How To Write A Flamboyant Character

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In the writing world, characters are often direct and cisgender, which typically ways they never face struggles with their gender identity or sexuality. However, there are a lot of people who don't fit this stereotype. Writing an LGBTQ+ grapheme who has a dissimilar gender identity or sexuality than you lot do might seem overwhelming, but information technology'due south a lot easier than information technology may seem. In this article, we'll walk yous through the process so that you can arts and crafts characters who come off as authentic, compassionate representations.

1
Design a character , not just "a lesbian" or "a trans boy." Earlier deciding on your character's sexuality, gender identity, and relationship status, yous'll need to decide on the basics of your graphic symbol. What'southward their proper noun and how old are they? What practise they look like? What'southward their role in the story? Continue in mind that your grapheme defines their identity—the identity doesn't define them.^[1]
- Your character should have a personality and backstory that is just as nuanced as those of the straight and cis characters.
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Read from the community yous wish to stand for. What are their lives like? What are their struggles, their goals, the things they are grateful for? Which characters do they say are washed well, and why? Which stereotypes and/or tropes do they hate? What advice do they have for you? If you take time to heed to the customs, y'all will understand them meliorate.
- Endeavour sending out a bulletin asking for advice on social media. Y'all may get some great tips!
- If you don't feel comfortable asking LGBT+ people near their experiences, await for LGBT+ public figures who take shared their stories.^[ii]
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Carefully consider your character's development arc. What lesson do they learn? What is their major flaw, and how do they overcome it (if at all)? If they are the main character, facing this problem caput-on will marking the climax of the story. This may or may not be related to their identity. For case:
- Lane suffered bullying in childhood, and their dad died in a traumatic auto blow. They are afraid to open up to anyone. With the help of their boyfriend, they brainstorm sharing more. The climax is when they finally agree to sing karaoke at a party, simply to forget the lyrics. Lane learns that failure is okay, and people tin be more forgiving than they know.
- Dijon lives life co-ordinate to social norms, working hard and studying medicine like his mom wants. He slowly learns to listen to his own desires, and accepting himself as asexual is part of this. The climax is when he announces to his mother that he is going to the land academy to study engineering science, not medical school, because this is what he wants.
- Bayta is trans and bisexual, simply this isn't very important to the story. Her graphic symbol arc is well-nigh accepting herself equally autistic and learning to enquire for help.
Tip: While self-acceptance, coming out, and transition are common plotlines for LGBT+ characters, their story doesn't need to circumduct around these things.^[iii] Many LGBT+ readers enjoy seeing characters who are secure in their identity and are doing things unrelated to it.
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Map out your character'due south strengths and weaknesses. Well-rounded characters, like real people, accept a mix of positive and negative traits that influence how they deport and how they drive the plot.
- What are they skilful at? What positive contributions will they make to the plot? How practice they help others? Give your character some real strong points, and readers will be reminded that LGBT+ people are talented and worth having around.
- What does your character struggle with? What flaws tin can potentially undermine their efforts, and how does it impact the plot? When do they need to inquire for assist? (These do not demand to exist related to their identity.) Flaws humanize a graphic symbol, and tin can show their development and weak spots.
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Remember the diversity of people under the LGBT+ umbrella. Everyone is unique, and different people will have different experiences. Tailor your character'southward past and present to the demands of their story and their personality. There are thousands of ways to be bisexual, gay or transgender, and none of them are bad or wrong.
- Every identity nether the umbrella has its own unique experiences. Gay people have different experiences than bisexual people, who accept unlike experiences from nonbinary people, and so on.
- Consider intersectionality as well. There are LGBT+ people of all ages who are people of color, disabled, overweight, of unlike religious (or non-religious) backgrounds, from different socioeconomic backgrounds, or and then along. Intersectionality can impact many aspects of an LGBT+ person's life.

