LGBTQIA+ Visibility in Literature
- Austin
- Jun 30, 2017
- 6 min read
Bonjour ! Je regrette pour le post en retard. La semaine dernière, j’étais à la plage et je commençais à perdre la notion du temps. (Hello! I am so sorry for this post being so late. This past week, I was at the beach and just lost track of time.)
For this week’s post, I was planning on reviewing Queer There and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World by Sarah Prager – however, I did not yet finish the book for a few different reasons. The first being, that the book took too light of a tone for a subject that has a heavy history. On top of that, the prolific Marsha P. Johnson, the trans woman of color, who is credited as throwing the first brick/punch at Stonewall, does not have a chapter dedicated to her. See each chapter, is dedicated/about various individuals and allies who helped shape queer history, yet someone who is often credited as being one of the most important people in modern queer history was left off. This prompted me to setting aside the book, and now having a late post. I will get around to finishing and reviewing this book, but it will not be for this week or next week's post.
So since this is the last day of pride, and I did not finish the above mentioned book, I decided that I want to do a post about LGBTQIA+ visibility in literature. The reason for these LGBTQIA+ posts is because June is historically “Pride Month” around the world; that is, it’s a time to celebrate the diversity, identity and culture that comes along with being queer.
Before we begin I do want to go over a few different terms with everyone. These terms are not all of the possible identities within the queer community, just some of them. Also, I have taken most of these definitions from The Trevor Project – which is a nonprofit aimed at ending LGBTQIA+ suicide.
LGBTQIA+: This is the extended acronym of LGBT, used to include different facets of the queer community, each letter stands for a different identity. They are: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, intersexual, and asexual, with the plus then denoting others.
Queer: A broad term that is inclusive of people who are not straight and/or cisgender. In the past this word was used as discriminatory. Today the word is often used in a positive way by folks who identify as queer as well as by allies of queer/LGBTQ people, however, some people still feel that it is a word that carries negative weight.
Cisgender: A person who identifies with the sex they were assigned at birth. For example, if you were told you were “male” at birth and still identify that way, you would be cisgender.
Sexual Orientation: Describes a person’s physical, romantic, emotional, and/or spiritual attraction to another person. Everyone has a sexual orientation.
Gender: An idea created by society (A.K.A. a social construct) that tells us what certain genders are “supposed” to be like, based on a group of emotional, behavioral and cultural characteristics (like how we express our feelings or how we dress).
Gender Identity: Our internal, personal sense of what our gender is. Everyone has a gender identity.
Gender Expression: How we express our gender identity on the outside.
Binary System: A binary system is something made up of two opposing parts. Gender (man/woman) and sex (male/female) are examples of binary systems.
Transitioning: The social, legal, and/or medical process a trans* person may go through to make their gender identity fit their gender expression, presentation, or sex. This word means many different things to different people, and a person doesn’t have to experience all or any of these common transitioning elements to identify as their true gender.
Lesbian: Women who are attracted to other women
Gay: Men who are attracted to other men.
Bisexual: A term that describes someone who is attracted to both men and women, or to more than one gender identity.
Transgender (Trans*): An umbrella term used to describe people whose true gender identity does not “match” the sex or gender they were assigned at birth. Many identities fall under the transgender umbrella, which are often designated with an asterisk after the abbreviation, “trans.” However, not all genderqueer or non-binary people identify as transgender – and some people who have transitioned to their true gender choose to identify as just a “man” or “woman” instead of transgender. Always be respectful of how someone chooses to identify, and use their preferred identity, name, and pronouns.
Gender Non-Conforming: A person whose gender expression is, or appears to be, different from what we would expect from their assigned gender. Other terms include “gender variant” or “gender diverse.”
Genderqueer: A term that describes someone whose gender identity is not just a man or a woman. This identity can mean different things to different people.
Non-Binary: Anything that falls outside of the binary system (see definition above). Intersex, Genderqueer, and bisexuality are all examples of non-binary identities.
Intersex: Describes a condition in which a person is born with a sex that doesn't fit the typical definitions of female or male due to genetic, hormonal or anatomical differences
Pansexual: Describes people who are capable of being attracted to multiple sexes or gender identities.
Asexual: A term describing individuals who do not experience sexual attraction or do not have interest in or desire for sex. Asexuality is different from celibacy, which means abstaining from sex. Asexuality is often viewed as a spectrum – meaning there are varying levels and identities regarding someone’s emotional, spiritual and romantic attraction.
Now that we have all the vocab out the way let's talk about the issue at hand. Visibility. Historically for many marginalized groups, not just the gay/queer community, media and literature tends to rely heavily on tropes and stereotypes. So when you have someone who identifies as a queer person, it can be quite disheartening to not only see the same thing over and over again, but also something that is misinformed and relies on stereotypes. Just like any other person, being gay, transgendered, etc. is just one facet, one part, of who we are as individuals. Each of us has goals and aspirations. We’ve all been through hardships. When you really boil it down, we just the same as everyone else.
So then why do we always see characters who are gay, bisexual, queer, transgendered, etc., acting the same way book to book? Well, one big reason is lack of education/ knowledge. Per anything, the less you know the more outlandish it seems, and the more it relies on stereotypes. Traditionally, in schools, if someone happens to be gay it usually not mentioned, or events like Stonewall receive only a paragraph inside history books. If you start educating people at a young age, then when they go into their own careers and create media, it will be more accurate.
A really good example of blending sexuality and life together comes from world acclaimed author J.K. Rowling. Several years ago, Rowling revealed to the world that Dumbledore was and is gay. This came as a huge surprise to many fans of the series. Now while there were hints in the series, it still created a shockwave. In response to a fan saying why didn’t Harry know/why didn’t Dumbledore, look different, Rowling said something along the lines of, “how is someone who's gay suppose to look? They’re the same as any of us.” In another interview Rowling also stated that she wanted Dumbledore to be a wizard first, not gay first. His sexuality was and is important to his history, but it is just one aspect of him. This is what I define as a good example of a character who is more than just their sexuality.
Within the past ten years, LGBTQIA+ people have garnered many rights, have become more visible and generally speaking are now more well liked/received. However, many books still treat LGBTQIA+ individuals as a stereotype, side kick or plot device. Now some of these characters are not inherently bad because their sexuality drives them, it's just not entirely realistic. I am extremely happy to see books feature lesbian, and transgendered characters. I am beyond ecstatic that publishing companies/houses promote these books. But we need to make sure that these books are getting attention for the right reasons. I’m not advocating that every book needs a queer character in it. Nor am I advocating that they always need to be the main character. I simply want LGBTQIA+ characters who are as dynamic as any other straight and cisgender character. My biggest writing pet peeve is when any author relies too much on tropes for any type of character. That is not realistic! I hope within the next few years we start to see some really awesome queer characters!
So with that all being said, thank you guys so much for reading this post! I hope y’all learned a little bit more about queer culture! Again, I am so sorry I did not post this on Wednesday.
Happy last day of pride!
Merci et au revoir!
~Austin
*If you have a book you would like me to review or talk about send me an email or message me on social media @RevivreLeLivre!*
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