A reader writes: “I’m an author who wishes to include a trans person in her fictional writings. I fear I know little to nothing about trans people as a whole, however.
“And while I believe trans people should be treated as people, I also don’t want to write a woman as cis and then claim later that she was actually trans. I’d like to portray this character and what she might be going through in a way that doesn’t insult or demean her as a trans woman.
“When mentioning her and her struggles, is a brief mention of her being born male but saying that she is in fact female enough? Do I need to elaborate or is that enough to make it clear she’s trans? Should I actually have her claim to be trans or is it all right for her to say she is simply a woman?
“People are different, even when they share things in common. So while I think either approach would be fine, I want to make sure that I’m not portraying trans women in a negative light or reinforcing stereotypes. Any information you can give me would be wonderful. Any books or Internet sources you can offer would be appreciated as well.”
As a writer, I find this a very interesting topic, because there are really a couple of “sides” to this issue. One “side” is that there are not enough authentic trans characters portrayed in fiction – books, movies, plays, and so on – and when trans characters do appear, they are usually there to induce pity or for shock value, titillation, or comic relief. Therefore, any time that a trans character is presented realistically and honestly in fiction, it will likely be to our benefit.
The other “side” is whether or not a non-trans person should be writing about trans experiences at all, even in fiction. The “write what you know” ethos has been around for a long time in author circles, and it is there for a reason. If we get too far out of our element, we can write ourselves into trouble. However, if everyone stuck to the “write what you know” philosophy, we would have no science fiction, no experimental fiction, no horror genre, no historical fiction, and the majority of romance novels (and erotica) would never materialize.
There are people who will say that a non-trans person should absolutely not be writing trans characters, but I believe it can be done – in fact, I know it can be done, because one of my all-time favorite authors, Suzan-Lori Parks, wrote a trans-masculine character in her book Getting Mother’s Body. It was fantastic to be reading that book and discover this trans character who I didn’t know was in there when I bought the book. The character was very well written and necessary to the story, and there was no hint of sensationalism or exploitation. But then, Parks won the Pulitzer (for Topdog/Underdog) for a reason.
I also liked the Anna Madrigal character in Armistad Maupin‘s Tales of the City series, but I am not a trans woman, so I don’t know how trans women perceived that character. I was also just beginning my transition when I read that series, and I haven’t read it since, so I don’t know how I would feel about the character now.
I have mixed feelings about whether or not you should have a trans character in your fiction, particularly because you say that you don’t know anything about trans people. But that’s not the question you asked, so I’m going to answer the question you asked, but I’m first going to ask you an important question that I want you to consider: Why do you want a trans character in your fiction?
I don’t mean this in a snotty way at all. It’s a serious question, and the reason that I want you to consider it is because you need to know your motivation for adding this character. There are some right reasons and some wrong reasons for a non-trans writer to write specifically trans characters.
Right reasons might include a desire to have diverse characters in your story that reflect the real world; to counter the stereotypes of trans people that exist in most other venues; and, first and foremost, because your storyline requires a character to be trans.
Wrong reasons might include the notion that trans people are the hot new item and having a trans character will make the book more marketable; that a trans character will induce pity or provide shock value, titillation, or comic relief; and because the storyline isn’t strong enough to work without a “gimmick.”
So really consider that question before you move forward with any suggestions that I am about to give in response to the question you asked, which is how to portray this trans character. The answer to your question depends on what you want from this character.
You mentioned her “struggles,” but I don’t know if her struggles are related to being trans or not. If her struggles are related to being trans, then her transness is a very important part of her character, and as you write about her struggles, the fact that she is trans will be apparent. If her struggles are not related to her transness, then why mention that she is trans at all? But if you don’t, of course, then you don’t have a trans character.
You asked whether or not she should claim to be trans, but that depends on who she is as a character. There are many women who have transitioned or had corrective procedures at some time in their life who do not identify as trans. There are many others who do. So whether she does or not is entirely dependent on her – who she is, what she wants, and what her role is in the story. Is she the type of person who would say she was trans? Only you know that, because you are creating the character.
And this brings us back to why she is there in the first place. That’s what you have to figure out. And if you already know that, then what I would suggest to you is that you do not do research on how to write her. What I would suggest is that you find out about trans women, and trans people, in general, because it worries me that you say that you don’t know anything about us.
If that’s the case, you are at high risk of misrepresenting a trans woman’s possible experience, and you are at high risk of insulting or demeaning your character and, by default, your trans readers, and this is what you say that you do not want to do.
