āwe donāt need forced representation of-ā SHUT UP. LITERALLY JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP. itās notĀ āforced representationā. people are allowed to just exist, and whether a characterās race or mental illness or sexuality or gender identity āserves the plotā or āsymbolizes somethingā is irrelevant. people can be gay without having a reason. people can have depression without having a reason.Ā
āwhatās next, a bisexual with bipolar disorder?ā hi, a bisexual with bipolar disorder here to tell you to fuck off!
āmaybe a mixed-race aromantic on the autism spectrum?ā oh, you must be talking about my grade 6 english teacher!
āor better yet, a muslim girl thatās hiding the fact that sheās a lesbian from her conservative parents while battling her ptsd from surviving a bombing?ā ohhhh, right, my childhood best friend!
i donāt care if the representation seemsĀ āforcedā to you, because you know what? all kinds of kids are starting to see themselves in the stories they like for the first time ever!! not all protagonists are skinny, straight, and white! thatās good! why are you getting so mad about the fact that kids everywhere are getting the representation they need? fat kids. gay kids. black kids. depressed kids. trans kids. asian kids. austistic kids. adhd kids. muslim kids. genderqueer kids. bi kids. ace/aro kids. all of these children are seeing themselves mirrored in their favourote books for the first time and thatās a beautiful thing!!
bigoted white dudebros are getting mad because these characters arenātĀ ārealisticā, but you know what really isnāt realistic? EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER BEING A BASIC SKINNY WHITE KID WITH SOME KIND OF MENTAL ISSUE THAT JUST MAGICALLY GOES AWAY BY THE END OF THE BOOK WHEN THEY GET IN A (HETEROSEXUAL) RELATIONSHIP. thatās not realistic. the world is so diverse!! the books we read should represent that!!
so, to my fellow gender and sexual minorities - youāre allowed to love the books that give you the representation youāve been waiting for! to the kids of colourĀ out there - youāre allowed to get excited when you find a character with the same ethnicity as you! to the kids with mental issues, diagnosed or not - youāre allowed to find an escape in a book that portrays a mental disorder you struggle with! none of you have to listen to the cishet white people telling you that the representation is fake or unrealistic. you get to make that decision for yourself. that also means that youāre allowed to criticize a book that incorrectly represents something!! you would know!! you have the right to speak out.
if you see this, reblog it. i want as many people to see this as possible. i want every single minority child to understand this.
thank you for coming to my ted talk xx
