I Want To Make Queer Characters

I want to make queer characters. I want them to love one another, to have platonic friendships, go on adventures, and to come into their own.

When I was planning on writing a young adult novel a while back, I had trouble getting started because I couldn’t figure out who I wanted to write about. It seemed like writing about teenage cisgender girls was overdone, and so far 80% (I made this percentage up based on how many I see) of queer fiction for young adults were stories about cisgender boys who fall in love.

But usually being gay or coming out is their whole story. Their personalities should be multifaceted like most people are. Their whole character development is them coming to terms with being gay.

And don’t get me wrong, those stories are important to tell. And there are definitely cis gay boys that relate to it.

But there are barely any queer characters that are Nonbinary. Or even Transgender. We are still a minority when it comes to telling our own stories. Maybe it’s because publications still think our human rights are “political”, or trans and queer authors have been afraid to tell their own stories because of public backlash or harsh criticism from parents, schools, or libraries.

I for one don’t want to give in to the fear. I want to write an unapologetic Trans Nonbinary…