OK, full disclosure here. I’m not transgender.
That said, I’ve always had a fascination with the many aspects of human sexuality and gender. I think it’s amazing that there are not just two genders or one “right” way to have sex or love another human being.
I’ve had the privilege of meeting a number of trans folks via Facebook. I also report on LGBT rights issues via our Marriage Equality Watch blog, including trans issues, and on transgender travel issues via our Transgender Travel Club on FB for our LGBT travel site.
All this is to say that I have some familiarity with trans issues. But knowing about trans issues and writing a transgender character are two different things.
Nevertheless, I tackled my first one late last year and it was a great experience – I learned a lot, but it hasn’t yet been published, so we’ll see how folks react.
So my questions today… have you written any transgender characters? If you’re not trans yourself, how do you research transgender characters and issues? If you are transgender, what do you think of the portrayal of trans characters in LGBT spec fic? And who are some authors who have done it particularly well?