I would suggest that you read as many memoirs as you can get your hands on – and any other books you can find – that were written by trans women. You can probably find many of them on amazon.com just by doing a search for “transgender” and “transsexual” in the Books category. I would also recommend reading books and blogs written by various trans people about trans issues in general.
Then I would suggest that you contact a local gender center or LGBT center and ask if there are any trans groups that are open to non-trans people. Then go to the meeting, let them know why you are there (you don’t have to, but I think it’s the ethical thing to do), and ask if there are any trans women who would be willing to meet with you and talk to you about their experiences. Maybe there are some women readers of this blog who would be willing to communicate with you. If so, they can let you know in the comments section.
Then go to some events, do some volunteer work, hang around and get to know some trans people – both men and women. Find out their hobbies and interests, let them know yours, and make some new friends. Spend some time in the community and find out about the various struggles and triumphs – both those that are related to being trans and those that are not – as well as the everyday, boring experiences.
Once you feel as if you have the information you need to portray your character authentically, you still need a “reader” – at least one person who is willing to read your book or short story when it’s finished, and even during various drafts, to give you feedback on your character.
Only when you do all this will you be ready to write this character and present her to the world. If you do not do this, you will wind up doing exactly what you don’t want to do, which is to present trans women in a negative light and reinforce stereotypes. I wish you the best of luck.
Readers, you’re on.
Matt, thank you for your well thought out reply. Another great trans character written by a cis-gendered man was “Trans-Sister Radio by Chris Bohjalian this is the best example that I know of. With a great transwoman character that I can relate too.
You suggested that this Author talk to and have atleast one trans woman reader (I would suggest 2 or 3), I would be willing to be one or both. I can be contacted at sheriproctor@gmail.com
thank you for all that you do
Great thoughts on this, Matt.
The protagonist of my last novel, FLY INTO FIRE, was a trans woman (as am I) and I initially struggled with a lot of the questions you bring up. I especially struggled with the question of why there was a trans woman in this book, and why she ‘had’ to be trans.
The answer, eventually, was that this was simply who she was. So much of what made Renna herself was tied into her past, and it’s a big piece of what gives her empathy for many other characters in the book. The story isn’t about Renna being trans, however, it’s about an interstellar rescue operation (among other things). Renna’s trans-ness was crucial to her character, but not necessarily to the plot of the book. When creating this character, I focused not on what was trans about her, but what made her unique as a human being.
My advice for this writer would be to get the facts on what trans* is all about. It’s cool to collect some stories from people if you want to get an idea of what we go through, though that’s by no means a monolithic thing. The character you create shouldn’t be some cobbled-together representation of all trans women, but a unique person who has her own needs and wants. It’s possible to do this well. It’s also possible to do this very, very badly: when I read “Trans-Sister Radio” I wanted to chuck it out the window. Argh.
In short, if you’re creating an interesting, engaging, realistic character whose trans-ness is treated factually and honestly instead of creating someone for us to a) pity or b) worship, then you’ll probably be fine.
Hope that helps.
Dang it, I posted this from the wrong account. Sorry!
Matt,
I’m the one who submitted that question. Thank you for taking the time to respond. And thank you for being honest with me.
My intent was to make the story that I’m writing not about a bunch of white people with white people problems. I want this story to be rich with diversity without making the diverse people I create tokens or shells. I want them to be real people.
I’ve been reading blogs and wiki entries and whatever else I can find about trans people for the past three months. Which is why I said I know nothing about trans people. Three months is hardly any time at all to learn about something that I know nothing about.
Your suggestion about attending a meeting was not something that occurred to me. I like the idea of making friends and getting to know people as I do my research. I don’t wish to be clinical in my search for how to portray a trans woman.
The reason that I am making this character a trans woman is because it fits in with her story. She isn’t the main character, but her part of the story is important.
I’d welcome other opinions on whether or not I should be writing a trans character when I am not one myself and know so very little. I would not submit this story until I’d had a few beta readers tell me what they think of how I’ve portrayed her. I also don’t want to offend. If I really shouldn’t be writing about something I know nothing of, please let me know. I don’t want this to make things worse for anyone who is trans.
If anyone would like to contact me I can be reached at timidatheist(at)gmail dot com.
Thank you again for this. I will most definitely begin by reading whatever I can find.
I think it can be done, and I hope that readers contact you. I really think your best bet is to hang out with some trans people, particularly trans women, and get to know them on many levels. Then, as some people have already said, don’t make your character a “composite” of the trans women that you meet or whose stories you read. She is going to be her own person.
