Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/41962
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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.

Original score: 5