We all know that anyone on the planet could be of any sexual orientation. It doesn't matter what their looks suggest, or their hobbies or mannerisms. Anyone can be anything. But we still see stereotypes in fiction.
Take, for example, the artistic gay. The guys who do drama or dance or paint. They are often depicted as being of either a gentle or dramatic nature. They may have a certain lilt to the way they speak. They may care an awful lot about their appearance. And, frequently in fiction, they are canonically not-straight.
Then we have the jock. The guy who's most comfortable getting sweaty and a little dirty. The one who actually enjoys working out and will still run a few laps for fun after a long practice in the gym. These are the guys who are naturally attractive, even if they don't try. Their fit bodies are attractive to the girls in their circle, and they're never short on options when it comes to dating. Which is why fiction writers love subverting stereotypes by making these characters gay. Though, usually their storylines focus on coming out of the closet and dealing with any backlash from the public that thinks jocks must inherently be straight.
What happens, however, when you have a character that is both artistic and a jock? That is a dilemma I'm exploring in the novel I'm currently querying. My main character is a gay teen who is both an artist and a basketball player. How does he balance the expectations his schoolmates place on him from each side? It's been a fun journey, figuring this out with him, and things get very hairy as the series progresses. How will things shake out? Hopefully I'll get picking up by a publisher soon so you can find out!
No comments:
Post a Comment