Gay side character in a non LGBT-theme novel...keep?

JSSchley · Jun 3, 2011

So I've been reading in this forum a lot as the idea of creating a race-discussion forum has been being batted around and gotten a sense of the thoughtfulness and care here. And I realize I'm committing the cardinal sins of both not becoming an involved member of a forum before asking a question and of asking an "would this be appropriate" kind of question. But I'm editing my novel trying to get it ready for query, and I'm absolutely twitching over my red pen about this. I thought people here might have some good perspective that I can't see on my own.

My question is this--is it automatically disingenuous for a straight writer to include a gay character on the periphery of the narrative?

In this novel, the main character's brother is gay. I've been writing little spinoff stories of this family for years, and in my mind, this character has always been gay. He's not "the gay best friend" in a romance story, he's not Jack from Will & Grace, and he's not there to make a big narrative point. He's out and has been out for years. In the story, he's a wise guiding force, and is a bit of a foil to the MC's other older brother, who is much younger and more immature.

It would be very easy to make him straight, and I could see an editor asking me to do it anyway. He has a partner and a child, and I could make his partner a wife and the child biological with less than an hour of edits. That he's gay is utterly inconsequential to the story that ended up being this novel, but to me, that's just who the character is.

I don't feel it's some risqué thing that needs to be edited out, far from it. People have different sexual orientations in the real world and as far as I'm concerned, this should be reflected in the fictional one. What I'm really sweating bullets over is not wanting to be seen as a straight writer who has a gay character because it's trendy, or edgy, or is otherwise disingenuous. Is it fair of me to write a gay character on the edge of the novel, or am I just doing exactly what people have done with non-majority characters for years--giving them the bit parts?

I've been hemming and hawing for weeks, so I thank you in advance for your thoughts.

defyalllogic · Jun 3, 2011

I think what you described sounds fine. It doesn't make sense to have the only minority characters be main characters or anti-tropes. I like that he's just a person and the gayness is inconsequential. not every aspect of every character needs to be a point maker.

like if you write about blonde they have to be smart...

If you say the editor might change it, then that might happen but i don't think you've done a disservice by making a regular guy gay or a gay guy regular.

You have my blessing as a person whose opinion on the matter doesn't matter.

Lydia Sharp · Jun 4, 2011

JSSchley said:
That he's gay is utterly inconsequential to the story that ended up being this novel, but to me, that's just who the character is.

Then there's no reason to change it.

Gale Haut · Jun 4, 2011

Sounds like it could work great!

Sargentodiaz · Jun 4, 2011

I really haven't hyped it but one of the major players in my novel, BLOOD IN THE MEADOWS, is a transvestite. The major bad guy, a macho Hispanic, meets and falls for her. This creates a real problem for him as he's married and had lots of "straight" misstresses.
Those who've read it have made no comments on it pro or con, just indicating it fits well within the story.

Sheryl Nantus · Jun 4, 2011

I have a gay man in "Blaze of Glory", my superhero series. Actually, two.

I haven't heard anything negative about it.

If it works for the story, it works. If it doesn't, your editor will pick up on it, imo, and let you know it's not a good idea.

BenPanced · Jun 4, 2011

You don't want the people who are going to freak over it reading your book, anyway. If they happen to notice this detail and it poisons their view of the rest of the story, it's their problem. Write the book and see how it goes; if it works, mazel tov! If not, meh; that's what rewrites are for.

Julie Reilly · Jun 4, 2011

Ahem. Imagine how this would sound if you substituted "black" for "gay":

In this novel, the main character's brother is black. I've been writing little spinoff stories of this family for years, and in my mind, this character has always been black. He's not "the black best friend" in a romance story, he's not [insert token black character here], and he's not there to make a big narrative point. He's black and has been black for years. In the story, he's a wise guiding force, and is a bit of a foil to the MC's other older brother, who is much younger and more immature.

It would be very easy to make him white, and I could see an editor asking me to do it anyway. He has a black partner and a adopted child, and I could make his partner a white and the child biological with less than an hour of edits. That he's black is utterly inconsequential to the story that ended up being this novel, but to me, that's just who the character is.

I don't feel it's some risqué thing that needs to be edited out, far from it. People have different skin colours in the real world and as far as I'm concerned, this should be reflected in the fictional one. What I'm really sweating bullets over is not wanting to be seen as a white writer who has a black character because it's trendy, or edgy, or is otherwise disingenuous. Is it fair of me to write a black character on the edge of the novel, or am I just doing exactly what people have done with non-majority characters for years--giving them the bit parts?

See how silly it sounds now?

Gay people are part of humanity, just as black people, white people, yelow people etc etc

My novel has white people, black people, straight people and gay people in it - just as people. Their colour/sexual preference is mentioned as and when it becomes relevant to the story - but it's not thrown in at the beginning as in THIS IS MIKE - HE IS A GAY PERSON!!!! They are just characters.

BunnyMaz · Jun 4, 2011

If your character is gay then they are gay. There's no reason to remove the "gay" part just becasue their gayness isn't a major plotpoint. IMHO, It's nice to have characters who can be gay without the story being ABOUT THEIR GAYNESS.

zolambrosine · Jun 4, 2011

Julie Reilly said:
Ahem. Imagine how this would sound if you substituted "black" for "gay":

See how silly it sounds now?

Gay people are part of humanity, just as black people, white people, yelow people etc etc

My novel has white people, black people, straight people and gay people in it - just as people. Their colour/sexual preference is mentioned as and when it becomes relevant to the story - but it's not thrown in at the beginning as in THIS IS MIKE - HE IS A GAY PERSON!!!! They are just characters.

Yes.