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Understand sexuality. Before writing a character who has a different sexual orientation than you do, brand sure yous have an agreement of sexual orientation and how one sexuality is differentiated past another sexuality. For example, asexuality isn't celibacy—it's lack of sexual attraction, and asexual people tin still exist in romantic relationships.^[4] Do inquiry on the sexuality that you want your character to exist.
- Sexuality is a spectrum, and isn't blackness-and-white or 50/fifty. For instance, an otherwise-gay man can have a celebrity crush on a woman, a bisexual or pansexual person can have a gender preference,^[five] and an asexual person tin be gray-asexual and occasionally feel sexual attraction.
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Decide on your character's sexuality. Lots of people aren't only "gay" or "straight"—in that location are many gray areas. Decide on your character's sexual orientation, and if you wish, their romantic orientation—which is who they're romantically attracted to.
- Directly or heterosexual characters are not LGBT+, equally they are exclusively attracted to the opposite gender.^[6] For example, a woman who dates cisgender and transgender men would be straight.
- Gay or lesbian characters are attracted to only people of their gender identity. Gay men would be attracted to men, and lesbian women would be attracted to women. (The discussion "gay" tin be used to depict a girl, simply the term "lesbian" can't be used for a boy.)^[seven]
- Bisexual or pansexual characters are attracted to two or more than genders. The departure between bisexual people and pansexual people depends on the individual'due south definition of their sexuality. Some people identify as both "bisexual" and "pansexual", though others place with 1 term over the other.^[8]
- Asexual characters lack sexual attraction.^[ix] Some asexual people may just not see people as "sexy" and be ambivalent towards sexual activity, whereas others might be grossed out or repulsed by sexual practice. (There'south also gray-asexual, meaning they occasionally feel sexual attraction, and demisexual, where they can only feel sexual attraction to people they have a stiff bond with.)
- Aromantic characters lack romantic attraction.^[10] These characters may find other characters sexually attractive, but they do non desire a romantic relationship.
Sexual or Romantic Orientation: What's the Difference? Sexual orientation is based on what gender(south) someone finds sexually appealing (i.eastward., who they detect sexy). Romantic orientation is based on who they gain romantic feelings for, such as crushes or people they desire to date or marry. It's possible to have different sexual and romantic orientations, or to experience one type of attraction and not the other.
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Consider their history. Have they come out, and if then, to who? Have they faced any discrimination? How have people reacted to them? What is their attitude towards their sexuality? Figuring out what they have faced and how they have adapted is of import to understanding who they are today.
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Determine how open up they are almost their sexuality. People come out throughout their whole lives, not just a few times.^[11] That being said, some people prefer to share their sexuality more than others. Does your graphic symbol prefer to be open near their sexuality, keep information technology relatively hidden, or somewhere in between?
- Your graphic symbol'southward history will play a role in how open they are. For example, someone who was a victim of bullying or abuse or who grew up in a homophobic environment may be more private about their sexuality than a character who grew up in a supportive surface area and wasn't bullied.
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Learn almost misconceptions nigh sexuality. Some myths about sexuality can badly influence a graphic symbol if you aren't aware of them. Things to look out for include:^[12] ^[xiii]
- It'due south not ever obvious. Being flamboyant or having certain traits doesn't mean someone'south gay (or any other orientation), and defective these traits doesn't mean they aren't.
- People don't "plough" a sexuality. Someone doesn't "get gay" because of a bad direct relationship or traumatic experience, and it'southward non possible to make someone straight. (And while some abuse victims may avoid relationships or become sex-averse due to trauma, this is different from being aromantic or asexual.)
- In that location's no "man" and "woman" in same-gender relationships. In salubrious relationships, partners view each other every bit equals and responsibilities are typically based on what either person is skilful at and/or enjoys.
- Bisexual and pansexual people aren't into everyone they meet. Nor are they more than willing to be polyamorous or crook.
- Asexuality and aromanticism are real. While some people are tardily bloomers, it's entirely possible for someone to go through their whole life without experiencing romantic or sexual attraction.
- Non all asexual people are repulsed past sexual practice. Some people are indifferent to it, prefer to deal with their needs on their own, or will have sex with a partner. It depends on the person.
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Consider conflicts they might have faced. Characters with different sexualities may see conflict related to their orientation, which tin can affect how they experience about themselves. How do they deal with hostility? How have past interactions affected them? Has it affected their relationships with others, or their power to trust people? Things they may encounter or have experienced include:
- Confusion most why they're attracted or not attracted to someone
- Not understanding why relationships don't feel right
- Feeling pressured to act straight or interested in sexual activity
- Lack of resources on healthy relationships and safe sex
- Harassment or fetishization
- Homophobia, biphobia, panphobia, or aphobia
- Discrimination
- Heteronormativity (i.e., people assuming they're straight)

