Should I include LGBT in my series tag if that's not a big theme of the story?

[9outofPen]

So while preparing to make my comic I've encountered new questions I don't know the answer to.

I'm getting ready to start my comic, and the main character's best friends happen to be two guys in a relationship, but this is not a major theme of the story. In fact, the main character is a werewolf, and if anything, I would focus more on that. Since her friends are already in a relationship at the start of the story, my first thought would be to add a disclaimer at the beginning. But after reading some threads here on Tapastic I'm wondering if I'd be more comfortable just advertising the series for its main premise as a coming of age story and letting people discover for themselves.

What should you do if you have LGBT characters in a comic whose themes are not LGBT?

[indagold]

I advertise it as a story. Do we really need a warning that we have minorities in a comic? I always found it stupid.

[radicles]

If the focus is LGBTIA+ folks and their stories, and youre marketing for them first and for the others second- include the tag. If lgbtia+ folks just so happen to be in your comic, but you arent marketing focused on that group of people- i say just let ur comic be and people will see for themselves!

[dojo]

I wouldn't leave a mention/disclaimer/tag/anything if it's not focused on the LGBT couple. If you did it would come across like you're advertising it as a LGBT comic and that would be dishonest if they're merely sidecharacters and could easily be misconstrued as queerbaiting.

Let people discover for themselves what it is and what you're trying to do with it. If you want it to be a coming of age story about a werewolf, that's what you should be advertising it as. If someone happens to ask before they read it if there's lgbt characters, THEN you can mention the two guys who are dating. That's how I handle the characters who are lgbt in my comics.

[Aspie_Gamer]

We live in a world where (for the most part) being gay isn't a big deal nor is it all that surprising so unless the LGBT crowd is a HUGE focus in your comic, then no, you don't need to tag your series as LGBT.

[9outofPen]

Cool, thanks! That helps a lot!

[sorrelma]

unless the LGBT crowd is a HUGE focus in your comic, then no, you don't need to tag your series as LGBT.

i agree.
i wouldn't say a story has to be necessarily ABOUT being LGBT to be marketed as such(i.e. there are tons of action/fantasy/sci-fi comics on here that are lgbt bcuz the main characters are lgbt) i would say if the characters themselves have major roles and get a lot of screen time, it's fair to tag it as lgbt. however, if it's just a side character, i would say leave the tag off

in my experience, the lgbt tag(at least for webcomics) isn't really so much a warning or a genre as a description/keyword for readers who want to read abt LGBT characters

it's interesting to see different perspectives tho! i wish tapastic had a better tagging system so there could be better precedent

[spadesart]

i did it with mine so other lgbt people can find it. it's not a romance comic at all but it still features them and other lgbt people may want to read it.

[saerel]

Seeing a gay relationship in a storyline without special label or even emphasis on it, to me, expresses the idea that such relationships are part of the normal course of things and, as was mentioned above, "not a big deal nowadays." That is the choice I would personally make.

If your story was focused particularly on LGBT activism, then it would be a bit different and I could see the point in a label.

[punkarsenic]

hmm. on one hand, id be happy to see the comic in lists for comics w lgbt characters, and as a lesbian those characters would be a big draw for me. however, since it sounds like theyre side characters, and in the minority in the story, i dont think lgbt would be a suitable series tag - id leave that for stories centering an lgbt person, romance, or topic.