Why Racial and Sexual Diversity in Sci-Fi Matters
Let me start by introducing myself as an openly gay author. This revelation may not be such a shocking thing in the publishing industry, but when I came out as a gay marketing leader in software, that was unusual. The topic of diversity in all industries is a passion of mine. And why I feel Science Fiction is a powerful vehicle for exploring the future consequences of intolerance.
Since Brave New World, one of the very first dystopian novels ever published for those of you who need the cheat sheet, science fiction and dark futures have been a powerful vehicle for social commentary. Throwing humanity ten, a hundred, or even thousands of years into our future creates a platform to dissect, expose and warn our current civilisation about where they may be heading. Whether the red flags are waving for ‘out of control AI’ or ‘a burning Earth’ or ‘Capitol overlords forcing peasants into Hunger Games’, good science fiction can examine humanities strengths and weaknesses and rip open uncomfortable truths about the consequences of our current world behaviours.
In the beginning, my inspiration for writing Children of the Miracle started with a curiosity about genetic engineering and how far experimentation would be allowed to progress before hitting society’s moral brick wall. In my future, there is a global pandemic which almost eradicates humanity, forcing them to break past any ethical boundaries around the full modification of the human genome. But as I started designing a new hybrid human species to be immune to the virus, I began to wonder what life would be like for these creatures living in a world still controlled and dominated by ‘pure’ humans. I suddenly wanted to fight for their freedom, respect and right to an equal life. To a high degree, this idea of fighting against a dominant majority infected the storyline and character development for many of my peeps in the book. The character of Doctor Chase, a human-canine hybrid, and the many other forms of hybrids, allowed me a voice in my story to challenge society’s intolerance towards racial and sexual diversity, and ultimately question if humans will ever change their need to segregate and subjugate others, even when diversity is intentionally designed.
You’ll need to read the book to see how it turns out for Chase. But my hope is that Children of the Miracle can be an example of how and why science fiction is an important platform to explore sexual and racial diversity and intolerance. Sci-Fi that is both entertaining and thought-provoking can reach a much larger audience than political editorials. And fiction is a non-threatening way for readers to question their own views and how they might change the world today to change the future for everyone tomorrow. Let’s raise the flag for diversity in science fiction and keep asking the uncomfortable questions about how we build a better future for everyone.
Let me know what you think about science fiction having more sexually and racially diverse characters/themes. And what great sci-fi books you have read which have diverse characters. There are many! Comments below welcome.
Since Brave New World, one of the very first dystopian novels ever published for those of you who need the cheat sheet, science fiction and dark futures have been a powerful vehicle for social commentary. Throwing humanity ten, a hundred, or even thousands of years into our future creates a platform to dissect, expose and warn our current civilisation about where they may be heading. Whether the red flags are waving for ‘out of control AI’ or ‘a burning Earth’ or ‘Capitol overlords forcing peasants into Hunger Games’, good science fiction can examine humanities strengths and weaknesses and rip open uncomfortable truths about the consequences of our current world behaviours.
In the beginning, my inspiration for writing Children of the Miracle started with a curiosity about genetic engineering and how far experimentation would be allowed to progress before hitting society’s moral brick wall. In my future, there is a global pandemic which almost eradicates humanity, forcing them to break past any ethical boundaries around the full modification of the human genome. But as I started designing a new hybrid human species to be immune to the virus, I began to wonder what life would be like for these creatures living in a world still controlled and dominated by ‘pure’ humans. I suddenly wanted to fight for their freedom, respect and right to an equal life. To a high degree, this idea of fighting against a dominant majority infected the storyline and character development for many of my peeps in the book. The character of Doctor Chase, a human-canine hybrid, and the many other forms of hybrids, allowed me a voice in my story to challenge society’s intolerance towards racial and sexual diversity, and ultimately question if humans will ever change their need to segregate and subjugate others, even when diversity is intentionally designed.
You’ll need to read the book to see how it turns out for Chase. But my hope is that Children of the Miracle can be an example of how and why science fiction is an important platform to explore sexual and racial diversity and intolerance. Sci-Fi that is both entertaining and thought-provoking can reach a much larger audience than political editorials. And fiction is a non-threatening way for readers to question their own views and how they might change the world today to change the future for everyone tomorrow. Let’s raise the flag for diversity in science fiction and keep asking the uncomfortable questions about how we build a better future for everyone.
Let me know what you think about science fiction having more sexually and racially diverse characters/themes. And what great sci-fi books you have read which have diverse characters. There are many! Comments below welcome.
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