I wanted to ask about LGBT+ characters as a whole. Yesterday, I was discussing books with my bff, and she says that she doesn't like LGBT characters because they're "just LGBT". I think she has a point in that loads of LGBT+ characters appear just to be a representation and not a character itself, but I wanted to know your opinion. What do you think of LGBT+ characters actually having fatal flaws? Being antagonists? Doing shitty, bad stuff? I'm not attacking or anything, this question is genuine
While I cringe at someone just not liking LGBT characters because they’re “just LGBT” (have you READ all those empty-shell hetero characters???), there is a point that a character can be empty and pointless if not fully-rounded.
I do not agree that LGBT characters are more likely to be empty. It’s just that people feel more like they need justification because they’re not “the norm.”
Of course, LGBT characters, being human, should have fatal flaws, occasionally do sh*tty things, be antagonists. Just beware of LGBT characters being bad BECAUSE they are LGBT, and if your story only has one LGBT character and they are a sh*tty human being, you can (intentionally or not) imply that you think all LGBT people are that way.
So: LGBT characters should be well-rounded, human, interesting and multi-dimensional. And it’s generally a good idea to have more than one in your universe, because, well, we’re not all one person. Except Neil Patrick Harris. He’s one person.