But I think once you communicate with trans women and hang out with trans women and get to know the trans community, your character and her uniqueness will start to materialize. You will feel more comfortable with her and her uniqueness and authenticity will start to emerge. And then if you have several trans women read your drafts or your final and listen to their feedback, you can be sure to create the most authentic character possible.
I would also recommend reading Getting Mother’s Body to see how Suzan-Lori Parks, who is not trans, integrated this trans-masculine character into her story. As you can see from the comments, some readers liked Trans-Sister Radio and some did not, so you could read that and see what problems and what positives you might be able to identify (I haven’t read it).
And some women here sound interested in helping out, so I hope they contact you if they did not leave their e-mail addresses. My readers are fantastic. They will be great resources.
And as you said, all people are different, so different people are going to give you different advice and different viewpoints. You have to weigh all of that and let your character come forward and tell you who she is.
Good luck again!
T.A., Now that I know it was you that brought this issue up, I would like to respond to the statement you made that you fear that you don’t know trans people as a whole. First of all, I don’t regard myself as transgender and I certainly don’t share the fact with people who didn’t know me before I “came out” that I am not who I appear to be. I simply go about my business as a woman and so far, I have not experienced any hostility from people which I would consider to be one end of the spectrum of how people may regard me. The other end of that same spectrum from my POV, is not acceptance, it is simply a non-issue. A few people who have seen both sides of me have said that they have no idea what I must be going through. From my POV, that’s like saying they have no idea what its like to be a human being, which I can absolutely be assured is just not true for them.
Not really knowing what you have in mind for your character, I still believe that if your character is to ring true in your novel and that if the character is going to be sharing their “medical condition” as a literary device to inform the reader and not just trying to explain their motivations to another character in the novel, I believe that the character will only need to explain how they feel as a human being and not a person that has a particular “medical condition” anymore than they might have to explain how it feels to be pregnant or have some other medical condition like cancer or an STD.
I also don’t think that I would make an interesting character for a novel as a transgender girl because I don’t believe that I have anything in particular going on with me that has anything to do with being transgender. I just feel like a regular girl who happens to be 63 and had a thirty year marriage suddenly end last year, not because of my “medical condition” but because of my partner’s medical condition to where we can no longer share our empty nest anymore, with our son together grown up and moved away and she dealing with her own health challenges in the best way that she knows how and which doesn’t include me. Still, if it would be useful, I would gladly volunteer to one of those readers that Matt suggested you recruit and I would also be willing to volunteer some time to offer more on what its like to be me. While you’re at it, you might also check out my blog at http://messagesfromdeanna.wordpress.com/. Good luck with your novel.
Deanna
Deanna,
Thank you for your response. You’re right in that I’m still acting as if trans people aren’t people, despite my best efforts not to be offensive. I apologize for that. I will do my best to correct that in my mind and going forward when I attempt to discuss what trans people deal with in their lives.
I would welcome your input on my story and to talk to you about what your life is like. Thank you for the link to your blog, I will definitely be reading that soon. And if there is a way that I can contact you, please let me know. Otherwise you can contact me at timidatheist (at) gmail dot com.
Take care.
I am sending my email address directly to yours and you can also comment on any of my blog posts at http://messagesfromdeanna.wordpress.com
“I’d welcome other opinions on whether or not I should be writing a trans character when I am not one myself and know so very little.”
I see nothing wrong with it as long as the story doesn’t spread even more misinformation about trans people – there’s more than enough of those stories out there. I hope it will open people’s minds instead. It’s a good idea to interview actual trans women and get their input but keep in mind that we’re as individual as snowflakes (we’re human beings, after all), so some trans people will not feel they identify with your character, and that’s okay.
CaptLex,
And that is exactly what I don’t want to do, spread misinformation. And you’re right, everyone is different and unique, regardless of whatever else they must deal with. Which is one reason why I asked about identifying as a trans woman or just a woman. But as it’s been pointed out, that will depend on my character herself. So I need to simply get to know the character better as well.
Thank you for your input, I appreciate it.
I agree with the advice about getting feedback from several trans women (ideally people who have a vaguely similar backgrounds and identities to that of the character you’re writing). In other words, don’t ask trans men what they think about the trans woman character (and vice versa), don’t ask a gay man who does drag what they think about the character, if the character is black or latina, then ask a black trans or latina woman for their feedback. Try to not be defensive when you hear the feedback but also understand you’re writing a unique person, hopefully not a trans cardboard cutout or token. And first and formost, you’re writing a WOMAN character not “a man who wants to be a woman.”