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Understand gender identity. Gender identity is oftentimes confused with assigned sex, just they're different things. Assigned sex (sometimes incorrectly referred to equally biological sex) is what sex organs a person was born with, while gender identity is the gender that a person identifies as and wishes to be addressed by.^[14]
- Gender identity and sexuality are unlike things, and don't correspond. Trans people tin be straight, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, or whatever other sexual orientation. They're not straight or gay by default.^[15]
- Gender expression (eastward.g., clothing, hairstyles, or makeup) doesn't necessarily signal your character's gender identity. A boy tin wear a brim or take long hair and still identify equally a boy, and a daughter can bind her chest and habiliment "male child's" clothes while however identifying as a girl.^[16] While gender expression often a huge role of a trans or nonbinary person's self-expression, someone'south gender is defined by their identity, not past their gender expression.
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Determine on your grapheme'due south gender identity. Your character's gender identity may or may not be of import to the story. Regardless, if you're writing a character with a different gender identity, you'll demand to cull their gender identity.
- Cisgender (sometimes abbreviated to cis) is not an LGBT+ identity; information technology ways that a character identifies with the gender that corresponds with their assigned sex. For example, someone who's assigned male identifying as a boy would be cisgender.^[17]
- Transgender (sometimes abbreviated to trans) means that a character identifies with a gender that does not stand for with their assigned sex. For example, a person who was assigned male and identifies as female would be a transgender girl and would be referred to as a girl.^[18]
- Nonbinary (sometimes spelled "not-binary") is an umbrella term that refers to anyone whose gender identity falls exterior of exclusively male or female person.^[19] The umbrella term transgender encompasses nonbinary people, but non all nonbinary people personally identify every bit transgender.^[xx]
- Agender characters have no gender or accept a gender-neutral gender identity.^[21] They may choose to use non-gendered pronouns, such as they/them or xie/xir, and/or gendered pronouns (such as she/her or he/him).^[22]
- Bigender isn't express to just male and female. A grapheme can feel both like a male child and like no gender at the same time, for example.^[23] They may choose to use different pronouns, including gendered ones (similar he/him or she/her) and/or non-gendered ones (like they/them).
- Someone who is genderfluid can change between diverse genders anywhere on the gender spectrum.^[24] They may choose to use unlike pronouns, including gendered ones (e.g. he/him or she/her) and/or non-gendered ones (e.m. they/them).
- Demiboys and demigirls merely partially identify as boys or girls.^[25]
- There are likewise more uncommon identities which you lot tin research.
3
Blueprint your character. Unlike sexuality, sex and gender tends to play more of a role in life from early on. A trans character may have difficulty with having been socialized in gendered ways or growing up as the wrong gender, and if they've gone through puberty, they may have some features that don't match societal beauty standards or that they're self-conscious nigh.
- Think most how they cull to present their gender. Practise they want to appear more masculine, more feminine, androgynous, or deliberately ambiguous? How do they get about doing that - does it touch on their style or behavior?
- Is "passing" important to them? Some trans people don't want other people to know they're trans unless necessary, whereas others are fairly open nigh it. This can also be an issue for nonbinary people whose gender expression leans more masculine or feminine.
- Consider if and when they were able to have access to hormones and other treatments. A 20-year-old who started estrogen two months ago will expect unlike from a 20-year-onetime who transitioned at age 5 and had puberty blockers.
- Without puberty blockers, puberty can be quite traumatic for trans people. Even if they have since gotten hormones and wait great, they will probably have many bad memories.
4
Consider whether your grapheme experiences dysphoria, and to what extent. Gender dysphoria is when someone experiences a mismatch between their true gender and their expected gender or behavior. Dysphoria is unlike for every person, whether information technology comes to severity or what it affects. Does your grapheme feel dysphoria, and if so, what triggers it?
- Some transgender people feel moderate to astringent dysphoria and struggle if they don't have coping mechanisms. Other people experience minimal dysphoria, or don't feel it at all. The majority of trans people likewise feel gender euphoria, or a positive feeling when their true gender is validated.^[26]
- Nonbinary people can as well experience gender dysphoria and euphoria.
- Dysphoria tin can affect different parts of the body and aspects of life. For instance, a trans man might experience dysphoria about how he's perceived socially and most his superlative and voice, but not his breasts or genitals.
Tip: Dysphoria is non always extremely distressing, and it may non fifty-fifty exist especially obvious. While some trans people practice experience extreme distress if they run across their genitals, others might only feel discomfort or unsettled if they're misgendered or presenting as the wrong gender. There'southward a lot of nuance.
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Empathise mutual misconceptions. There are many misconceptions about transgender people that cisgender people come up with. Common ones to be ruled out are:
- It's not a phase. Information technology'due south very uncommon for people to detransition or grow out of it.
- Not everyone knows right away. Some people know their gender from an early on historic period, but many don't realize it until they reach puberty or adulthood. It'south also possible to know before on, but non come out due to a lack of knowledge on the discipline, internalized transphobia, or living in an unaccepting environment.
- Trans people aren't "merely gay." They can be gay, but gender identity and sexual orientation don't correlate.
- Nonbinary identities are real. Genders such as nonbinary, bigender, agender, genderfluid, and more than are legitimate. Gender identity is a spectrum, not a binary.
- Non everyone takes hormones or has surgery. Many transgender people are not comfortable with having surgery or taking hormones. Even if they are comfortable with it, other factors can go far impossible to take hormones/surgery, such every bit health bug, financial issues, or unsupportive/unsafe surround.^[27]
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Consider how they have adapted. Living in a cis-centric earth is difficult for a trans person, especially depending on how accepting the environment is. What tricks have they developed to stay safe? How practise they cope? What take they faced in the past, and has it impacted their power to trust others or feel rubber? Common issues faced include:
- Public restroom safety
- Picking "male" or "female" on documents
- Street harassment
- Trying to look "presentable enough" to avoid discrimination (When? How much? Are they a bad person for doing this?)
- Fell family members
- Mental wellness issues, suicidal thoughts
- Discrimination

