Fear not, dear reader, for I have an answer. It's a bit complex, but let's dive on in. Also, the first step is not calling white wealthy cishet able-bodied "normal".
HOW TO MAKE AN LGBTQAI+ CHARACTER
- Step One: Flag your character.
- No, not "flag" as in "mark as inappropriate" or "signal from afar". "Flag" as in "identify who your character is". Find their pride flag. Is your character lesbian/gay? Are they trans male or female? Are they one of the many non-binary genders? Agender? Intersex? Pangender? Bigender? Two-spirit? Are they a demi girl or boy? Are they bisexual? Pansexual? Omnisexual? Questioning? Make sure you've defined who your character is before you jump in.
Step Two: Decide on pronouns.
- Does your character go by she/her? He/him? They/them? Ve/ver? Xe/xer? Ze/zie? E/ey? Per/per? (F)ae/(F)aer? Sie/sir? Does your character prefer not to go by any pronouns, and instead be [name]/[name]? It's important to decide on pronouns beforehand, because otherwise you might run into unintentional phobia.
Step Three: Explain what their gender and/or sexuality means.
- Not everyone knows what it means to be bi or pan, and certainly many are confused by terms like "abrosexual" and "intersex". Make sure you provide a definition. Okay, your character is a demigirl and bisexual? How feminine is she? Are you, in fact, going to be using the pronouns she/her? Which genders is your character attracted to? Bi means two, not boy and girl. People may well be confused or not understand what you mean, and it might be intimidating, asking you the exact definition. Make it clear, and you won't run into too many problems.
Step Four: Don't get into or pick fights.
- If someone's being phobic, you're going to have to learn to deal with that. It's a fact of life that some individuals are not as accepting as they should be. If that individual is using slurs, that is against the rules, and should be reported. Click the exclamation point inside of the white triangle at the top right corner of their post, to the left of their avatar and links. If that individual isn't breaking the rules, but is just being slightly homophobic or transphobic or queerphobic, there's unfortunately not much you can do. If they are being blatantly awful, report the post. Things might not happen. If rpers aren't going to be accepting, and you can't do anything about it, just leave. I'm sorry that we live in a society like this, but we do. Rules are often a grey area. Pick your battles wisely.
Step Five: DON'T use slurs or offensive terminology.
- This one is a big no-no. Such expressions as "dyke", "tranny", and "homo" (and especially the f-word that does not rhyme with truck) are extremely offensive. I'm not even comfortable typing that last one. Some individuals are not comfortable with being defined as "queer", but the LGBTQIA+ community has been working to make queer into an unoffensive word that merely describes gender and/or sexuality. Still, be mindful of what you say.
Step Six: Avoid cliches.
- No, bi and pan people do not inherently sleep around. Gay men are not inherently fashionable and feminine. Lesbians are not inherently masculine and constantly in flannel and pixie cuts. Trans girls do not inherently love skirts and makeup. Trans boys do not inherently hate everything feminine. Life is a gray area. Accept it. Things aren't as clear-cut as many would like to believe. And stay away from extremes. Your LGBTQIA+ character isn't necessarily a saint. Phobic characters aren't always terrible people. Hint hint, not all gay people are kind and loving, and not all non-accepting characters are terrible beings. Phobic people are simply very confused about how the world works. And often in the closet themselves. But anyways, I digress. Stay away from stereotypes.
HOW TO MAKE CHARACTERS OF COLOR
- Step One: Realize that everyone has a color.
- There are a whole lot of colors of skin, ranging from near ebony to pale as snow. "White" people are also individuals with pigment in their skin. It's perfectly acceptable and in fact highly recommended to notice different races. It's not horribly offensive to have a character described as "looking a bit Japanese" if they are of Japanese descent. Insert any country of origin there if it applies. What is offensive is calling everyone who isn't white or southeast-Asian "black". Educate yo self!
Step Two: Avoid using slurs and offensive terminology here, too.
- The n-word is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE here (and most everywhere else you go, mind you). Other slurs are also extremely against the rules. They're just offensive and unnecessarily racist.
Step Three: Don't give them traits that they don't have.
