when writing about marginalized groups

personally i think there are a few different things that writers (specifically white writers/writers that aren’t part of certain marginalized groups, regardless of what groups they are apart of) need to consider before writing whatever project they might be working on:

- if you have plans to write about a race different than your own, what do you actually know about that race? are you willing to go to places other than the internet to find out things you don’t know? when people of that race tell you you’re doing something wrong, will you listen? is your response going to be some kind of rehash of “i’m trying my best” or “well my [friend/coworker/family member said this so you’re wrong” instead of looking further into what you might have gotten wrong/misunderstood?

- are you aware that different people multiple marginalized groups will have different experiences than people who may be a part of just one [ie a black lesbian will have different life experiences in many ways than a straight black woman, or a black ND man with a NT black man]? are you prepared to take seriously the opinions of the people within that group and go the directions that they suggest when it comes to your creative writing?

- do you rely on stereotypes for your characters or themes, insisting that some stereotypes are “good”?

- do you fetishize these characters because of their race/mental illness/gender identity/other?

- do you think because you’re a creative writer you have a “right” to write about any subject that you please, disregarding the facts or the feelings of the marginalized group you’re not apart of to get your own rocks off, for your own success, your own pleasure, or for the watchful eyes of other fans that are likely not apart of said marginalized group?

- do you believe that your work is just fiction and has no effect on the real world? have you looked into the histories of the people that you’re writing about, and is there anything in your work that could be deemed offensive? are there things in your work that can be connected to those histories in a negative way, a reworking of old stories to demonize their groups? [see about: stereotypes and fetishizing]

- do you have plans to write “coming of age” stories or something with a similar flair of basis [ie stories dealing specifically with the issues within that marginalized group]? why do you feel the need to do that? do you not think it might be better to use your voice to uplift the stories of people who have actually had those experiences?

if any of your answers to these questions is yes, you need to completely rethink the way you’re going about your project. there is nothing wrong with writing about people in marginalized groups that you’re not in, but to a point. you should not be writing about coming out stories / coming of ages stories / the like that you have no stake in, that you can’t relate to at all, because no matter how much research you put into this, no matter how well done it is, that’s still not your story [not to mention in many cases, “researching” certain topics within this umbrella for the sake of creative writing could be looked at as objectification]. rarely ever will it be very well done. you will never understand what groups you’re not in go through, regardless of what you may go through in groups you are in.

and this is beyond fandom and fanfic, although this is where i see a lot of these issues directly. the outside world has these problems too, as we see every week on TV when marginalized characters are being killed off by the dozens or written as evil/cr*zy/another stereotype or simplification.

use diversity in your writing. no one is saying that you shouldn’t. representation matters in all ways, shapes, and forms. but don’t write things that aren’t for you to write. listen when people in those groups tell you you’re doing wrong. educate yourself. understand when something isn’t yours to explore and understand why. educate other people, too. we’re all working to get better, so continue to better yourself.