(IMO, Trans-sister Radio was an okay book for when it came out but its portrayal of a trans woman seems really dated and shallow in light of some trans-themed fiction which has followed it).
I will absolutely do my best not to be defensive. I want to write well, and if that means getting told I’m doing it wrong, I will assuredly listen.
You’re right. I chose to ask Matt simply because I’d not seen any other sights or trans people offering to answer questions. Especially his comment about there not being a stupid question helped bolster my courage.
As for the character, she is most assuredly a woman in my mind, but thank you for reminding me of that.
On a sidenote: Maupin’s more recent book Michael Tolliver LIves! has a gay trans male character, but I wasn’t completely satisfied with that one. Maybe because I’m trans male and gay myself, maybe because Maupin/Tolliver was more unsettled by this character which I found interesting and a bit sad.
I suppose I can add my $0.02. I guess I am different then most as I don’t consider myself a “trans-woman”. I am a woman who was born with a horrible birth defect. I may have been diagnosed as having GID, but I am a woman period. I would be happy to help in any way I can.
Randi,
Thank you for that. If you’d like to talk with me via e-mail I can be reached at timidatheist (at) gmail dot com. I’d love to hear whatever you’d like to share, even if it’s just how you live your day to day life.
So far what I have written, my character considers herself a woman and her one comment about being trans has been that she was assigned male at birth. I just wasn’t sure if that was something that a trans woman would say. So if you have thoughts on that, please do let me know.
This article is more specifically about writing gay characters, but still might be helpful: http://www.squidoo.com/writing-gay-characters
As a writer myself, I think one of the most important points it makes is the distinction between in this case a ‘trans character’ and ‘a character who happens to be trans.’ Figure out which one you want, and stick with it, because the two options will result in very different stories, and this is a place where I think mixing and matching will hurt the end result.
Thank you for the link. I certainly will because I also have a gay character in my story.
And you’re right, I will need to figure that distinction out. Her being trans is not the central point to her story, but it does affect how her story plays out. She’s a secondary character, so it won’t be the focus of the whole story, yet she will have some attention in the story in order for her issues to be dealt with.
Ever notice how they start out saying “a trans person” but in reality they are thinking :trans woman” as if that is all there is? If she was specifically interested in a trans* woman character then she should have said that the first time. Just goes to show even allies have a tendency to be gender dismissive without realizing.
Reminds me of 2 years ago when I was talking to a writer about her new manuscript, she had asked me about police procedures and jargon. Kind of offhand she said, “I would add a trans person to the story if I knew anything about them.” Thinking this might be a good disclosure moment I asked what kind of character this trans person would be.
She said a prostitute.. “after all if you have cops and trannies that means she is a prostitute.” Okaaayyy.
“What about trans man prostitute?” She laughed and said there was no such thing.
So I said, “What about a trans man or trans woman cop?” She told me to stop wasting her time with nonsense.
So I walked out, with my badge, my advice, and my life experience. After all, I don’t exist according to her.
It was not my intention to erase trans men, so I apologize for that. My character is a trans woman, but I wanted advice on how to write a trans person because I don’t want to rule out the possibility of also writing a trans man in the future.
Thank you for the reminder.
@TimidAtheist, you just did the dismissive objectifying thing again. “I want advice on how to write a trans person..” Write a trans person??? That is objectifying all T* women and T* men as a single homogeneous entity, dismissing each of us as individuals with individual histories, individual live styles, individual forms of transition, individual forms of expression, individual needs, etc etc. It is not even valid to say all cisgender men are the same and almost a crime to say all cisgender women are same as cisgender men. So why do you insist on saying that just putting a “Trans” in front makes us all a single 2 dimensional being? Again you are being as dismissive as someone who is not claiming to be an ally, and worse since you think claiming to be supportive is going to let you off the hook for the ignorant latent gender bigotry. Maybe you should try dumping your assumptions and actually pay attention to all our advice on how to meet your stated goal. You already ignored the best advice: don’t ask a Trans man (Matt) to educate you about how to write a Trans woman character, ask Trans women… they are every where around you.
Bear,
I am sorry. I know better now and will remember for the future.
“You already ignored the best advice: don’t ask a Trans man (Matt) to educate you about how to write a Trans woman character, ask Trans women… they are every where around you.”
I was given this advice after I asked Matt and I have since begun conversations with a trans woman and a woman in transition. I will be calling a local group this week to ask if may observe a meeting. They are open to allies and to all transgender and genderqueer people and I will be sure to inform them why I am interested in attending and why I’d like to volunteer to help them.
