I'm writing a young adult dark fantasy anthology with three stories, each about 10,000 words. I've finished the first two, and I'm moving onto drafting the third. The main character of the first is a cis girl, and never in a situation where her sexuality becomes an issue, so it just isn't mentioned. The second is an asexual boy, and his sexuality does play a big part in his plot, but it was easy enough finding the language to write about his identity even in the limited scope I have to talk about these issues in this world.
The main character of the third story, Rayna, is a trans girl, and I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out how to write about her. I identify as nonbinary myself, and I can draw on a bit of my own dysphoria and emotions to really paint a picture of some of her emotions, but as far as explicitly stating to the reader that she is trans, I don't know how to word it right. The problem is, this is a high fantasy - I'm pitching it as Avatar: The Last Airbender meets Pirates of the Caribbean so while it is high fantasy, it has a basis in/around the 1700's. While many countries/continents in this world accept trans individuals, they don't have the language that we have for it today (words like transgender, nonbinary, genderfluid . . .) so I'm trying to make it clear that this is a trans character while not using the language we have today, and while not being overly offensive to potential trans readers.
Rayna is a really important character to me - she's fierce, passionate, and driven by her need to do what's right by others. I don't want to erase her identity, and so I'm looking for any help I can find in coming up with wording solutions, explanations, et-cet!
Background: Rayna is from / lives on a continent called Drovav, where, in most countries - including hers - trans individuals are accepted, embraced, and allowed to enjoy their true identity without hiding who they are or feeling shame. In Rayna's village, it's tradition for boys to follow in their father's footprints and daughters to follow in their mothers. So while Rayna wants to become a sailor like her father, she's stuck training to be a village guard, like her mother, while her beloved brother is trained for the position she covets. Her story is about how she sneaks into a travelling circus to save a Siren from captivity and return her to the ocean at any costs.
I've had characters mention nonbinary and genderfluid identities earlier in the book, while talking about asexuality, so I have an example of some of the language I've been using:
“He was like you: couldn’t make himself want anyone, no matter how hard he tried—and believe me, try he did. He was dangerously possessed with living up to the expectations of others. He did the same as you. Tried with girls, with boys, with those who dwell in the space between . . . but none of it—none of them—ever worked. None of them ever fixed him. Do you know why?”
Joram swallows. “Because . . . because he hadn’t met the right one yet?”
“Because he was not broken. He did not need to be fixed, and neither do you, you dear idiot. Who is to say that you are not normal, Joram? What is natural to you is natural to you. If you do not feel the need to take a lover, then so be it! If this is the path the gods have chosen for you, then this is how it will be.” She stabs the dagger into the table and Joram jumps in surprise. She turns to him, dark eyes gleaming with mischief. “You are not broken, my friend: you are different. And you are not doing yourself any favours by denying it.”
The main difference between them is that while Joram denied his identity at first, Rayna has always accepted her and had hers validated--she never grew up in a world where she was 'wrong' so she doesn't have all the self-acceptance issues he does, and while she does suffer some dysphoria, she has mostly come to terms with and is comfortable with who she is. So if anyone has any ways of writing about trans characters in a world where we haven't developed social justice language yet, I would be really excited to hear about any tips or strategies you can suggest!
Writing a trans girl in a Young Adult Fantasy - language issues?
The main character of the third story, Rayna, is a trans girl, and I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out how to write about her. I identify as nonbinary myself, and I can draw on a bit of my own dysphoria and emotions to really paint a picture of some of her emotions, but as far as explicitly stating to the reader that she is trans, I don't know how to word it right. The problem is, this is a high fantasy - I'm pitching it as Avatar: The Last Airbender meets Pirates of the Caribbean so while it is high fantasy, it has a basis in/around the 1700's. While many countries/continents in this world accept trans individuals, they don't have the language that we have for it today (words like transgender, nonbinary, genderfluid . . .) so I'm trying to make it clear that this is a trans character while not using the language we have today, and while not being overly offensive to potential trans readers.
Rayna is a really important character to me - she's fierce, passionate, and driven by her need to do what's right by others. I don't want to erase her identity, and so I'm looking for any help I can find in coming up with wording solutions, explanations, et-cet!
Background: Rayna is from / lives on a continent called Drovav, where, in most countries - including hers - trans individuals are accepted, embraced, and allowed to enjoy their true identity without hiding who they are or feeling shame. In Rayna's village, it's tradition for boys to follow in their father's footprints and daughters to follow in their mothers. So while Rayna wants to become a sailor like her father, she's stuck training to be a village guard, like her mother, while her beloved brother is trained for the position she covets. Her story is about how she sneaks into a travelling circus to save a Siren from captivity and return her to the ocean at any costs.
I've had characters mention nonbinary and genderfluid identities earlier in the book, while talking about asexuality, so I have an example of some of the language I've been using:
“He was like you: couldn’t make himself want anyone, no matter how hard he tried—and believe me, try he did. He was dangerously possessed with living up to the expectations of others. He did the same as you. Tried with girls, with boys, with those who dwell in the space between . . . but none of it—none of them—ever worked. None of them ever fixed him. Do you know why?”
Joram swallows. “Because . . . because he hadn’t met the right one yet?”
“Because he was not broken. He did not need to be fixed, and neither do you, you dear idiot. Who is to say that you are not normal, Joram? What is natural to you is natural to you. If you do not feel the need to take a lover, then so be it! If this is the path the gods have chosen for you, then this is how it will be.” She stabs the dagger into the table and Joram jumps in surprise. She turns to him, dark eyes gleaming with mischief. “You are not broken, my friend: you are different. And you are not doing yourself any favours by denying it.”
The main difference between them is that while Joram denied his identity at first, Rayna has always accepted her and had hers validated--she never grew up in a world where she was 'wrong' so she doesn't have all the self-acceptance issues he does, and while she does suffer some dysphoria, she has mostly come to terms with and is comfortable with who she is. So if anyone has any ways of writing about trans characters in a world where we haven't developed social justice language yet, I would be really excited to hear about any tips or strategies you can suggest!
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