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Hello, all! I looked through the discussion archives but really never found what I was looking for, so I'm hoping this conversation will be worthwhile. Admin, feel free to delete or whatnot if need be. :-)

I have a question for you all. I am currently working on my second novel and am wanting to incorporate trans*/genderqueer characters more fully into the storyline. I'm asking you, as readers, the things that either REALLY excite you or REALLY irritate you about reading trans* characters in fiction. As a cisgender lesbian, I am particularly interested in any insight our non-cisgender members have regarding what they like to see about themselves portrayed in fiction.

Thanks in advance for the help!

As a genderqueer person, I think that the most irritating thing could be the belief that trans people are all the same. There are not two identical trans stories. Regards! ^^

Ditto the above - using stereotypes kills me. No one's the same, and we all arrived at our destinations at different points in our lives for different reasons. Some of us are comfortable in our skins, some of us are still making progress.

I guess the best thing I can suggest is, figure out what makes the person tick and give them a personality. Don't make the person BE their gender. Gender is just one aspect of who we are. I dislike when people focus on my gender and sexuality, without being even remotely interested in why I like horses so much, or hate toast with a passion.

So I guess that's my 'favorite' thing about trans*/genderqueer people in fiction - is when the author doesn't make that the ONLY thing of any interest about that character. :)

A. wrote: "Ditto the above - using stereotypes kills me. No one's the same, and we all arrived at our destinations at different points in our lives for different reasons. Some of us are comfortable in our ski..."

Well said Arin!

I'm a 56 yr old gay transman who transitioned about 2 decades ago. I agree with the others about the "one size fits all" issue. Additionally, I really long to see to see both more transMEN and some that I can relate more to. The very few transmen characters I've run across are generally very young and straight.That's OK. Those characters need to be there for young people to have characters they can relate to. For people like me, though, while I can appreciate it, it's very different from my journey and the life I live today. I've mostly achieved that invisible status which is somewhat comfortable but, that has its own problems. Society barely realizes people like me exist, let alone literature.

I agree. There seem to be a lot more transwomen in fiction, in general. I have read some transmen, some well done and some not so well done, and they do seem to be, for the most part, fairly young and straight as you said, Andrew. It would be nice to see trans* characters a little later in life, whether they're still working on their identity or comfortable in it and accepted as who they are.

Andrew wrote: "I'm a 56 yr old gay transman who transitioned about 2 decades ago. I agree with the others about the "one size fits all" issue. Additionally, I really long to see to see both more transMEN and some..."

Andrew, there's a fascinating, somewhat major transman character in Kafka on the Shore by the Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. It's a really weird book, but you might want to give it a look if you can tolerate magical realism, general strangeness, and sone disturbing content (disturbing content not related to trans storyline). It definitely isn't written for young people to relate to - it is what it is.

Surprisingly, the least expensive option is to purchase a hardback copy of the book. I have it in my cart to purchase in a few days on payday. I'll let you know what I think.

Andrew wrote: "Surprisingly, the least expensive option is to purchase a hardback copy of the book. I have it in my cart to purchase in a few days on payday. I'll let you know what I think."

One warning about the book - there's a disturbing part involving something bad that happens to cats. Murakami himself is an animal lover (and in particular a cat lover), not sure why that part is in there, but if you're sensitive to things with animals, don't buy it!!! I have friends that just stopped reading half way through at that part, and I don't blame them. That one part of the book bothered me too! Also lots of dream-like surreal stuff so only buy if you don't mind lots of weirdness. It's a highly acclaimed book though, both in Japan and worldwide.

For me (non-binary) it's two things: binding with bandages or some other really unsafe way, because I remember copying that when I was younger and didn't know any better, and almost passing out because of it.

And secondly, and more seriously, is 'THE REVEAL'. The moment where the character is revealed to be trans and all the other characters are like: 'GASP. WHAT. THIS IS THE MOST SHOCKING THING EVER. Everyone stands around staring!! They have never seen something like this before!! Who knew that trans people existed?? Well this changes everything we know about them.'
A character being trans shouldn't be a plot twist, it's an identity, not a dark secret.

It's worse when the reveal is done without the person's consent. I remember watching a show where a character's shirt got ripped open by the villain to reveal their binder. It made me feel so uncomfortable...

edited for spacing

R.L. wrote: "And secondly, and more seriously, is 'THE REVEAL'. The moment where the character is revealed to be trans and all the other characters are like: 'GASP. WHAT. THIS IS THE MOST SHOCKING THING EVER. Everyone stands around staring!! They have never seen something like this before!! Who knew that trans people existed?? Well this changes everything we know about them.."

This this thiiiiiis. I really liked Laura Lam's Pantomime and I thought she got at non-binary/trans/intersex experiences in a way that very few cis authors have (Micah even wonders if he likes a girl in a straight way or a gay way!), as well as having a lot more going on than gender identity. However, the "reveal" scene towards the end of the book was criminally bad. (view spoiler)[Micah, who has learned a lot of shame about his body, inexplicably decides that the only way he can quickly communicate that he's intersex is to... take all his clothes off so his cis-dyadic friends can gawp at him. ARGH!! (hide spoiler)]

Hi, Amalie.

I too am a cisgender lesbian. I wrote a secondary character who is a trans woman and wish I'd had thought to check here for opinions.

I understood going in that I could only write a trans woman from a lesbian POV, but did try hard to create the character before making any assumptions of what a she "should" be like. As was said here--one size does not fit all. What surprised me when the book came out was the backlash from radical feminist lesbians.

Obviously, the best-case scenario is for trans writers to tell their own stories, but I think there's value in exploring such characters for any writer. Good luck!