I’m getting ready to start another story, my first with a transgender character. The character’s gender identity as a man will be central to the storyline.
I am excited to write it, and also a bit nervous – any time you write something you don’t know intimately yourself, you run the risk of either doing it poorly, or of offending the group you are writing about.
Still, I think it’s worth the risk. We should always challenge ourselves in our writing, And sure, I may not (probably won’t) write this character as well as someone who is actually transgender, I will learn from the experience, and maybe do the next one a little better.
Have you ever written a character (especially a main character) who is transgender? Have you dealt with where we will be as a society on the issue in the near or distant future in your sci fi?
And what were the pitfalls or rewards of writing this kind of character for you?