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LGBT+ representation in fiction besides often falls into the aforementioned trite plotlines and stereotypes. Here is how to avoid these and write something more interesting and creative.

1
Recognize the stereotypes that exist. The LGBT+ community is very diverse, and people who share a sexuality or gender identity could be very different from each other. Watch out for stereotypes, because these can undermine your power to write a three-dimensional grapheme. Here are some common tropes:^[28] ^[29] ^[thirty]
- Feminine gay homo, gay man who only serves to be a daughter'due south sidekick
- Masculine lesbian
- Gay couple whose only desire is to have children
- Promiscuous, sly bisexual/confused bisexual
- Frigid or evil asexual
- Transgender person who is deceptive or a freak
- Flamboyant or "military camp" LGBT+ characters
2
Retrieve the difference betwixt sexuality and gender expression. Liking men does not brand one feminine, and liking women does non make one masculine. Fiction is filled with gay men who love shopping and detest football, and tough lesbians who play rough sports. Recognize the stereotypes and work on making your character original.
- Of course, there are some feminine gay men and some masculine lesbians. If you are writing i of these characters, brand certain that you are giving them plenty of unique and multilayered traits too, then that they are more than than a caricature.
3
Choose your words with care. Some terms have been used in degrading and dehumanizing means, and can exist very hurtful and alienating to LGBT+ readers. Information technology can also suggest to readers who aren't in the know that information technology is okay to utilize these words to describe someone else. Utilize compassion when selecting words, and be aware of how this affects the message you send to your readers.
- Always have the narrative refer to a transgender person every bit their correct gender (the gender that they want to be referred to as), even if others are misgendering the grapheme.
- If you have a character who uses these words, arrive clear in the narrative that this character is beingness hurtful. For example, if somebody calls Laquisha a "d*ke," evidence how this upsets her, and/or have someone stand up up for her.
Warning: Exist careful with the word "queer." Some LGBT+ people have reclaimed information technology and may cocky-identify as it, merely others view it as a slur. If y'all do have a character self-identify with the term, use it every bit an describing word rather than a noun, don't have non-LGBT+ characters casually use the term, and don't utilise "queer" as a synonym for "LGBT+" or a specified identity.^[31] ^[32]
4
Make your LGBT+ graphic symbol a graphic symbol in their own correct. Some writers use LGBT+ characters equally one-dimensional plot devices, used to further the development of straight and cis characters, or to serve as sidekicks to them. Nonetheless, this is disappointing to LGBT+ readers that desire to come across LGBT+ characters pushing the plot forward themselves.
- This doesn't mean your LGBT+ characters shouldn't teach other characters anything, only that there should be more than to them than just this.
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Avoid queerbaiting. Queerbaiting is when characters are heavily implied to be LGBT+, sometimes to the signal of romantic or sexual activity together, just to not be given LGBT+ identities and never get together (and sometimes be pushed into straight relationships or reveal it was "just a phase"). This is disappointing to many LGBT+ readers, who want to encounter characters with canon LGBT+ identities and relationships.^[33] ^[34] Instead, requite the characters clear LGBT+ identities and relationships.
- Spell out the characters' desires and identities. Does the main graphic symbol want to kiss the boy in his class because he'southward curious about what it's like, and later on realizes he's gay or bi? Does a "male child" desperately effort to abound their pilus out to a more ambiguous length and admire the designs of girls' clothing, and admit to their friends that they think they're bigender? Does a girl tell her female person all-time friend that she'd marry her if no guy will - and secretly mean it?
- Try to avoid characters who "don't like labels." It can seem similar you don't want to admit your graphic symbol is LGBT+. Give them an identity, even if it'due south just "I'm not straight/cis, but I don't know what I am."
Warning: Some behaviors and stereotypes are based in queerbaiting, like ii girls kissing to seem sexy or go a guy'due south attention. Leave this kind of content out of your story, or take other characters telephone call them out on information technology.
6
Recognize that aforementioned-gender couples are, on average, just every bit sexual as mixed-gender couples are. There is no need to fixate on sex (unless you are writing erotica), nor practice you need to avoid showing the characters doing annihilation more holding hands.^[35]
- If all the mixed-gender couples are kissing when the bong tolls for New year's day's, permit the same-gender couple osculation too. They can have the same romantic opportunities.
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Be cautious with killing off LGBT+ characters. Information technology'south not inherently harmful to kill off an LGBT+ character, particularly if you have multiple LGBT+ characters in a story where any character could die. Withal, if only the LGBT+ characters die or only cis- and straight-passing characters are alive at the terminate of the story, this tin can send a very unfortunate message to LGBT+ readers: that they're not as worthy or important as non-LGBT+ people, and/or that suicide is the most mutual and sensible choice.^[36]
- Inquire yourself why you want to kill off this specific character. Is information technology to motility the story forward in some mode, or is it only to enhance the death count, stupor, or send a message (like to prove that others should have treated the character better)? If information technology'due south the latter, reconsider killing the grapheme.
- Consider the manner of death, as well: if the character dies past suicide or murder, that will be received differently than if they were to die in an accident or from natural causes (like illness or old age).
- If your story absolutely requires killing an LGBT+ graphic symbol, make sure that there are other LGBT+ characters who survive and accept bright futures ahead of them.
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Name the sexuality or gender identity. Tell readers that Lana is bisexual, not just confused, and Richard is asexual, not broken. Labeling their identity tin can help readers who share the identity feel validated, and help readers who don't have that identity learn and empathise more. You lot may even have a reader or two who realizes they have that identity thanks to your story.

