Is it ok for me to write about this?

[Stargazer31]

For the record, I'm heterosexual. I was wondering, since one of my characters is a lesbian from the 1940s, is it ok for me to write about the homophobia at the time in a serious manner? Or should I not, because I've never experienced this sort of discrimination firsthand?

[ninjashira]

As long as you do your research and treat the subject with respect, there's no reason why you can't write about it. I imagine homophobia in the 40s was very different than it is now, and homophobia towards lesbians was probably different than homophobia towards gays. If possible, I highly encourage you to try and find a primary source - maybe try to interview an older lesbian woman, or find someone whose late mother was lesbian in those times. If you can't interview a person, try to find a journal or a memoir or a biography from around that era.

Especially with historical fiction, getting the details right can be very important in writing a successfully believable story. A lot of writing tends to be making things up, but with historical fiction you really do need a solid basis of the reality of the times first. And if you do find a journal or biography of a lesbian woman from the 40s you obviously don't need to or shouldn't just translate her life into your character for your comic, but it may open your eyes to experiences that you didn't know a lesbian in that era would have gone through, or what the attitude towards lesbians was at the time that may be different than what is currently in your head.

The whole "you can't write X if you aren't X" thing that goes around is a bit of a fallacy and a bit of an extremist statement. Of course it is possible for a white man to write a story about a black woman and do it well if he does his research, but a black woman writing a story about a black woman may have more correct nuances to the character and their lives, and the situations she writes from will be from personal first-hand experience of her actual life as a black woman rather than just her imagination of what a white man thinks a black woman experiences, which can lend a bit more believability and delicacy to the character.

I firmly believe that anyone can write anything as long as the subject is thoroughly researched, handled tastefully, and treated with respect.

[Moctemma]

Yes. You can write about anything. If you researched enough and feel comfortable about it, then do it. If you're feeling insecure, then research more. You can interview someone who experienced homophobia if you think you don't understand their feelings.

[Stargazer31]

@ninjashira
@Moctemma
Thanks for the advice. I'll do as much research as possible, and try to get an interview if I can.

[R.n.P]

dude its art, its called freedom of expression, write about whatever you want to, the market AKA the readers will decide if its okay or not for themselves

[jmhenry]

As long as you handle it well, you're golden! Don't let fear of reactions keep you from telling the story the way you want. Good luck to you!

[Ordinaryaverageguy]

If you can't write about 1940s discrimination without having experienced it, there'll eventually be no one who can write about 1940s discrimination.

[spadedigsbutts]

I think the general rule of thumb is that you are not from the group in question experiencing the bigotry, it's okay to include those elements as long as you do your research and the story isn't solely about the experiences you've never had. So if the homophobia is just sort of a side thing, and the story isn't only about homophobia and the lesbian experience, then I think you're good? Again, as @ninjashira said, just make sure to do your research! Idk If it helps, a lot of professors I've met in queer studies departments tend to be very excited to talk about their stuff so if you can find someone who knows a lot about historical aspects you could absolutely send them an email and they could point you in the right direction

[BOMB]

I think the questions we always have to ask are:

1. Why am I writing this? If you don't have a reason to include something in your story (especially touchy subject matter) then it's probably best to exclude it.

2. Do I know enough to write about this? Do your research and make sure you don't make too many assumptions.

3. Am I skilled enough to write about this without showing my bias or potentially making a fool of myself? It's possible to know everything you need to know, but if you can't convey complex ideas and thoughts, you could still end up being disrespectful or making yourself look ignorant.

[hjpetersonauthor]

I have a very similar problem as you. My comic is based in the same time frame (1944-1945), and I have a character who is Asian-American, one Latina, and one that's mixed (white and Navajo). There's a lot of things that I really wonder if I should talk about, or mention, since I'm about as white as mozarella. After a lot of thinking, though, I decided that my story would lose some of its integrity if I didn't mention it. As people have said, the best way to really do these people justice is to research, research, research! Nobody expects exact historical accuracy, but staying true to these people's stories is usually best for historical fiction. For my characters, I tried to look to specific people/events, then weave it into my story. For example: for Lee, my Korean American character, I based a lot of his experiences off of a particular historic photograph I saw of a Chinese-American sunbathing in Miami with a Chinese flag behind her in the hopes that people wouldn't harass her for being Japanese. For my Latina character, I took from the experiences of people around me who'd immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico. If you can find some real stories to mix in with yours, it'll pack the punch you really need it to.