing "unusual" about them. When writing, you cannot avoid portraying reality as one or other -- because LGBTQ people in your world, your setting, your writing, will either be present and that won't be considered a big deal, or they'll be absent and considered unusual.

Trying to write a novel -- particularly a fantasy novel of wide scope and tromping around some fun worldbuilding -- without portraying what's up with sex and gender, is kind of like trying to write a novel without portraying whether or not gravity exists. You can go with the default, but that doesn't mean you haven't made a decision.

All of which is to say: You can't write a book that doesn't express an opinion. You can't write a book that won't conflict with some peoples' worldview, opinions, expectations. Whatever you do, your book may draw criticism -- and, yes, choosing to go with a nonbinary protagonist can definitely draw more attention to your book, on this specific axis.

So:

• Accept that your book may draw criticism. That's not a failure on your part; pleasing everybody was never an option.
• Give serious thought to how gender and sexuality are seen in your book's world and culture. Which isn't to say your book needs to be about LGBTQ issues -- but, that you should think through this enough, just like any other aspect of worldbuilding, to be able to portray a world that feels coherent and consistent.
• Casual, matter-of-fact queer characters can be awesome, and there's definitely readers looking specifically for that. For being able to be LGBTQ and for it not to be a big deal.
  • Writing this way can be something of a challenge, because the farther you go from the "default" straight white male, the more there's an unconscious expectation that straying from the "default" is a Chekhov's Gun.
  • The best way I know to deal with this is to figure out how being LGBTQ influences your particular character's life, as a character, as an individual. Not in terms of social oppression; just in terms of personal experience and everyday details. Make it part of character-building, rather than central conflict or major themes. See more on this in my answer here.
• Write without fear, but then get good beta readers. Since you know this can be a sensitive (and sometimes volatile) topic, once you've finished your early drafts, be sure to get some beta readers and/or sensitivity readers who are themselves nonbinary. They're the ones who can tell you if you've done anything that really bothers them. If you've hit the "I'm nonbinary and that's no big deal" mark you're aiming for, or not.

Hope this helps. All the best!

posted almost 6 years ago

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Standback‭

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One way to keep it from taking over your story is to make it unexceptional. Quite literally. Kem is nonbinary. If Kem, other characters, and the narrator don't make a big deal out of that, don't either hide it or gawk at it, and just go about their lives, you'll convey the message that this is normal in Kem's world.

That part about not hiding it is important, though. If you introduce a nonbinary character and that fact is then invisible, you risk looking like you only threw in that detail to check off a box and score points. Kem is nonbinary and that affects how people interact with and talk about the character. That has to be present, but it doesn't need to be central. Treat Kem's gender the same way you treat other character's formative traits. A character who grew up in a broken home doesn't talk about the fights and divorce all the time; a character who's a genius doesn't only talk about being a math prodigy; a character who's of small stature doesn't always point that out. But the first one might have a strong flinch reaction to arguments, the second might always be working on some abstract problem in an ever-present notebook, and the third might be seen often stretching to reach things, preferring platform shoes, or leaving top shelves empty. Kem is nonbinary and that affects Kem; figure out how and show that.

I don't know enough about nonbinary gender to have specific advice about all the ways (beyond pronouns) that it affects the person's life. If you know, then look for ways to show it akin to what I've described with other traits. If you don't know, then try to find out before you write your story, so you can write a three-dimensional character rather than a caricature.

posted almost 6 years ago

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Monica Cellio‭ staff

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If your reason for making the character non-binary is so that non-binary readers will have someone to identify with, remember this:

If readers could only identify with a characters who shares their demographics, then J. K. Rowling's fans would consist entirely of adolescent British boys.

Edit:

She actually handled issues of racism and whateverism well in her use of metaphor: Discrimination against Muggle-born people in the magical community became the metaphor for all other bases of discrimination real life. This allowed her to condemn the whole category of thought and deed without having to take on any specific real-world variant of it (or answer "what about my group" from people whose troubles she did not mention).

posted almost 6 years ago

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EvilSnack‭

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On top of all the above answers, I would like to add that self-identity is not the same as sexual orientation. A person may lean towards some kind of biological orientation, but the self-identity varies tremendously between individualistic and collectivistic societies. In individualistic societies, self-identity depends on the self, what the self feels regardless of external factors. In collectivistic societies, self-identity depends on the relationship.

If you are writing about a character living in a collectivist society, then the character will be more likely to value the relationship. The character's mother may see that she has a mother-daughter relationship with the main character, and treats the main character as a daughter. The main character self-identifies as a daughter because of the relationship. The "daughter" may dress in the clothing of a man, and the society will see this person as a man because this person is wearing man's clothing. Now, because the self-identified daughter is dressed like a man and is treated by society like a man, the daughter's natal family will not be able to marry off the daughter to another man, because two men cannot make babies and carry on the bloodline. It is possible for the natal family to treat the person as a son and then look for a bride for this son. The main character, now being a son, is then married to the daughter of another family. The son and daughter can still reproduce, if one person has functional male reproductive organs and the other person has functional female reproductive organs. If the son and daughter both have female reproductive organs or male reproductive organs, then they will not be able to carry on the bloodline. Instead, they will remain childless, or adopt a child.

As you can see here, it is entirely possible to create a fictional world with people who do not identify as LGBT, but can relate to LGBT experiences. In that way, you can avoid all the LGBT terminologies, or as you say, the "politics" out of your writing.

posted almost 6 years ago

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Double U‭

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You can't.

I mean, sure, write your book matter of fact. The advice I give out a lot. It works.

But it's not just about what you say or don't say in your book, it's about the choices you make. When we've talked about diversity and racism in books we talked about how making a choice to avoid such things makes a statement. Choosing to include real-world diversity also makes a statement. And that's okay.

Embrace your choices, then write them like they're the most normal thing in the world. Because they are. But know that readers, reviewers, publishers, etc aren't dumb. They see your choices and will judge you on them. That's not a bad thing. People will always see you as the person you are based on your choices. Your actions. Your deeds.

But the book itself need not bring up any politics at all.

Within your book, make it a world where being nonbinary is a normal way of being. Where being Lavender is just something a lot of people are. It will be weird not to mention politics or bigotry if your setting is a world where these things aren't everyday. So create it as ordinary. Then talk about it matter of fact. Like you would say that one person in a couple was tall and the other one short. Or how one character spends mornings mucking out cow stalls and evenings dancing ballet on pointe.

Mostly, just write the book you want to write.

posted almost 6 years ago

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Cyn‭

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