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Q&A How to write about a homosexual relationship when I haven't experienced one?

Honestly, it should be easy for a straight guy. First, pick one of the couple who is the more main character... from which side do we experience the relationship (if the two are both secondary cha...

posted 5y ago by hszmv‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T11:37:55Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/44483
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar hszmv‭ · 2019-12-08T11:37:55Z (almost 5 years ago)
Honestly, it should be easy for a straight guy. First, pick one of the couple who is the more main character... from which side do we experience the relationship (if the two are both secondary characters, which character is introduce first? Use her.) Now, write her experience in the relationship as if you were courting the other member of the relationship. What's your play? How do you ask her out for a first date? Where do you go, what do you do? Is it a good date? Does it go south but there's enough that a second date is agreed too?

Why do you like this girl? What interests do you share? What is she into that you aren't? What about the reverse?

Walk yourself through an imaginary date and relationship. And once that's all done and you reach the story's finish, go back and turn your half back into a woman.

There's a lot of these "How do I write an intersting member of group x when I am not a member of group x?!" on this SE. It's annoying to me, because you're approaching it from the wrong angle. Focusing on a character's sex or gender or sexuality or skin color, or religion, or cultural background is like trying to buy a birthday gift for someone and your biggest concern is will they like the wrapping paper... yeah... it should be appropriate. But you should be more focused on making sure the person will like the gift!

One thing concerning me is that you haven't told me anything about the characters beyond they're in love or what specific issues you're concerned about in depicting their relationship. All I know is they're lesbians, you're writing to bring attention to generic LGBT issues, help me not be controversial. What's controversial about a Lesbian and a Bisexual woman falling in love? That's Willow and Tara from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a show from the late 90s-early 00s. The biggest controversy of the whole thing was that Joss Whedon dared to kill off Tara because he knew the fans almost universally adored.

Flash forward 20 years where the biggest controversy regarding fictional gay characters was J.K. Rowling not having the courage to show Dumbledore at least acknowledging that he and Grindlewald were in love on screen but insisting that the relationship was steamy hot (yeah, yeah, you better make Dumbledoor the Top. I don't care if Grindlewald is a power bottom, Dumbledore is the Top). Nickelodeon had the guts to show Korra and Asami holding hands like lovers in the final scene of megapopular kids franchise Avatar. And the people who are complaining (and I haven't heard heard many people complaining about Avatar, and certainly the only complaints about the Harry Potter stuff is Rowling won't... hehe... go balls deep in her scripts). The point is you're gonna get people who hate your story because "ew teh gays" and because "ew, not gay enough", and because "ew, het male lesbian porn fantasy", and "ew, it's been done", and "ew, it's not the greatest literary work of all time, but the lesbians were cute".

Screw your courage to the sticking place, write your story your own way and do not compromise on your vision. Writing by focus group is no way to go through life. And sorry if I come off as a litter ornery in my response, but I'm a Bi man, but who I choose to find attractive doesn't define me, nor do I let it.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2019-04-08T20:35:40Z (over 5 years ago)
Original score: 0