Thank you for explaining where I have gone wrong.
“Ever notice how they start out saying “a trans person” but in reality they are thinking :trans woman” as if that is all there is?”
I had that thought for a minute too – you picked up on one of my biggest pet peeves, Bear.
Yes, erasure and over-generalization are problems, but it doesn’t just go one way. How many times have you heard someone talking about the Transgender Day of Remembrance and refer to all the “trans people” who get murdered when it’s overwhelmingly trans women who get lethal violence against them? (and I would add overwhelmingly trans women of color) Yes, trans women get more visibility, but it’s mostly negative even nasty or violent visibility and we take the brunt of society’s transphobia. So, I absolutely wish trans men (who wish it) more visibility and I hope it’s better than the bs that we, as women, get.
I see Timid Atheist sincerely asking for feedback with an open mind, so I don’t get what all the snarking is about??
see Timid Atheist sincerely asking for feedback with an open mind, so I don’t get what all the snarking is about??
There’s no snark on my part. I merely pointed out that I have an automatic reaction to this due to years of being dismissed, discounted, and even reviled as a trans man. I hold no ill will towards anyone but I have repeatedly experienced the opposite (mostly by trans women), so it takes its toll on my patience and understanding sometimes, and my defensive walls come up on their own.
Luna by Julie Anne Peters is another example of a non-trans person writing a book about a trans person. I thought it was really well written and moving, although it’s definitely niche fiction.
I would skip Luna. I found it to be overly sad and too centered on the cisgender protagonist. Worth reading, but not exactly a good how-to book.
Following Mike’s suggestion of “Luna,” a YA novel, I would suggest “Almost Perfect” by Brian Katcher (won 2011 ALA Stonewall Award)- great book with a complex young transwoman lead character.
And, for more suggestions on a trans character written by a non-trans author, two books with transmen are “Kafka on the Shore” by Haruki Murakami (one of my All Time Favourite Books) and “I am J” by Cris Beam (and “Transparent” by her also, a nonfiction book– she immersed herself in a school for LGBTQ youth, and her writing comes from this immersion experience).
I appreciate and respect the right of a non-trans person to write about trans individuals. If we stuck to writing only what we know, the imaginative, speculative, transformative side of literature would greatly diminish. One of the reasons I am a poet and MFA student is I see the ability of literature to increase and expand our consciousness, to help us see the world through another’s eyes, to increase empathy and awareness of those ‘different’ from us, etc, as crucial to existence. Write with respect and sensitivity, and you bring good, powerful change to the world.
I once had dinner with a man I met through a dating site, where I had disclosed my status as a transwoman. That is, he responded to me knowing I was trans. We had an interesting enough dinner, and had things in common – he was a theatre director & writer . I had done a fair bit of acting when I was younger, though I developed into much more of a musician, I kept on with doing a bit of music for theatre.
It turns out he wanted to write a piece exploring a trans character. I have to say I felt quite used……any transwoman is well attuned to the unpeasant chaser- this was sa,e ting but only with a slightly different take on the on the same theme ………
Timid Atheist, I am so sorry. For some reason, all your recent comments went into the spam folder, and I have been dealing with a sick dog, so just now checked the folder and saw that they were there. I apologize.
Also, as I was approving Timid Atheist’s comments, I accidentally approved three comments that I had taken down before due to inappropriate content. I managed to find two of them so far and get rid of them. Still looking for the third, but I’m sorry that those probably went out to people who subscribe to comments. That was not meant to happen. I’m operating on two hours of sleep because of the aforementioned sick dog, so things are not going as I would like.
Thanks again for everyone for reading and commenting. This has been an interesting discussion on this post. I think there is a lot of support for writing a trans character, as long as it is done well.
Matt,
That is okay, I appreciate you getting to them.
I hope your dog is okay now?
I’d like to add my thanks as well for the comments. They have helped and I will do my best to remember everything as I move forward.
I have lots to read it seems, which is fine by me. I love books. So thank you for the recommendations as well.
Getting here late, but I would suggest before you write to read the 101 links in the sidebar at questioningtransphobia.com, especially the “Transphobic tropes” entries. These helped me when I was coming out to myself and still trying to weed some of the inaccurate, offensive ways of thinking out of my brain.
Not that your thinking is that messed up, just that was a good resource to unlearn ways of talking/thinking about trans things that I learned from mainstream media.
Ah, thank you for that tip, I absolutely will do that. And not to worry, I am well aware of my short comings and I’m more than happy to be corrected whenever possible.