- People with darker skin tones frequently have lighter or pink palms, fingertips, heels & pads of feet, and toes, and darker, fuller lips. Many individuals of southeast Asian descent have less prominent lower eyelids and less full lips. Natural blonde hair is more common in Scandinavia than in the rest of Europe. Olive skin is native to areas by the Mediterranean Sea. There are many different skin tones classified as "black". The darkest are found in South Sudan, southern Ethiopia, and eastern Chad. If someone is "Middle Eastern", they could be a variety of different skin tones. Certainly people of color live all over the world, but be mindful of traits that do and do not exist between different races. Many black individuals have afro hair, or at least much thicker hair. Many black women also get weaves - consider these things before writing a character, and don't be afraid to have multiracial characters.
Step Four: Don't fall into tropes, cliches, and stereotypes.
- Not every black woman is proud, outspoken, and bold. Not every Asian woman is slender and petite. Black men are not inherently violent. Men from Middle Eastern countries are not inherently sexist. Stereotypes are often offensive and untrue, and keep people of color in the past. Oh, and not all wealthy white people are inherently racist and ignorant. Not all black people grew up in the hood and are familiar with gang violence, extreme poverty, and crime. Not all Native Americans are members of tribes, or are more tan in skin and dark in hair. Remember that the world is a gray area.
Step Five: Don't pick fights involving characters of color, either.
- Fortunately, racism is blatantly against the CS rules, and there's no escaping the consequences. If someone you're trying to roleplay with is being racist, report them, and action will be taken. If it is not, report them again. Do not be afraid to speak up.
HOW TO WRITE CHARACTERS WITH DISABILITIES
- Step One: Be mindful of what you're doing.
- If you're writing a character with a physical handicap, be mindful of those who do have such handicaps. If you're writing a character with a learning disability, do your research, and know what you're doing regarding their disability. If you're writing a character with an audiovisual-related disability, also do your research. Always do your research. It's important to be aware of those individuals who are disabled, mentally or physically, and to make sure you're not being inaccurate or offensive.
Step Two: Do NOT create a disabled character for the sole purpose of giving them a service dog.
- Not all people with disabilities need a service dog. Many who have service dogs do not NEED them, per se, but rather would like to have a service dog, for example in the case of those prone to seizures, so that their service animal can warn of oncoming seizures. And not all service animals are dogs. Some are cats, birds, even horses. If your character does have a service dog, do your research about how that relationship works. Service animals are NOT the same as pets. They serve a completely different purpose, and are not there for cuddling and friendship. Many wear vests out in public warning not to touch them at all, because it can easily distract them from their task. Make sure to do thorough research before you incorporate a service dog, and don't create your character just to write about their dog.
Step Three: Do your research about disabilities.
- There are many reasons an individual might use a wheelchair or other mobility assistance. They might be elderly and have trouble walking, have a heart condition with which mobility is ill-advised, be prone to seizures, they might have the spinal cord injury that I swear everyone writing a disabled character goes for, or they might have any one or multiple invisible illnesses that require mobility assistance. Some individuals with these conditions won't need mobility assistance. When it comes to mental disabilities, there are many causes and treatments (or lack thereof) for the large expanse of conditions. Some are more common than others. Some are easier to notice. Some are very difficult to see. Keep in mind that a mental disorder is NOT a mental disability. A disorder occurs when there is something neurologically incorrect with the brain of the person who has it, and is a much different thing, with much different causes and cures and many extenuating circumstances surrounding them. A disability is something that prevents an individual from functioning in the way that many of us consider "normal". Always do thorough research before writing about a character with disabilities.
HOW TO WRITE RELIGIOUS CHARACTERS / CHARACTERS OF A LESSER-KNOWN RELIGION
Oh boy, does this one get complex. It's hard to have a character from a non-main religion, or even a main religion, and not offend anyone. But feel free to offend people if they're being hateful.
- Step One: Do your research.
- This one goes without saying at this point. Research how that religion works, even if it's your religion. Research the history of the religion and history of prejudices against it. Research how people disagree on how to practice that religion. Research everything you're even slightly unsure about so you don't end up getting it wrong, or, worse, accidentally being phobic. Did you know that some women of almost every main religion in the world wear similar head coverings in some denominations? It's true! If you see a woman on the street in a headscarf, she might be Muslim, or she might be orthodox Jewish or even Catholic.
Step Two: Be mindful and respectful about that religion.
- Keep in mind the rules of whatever religion it is before you start making your character. Don't disregard things about the religion because you just don't like them. If, for example, you're writing a woman of a religion that says she should cover her hair, and she doesn't cover her hair, you need a better reason than "she doesn't want to". Why doesn't she? Is she not sure of her religious identity? Does she live in a society where pressure and shame drives her to bend the rules of her religion? Does she want to, but not wear it for a unique personal reason? How does she feel about wearing a headscarf, and how does she feel about other women wearing them? All of these questions apply to anything your character does involving their religion, especially if they break a rule.