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Question

I'chiliad creating a web comic where the characters are all demons. Some of them are a part of the LGBTQ+ customs. Would that exist too offensive and rude? I don't want to exist disrespectful.

As long equally their being LGBTQ+ isn't portrayed as something that makes them demonic or adds to their evil, it won't be offensive or rude.
Question

I support LGBT people, but it's really weird for me writing transgender characters. Does this make me a bad person?

Not at all! Even if yous're accepting of transgender people, information technology can still be difficult to immerse yourself in the culture, language, pronouns, etc. when it'southward and then different from what you've known your whole life. However, don't be afraid to try! At that place's always a need for more LGBTQ+ characters, and this gives you an opportunity to really larn about what information technology means to exist transgender and how it influences someone'due south thoughts and personality.
Question

Would be a bad idea to make the villain LGBT (pansexual, to be exact), fifty-fifty if there are other characters, good guys, who are too LGBT? There are other pan characters (who aren't horrible), but it's a nagging business.

That'due south fine. It helps if y'all avoid hypersexualizing or negatively stereotyping the villain, such as making them obviously queer while the others could pass for straight. Showing good pan characters will make it articulate that you don't believe pansexuality is evil, especially if you are showing pan characters in salubrious relationships. This is a tricky 1, and information technology may exist helpful to talk a fleck with some LGBT+ friends (online or in-person) and hear their advice.

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When creating a character, consider whether the character needs to be cis or straight to aid diversify your cast.
Develop your character equally you would with any other character. A graphic symbol defines their gender or sexuality; their gender or sexuality does not define the character.
Search for stories by people of the gender or sexuality yous'll exist writing about, and look for informational blogs or websites most the gender or sexuality. However, beware of bigoted websites.

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