Sheryl Nantus · Jun 4, 2011

Best recent example I've seen - in the newest comic book "Alpha Flight", one of the main characters, Northstar, has a black boyfriend. He's been one of the best-known gay characters in comics for years, but now we see him in a stable relationship with a man.

During the entire issue it's treated the same way as if it were a girlfriend instead. He calls, he frets, he meets up and kisses his boyfriend... and no one cares. It's a great relationship and I hope it continues in that same vein.

Love my French-Canadian speedster. He's such a sweetie...

kuwisdelu · Jun 4, 2011

If the dude's gay, he's gay. Just like real life, nothing you can do about it.

JohnnyGottaKeyboard · Jun 4, 2011

Well, there haven't been many dissenters (not surprising in this neck of the woods--we should try posting this question in another thread just for kicks and giggles), so I don't feel compelled to add my amen. But I will comment that you worry you might be seen as...

JSSchley said:
a straight writer who has a gay character because it's trendy, or edgy, or is otherwise disingenuous.

I always wonder about those straight writers who include absolutely NO gay characters and yet feel they have created an accurate picture of the world we live in.

JSSchley · Jun 4, 2011

JohnnyGottaKeyboard said:
Well, there haven't been many dissenters (not surprising in this neck of the woods--we should try posting this question in another thread just for kicks and giggles), so I don't feel compelled to add my amen. But I will comment that you worry you might be seen as... I always wonder about those straight writers who include absolutely NO gay characters and yet feel they have created an accurate picture of the world we live in.

That is mainly my reason for feeling twitchy. Because frankly, to me the world isn't accurately rendered in fiction if multiple sexual orientations aren't present. At the same time, there's the risk of being tagged as creating the "token so-and-so," which is why while I agree with this:

Ahem. Imagine how this would sound if you substituted "black" for "gay":

I also think a lot of very valid arguments have been made for times when books and other media have had nonwhite characters expressly for the purposes of having "the token" and this has correctly been viewed as insulting, as though it's not good enough to have a main character be a minority but in order to avoid being called discriminatory, a side character was shoved in to appease people. (Kind of like that interesting move JKR made by waiting until all of Harry Potter was out and well-received to say, "Oh, I put in hints that Dumbledore was gay! I wrote gay characters!")

So, I'm hyper-sensitive to the "token" phenomenon, and I would honestly stress less about writing a gay MC than writing a side character.

However, it sounds like most of you feel this isn't an issue of having a token gay character to have one, which is what I wanted to suss out. I thank you all very much for indulging my paranoia. Cleighten is who he is and I want to give him the freedom to be the person he's always been in my imagination. If this book finds a home, I'll bump this thread and tell you about it.

Bookewyrme · Jun 4, 2011

JMHO, but I think the difference between a "token" anything and diversity is if the one gay (POC/disabled/female/etc) character is simply a mass of stereotypes (even positive ones) without being a fleshed-out person in their own right. Any fully-formed 3 dimensional character is, almost by definition, not a token and never can be.

brainstorm77 · Jun 5, 2011

Why would an editor ask you to make this character straight if it works for the story?

My best advice is to write the characters that the story calls for.

absitinvidia · Jun 5, 2011

brainstorm77 said:
Why would an editor ask you to make this character straight if it works for the story?

Happens all the time. Google "trisha telep" and "gay" for one recent example.

brainstorm77 · Jun 5, 2011

absitinvidia said:
Happens all the time. Google "trisha telep" and "gay" for one recent example.

I am aware of that mess. I was asking the OP why they thought an editor might ask them to make a gay character non gay because I thought maybe there might be another reason besides the standard homophobic crap. :Shrug:

JSSchley · Jun 5, 2011

brainstorm77 said:
I am aware of that mess. I was asking the OP why they thought an editor might ask them to make a gay character non gay because I thought maybe there might be another reason besides the standard homophobic crap.

No, I was thinking along the lines of the standard homophobic crap.

brainstorm77 · Jun 5, 2011

JSSchley said:
No, I was thinking along the lines of the standard homophobic crap.

That sucks. I've yet to encounter anything like that, but then again with what I write I wouldn't expect it. :tongue

Bartholomew · Jun 5, 2011

I see gay side characters all the time. Their sexuality is world-flavor, not story support. It's your book. Do what you want with it.

Bartholomew · Jun 5, 2011

JohnnyGottaKeyboard said:
I always wonder about those straight writers who include absolutely NO gay characters and yet feel they have created an accurate picture of the world we live in.

Fiction is a distortion of someone's already-jaded view of reality. Ever notice that there are movies with all white or all black casts (when there's not a historical reason)? Is that a reflection of reality, or does it show you who the film makers hang out with? =)

My short stories rarely include a gay character. My novels always do. I wonder what that says about me.

kuwisdelu · Jun 5, 2011

JSSchley said:
That is mainly my reason for feeling twitchy. Because frankly, to me the world isn't accurately rendered in fiction if multiple sexual orientations aren't present.

Well, I agree in theory, but I think context is important, too, as far as judging how realistic a work of fiction is. If you only have a few main characters, it's certainly entirely plausible that none are gay, and maybe the sexualities of the side characters just don't matter to the story.

JohnnyGottaKeyboard · Jun 6, 2011

kuwisdelu said:
Well, I agree in theory, but I think context is important, too, as far as judging how realistic a work of fiction is. If you only have a few main characters, it's certainly entirely plausible that none are gay, and maybe the sexualities of the side characters just don't matter to the story.

Well, yes, as long as we all agree to abide by the 2% rule.

:poke:

BunnyMaz · Jun 6, 2011

... what's the 2% rule?

Gay side character in a non LGBT-theme novel...keep?

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