Step Three: How religious are they?
- Maybe your character is Jewish orthodox and keeps kosher and goes to temple all the time and believes strongly in a single God. In this case, they're probably not breaking any rules (which you should research, because if your character knows it, so should you), and they're probably very devoted to the belief that there's a God watching over everything that has some sort of divine plan. Maybe not. Maybe your character is mildly Christian in that they go to church (maybe only on Easter and Christmas, maybe more often - and how do they feel about church?) and celebrate major Christian holidays, but not much else. Maybe your character is ethnically of a religion, but doesn't believe in any higher powers. Maybe, just maybe, religions differ a lot, and your character has a different religious view than their family, something that could even cause people to be prejudiced against them. Maybe your Jewish or Muslim character has a strong opinion on the Palestine/Israel debate. Maybe they don't. Maybe your Hindu character believes that there is one supreme god (who has a different name depending on their denomination), or they believe that all gods count as gods and therefore they're polytheistic. This jumps back in to the "do your research" point. Ask yourself how your character practices their religion, and how they identify.
Step Four: Be realistic and mindful.
- DO NOT base all of your religious character's traits on their religion. A person who is devoutly religious does not necessarily bring God or higher powers into casual conversation. And definitely DO NOT fall into stereotypes. (Okay, the one about Jewish grandmothers guilting their children and grand-children into eating more food is kind of true, and I speak from personal experience, but still.) Not all Christians, devout or not, are homophobic. Not all Muslims are sexist. Many traits exist independently of each other. Just because a lot of people from a religion feel a certain way about something, doesn't mean all people of that religion do. Don't make your religious character do unrealistic things, especially if you're only changing those things because you just kind of want to. That's called phobia.
AND A COUPLE OF UNIVERSAL TIPS FOR WRITING CHARACTERS OUTSIDE THE SUPPOSED "NORM"
- > Their differences are not their personality. "Gay", "black", and "disabled" are not personality traits.
> Their differences are not their only reason for existing. There's a difference between That Character and The Character Who Is That. A Gay Character's story is about the conflict because of their sexuality. A Character Who Is Wheelchair-Bound's story is about an entirely different conflict, during which they happen to be in a wheelchair.
> People will inevitably be prejudiced against a character that is different. To make all people in your world accepting of everything good and intolerant of everything bad is the same as saying that such prejudices don't exist. If two characters are different from each other, they're not going to like some of those differences. Remember how the world works. Unfortunately, some people are jerks, and there's not much to be done on that end.
> On the flipside, not all characters are going to be prejudiced. If your LGBT+ character comes out to their family, their parents could be totally cool with it. Mine were, and I love them all the more for it! Prejudice comes from ignorance, which is found in surprising places. Maybe a best friend of your Muslim character is suddenly a total jerk because the characters have only been talking online and Islam was never brought up, and the (soon-to-be-ex) friend is Islamophobic. Prejudice comes from unexpected people for unexpected reasons. Who knows, maybe your super-Christian extremely devout grandmother of your character hears her grand-daughter come out as gay and is nothing but proud. (Seriously, y'all should watch the show One Day at a Time. It's a little stereotypical, but it also addresses real-world problems. That situation was from the show.)
> STEREOTYPES ARE NOT ALWAYS TRUE, BUT STEREOTYPES ARE NOT ALWAYS WRONG. Some stereotypes totally apply to a character - not that your black female character is outspoken because she's black, but that she just likes to voice her opinions when she feels strongly about them. Traits exist independently. Just because someone fits a stereotype doesn't make that stereotype true, just as someone not fitting a stereotype doesn't mean no one does. Stereotypes exist because people have multiple traits at once, and ignorant folks associate race, gender, sexuality, religion, whatever with being a certain way. Just be mindful.
> As a general statement, DO YOUR RESEARCH. This will help you so much. Just sit down with a snack and Google and figure stuff out. It's not hard, and can save you from a lot of accidental hate.
> Their differences do not make them any more or less human. Unless they're aliens. In which case you should still accept them for who they are.
> Actually, just accept everyone for who they are. Unless they're an axe murderer. Then call the police. Or if they're homophobic, transphobic, queerphobic, racist, ableist, or in any other way a horrible person. Then they're obviously not cool enough to hang out with an educated, supporting, accepting, forward-thinking individual as yourself who loves everyone for who they are. :)
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