I have no trans friends (that I know of), and very few gay ones. Not by choice, just how things worked out. How would I go about writing an inclusive cast of characters with so little personal experience?

Sigh.

I believe these letters mean well. I believe the authors are trying to learn something they know is lacking in their work and their worldview.

But holy Pete, again, why do people ask a non-lgbtq person, on a social media with untold thousands upon thousands of ACTUAL lgbtq writers blogging every single day, how to write honestly of the lgbtq experience?

You are ON quite possibly the best resource for reading about lgbtq people that has ever existed. There are endless writers talking about this topic with authority, intelligence and experience.

It’s like trying to get sand in a desert by putting your face in a water fountain. The information is all around you.

I don’t have magic insight or special perception or some mythical well of empathy. The only way I know any of this experience is because I am trying to listen to the voices that are easily found right here on Tumblr, and on various websites all over the internet.

I’ve even had pro friends ask me similar questions. I don’t get it.

You don’t have to be related to or be friends with gay or trans people, they are all over Tumblr writing about their lives every day. Many (but not all, and that’s fine) are delighted to have a dialogue about how to portray lgbtq people better.

I appreciate the thought, but thinking of me as an authority on this subject is missing the point entirely.

The only help I CAN give (aside from recommending that you make use of this very social network) is general writerly advice that is applicable to all types of humanity that you are not directly familiar with…which is, write them as human beings, first. That advice applies to pretty much every character, really.

I grew up on a farm in the boonies of Oregon, miles and miles from the nearest town, no television, no neighbors, and the nearest town had exactly one stoplight. Lack of personal experience is not an excuse to only write characters like yourself.

Seriously, if I seem like I know what I am talking about on these topics, it is 100% because I pay attention to people who ACTUALLY know what they are talking about, not through magic or osmosis.