: Re: An LGBT main character, but the book isn't about LGBT issues So I'm in the very early stages of plot development on a new story. It focuses on a (nonbinary, hence the they/them pronouns)

@Courtney562

You need to face up to the fact the the story does not write the story : you do. Railroad Bill to the contrary, nothing happens in your story but what you write.

So. Why is your character being nonbinary worth talking about? Oh, I can see any number of delightful/transgressive romantic subplots arising, but there is no need for you to include them in your story unless you want to.

As a concrete example, I'm straight. In some circles I might be described as "boringly so". I spent a couple of years in Vietnam, and if I lied a lot I could write a best-seller about it (and I mean a lot). During my time, I never once recall the subject of who I like to stick it to coming up. I also lived in a fraternity for some years which included a couple of gay brothers. By and large, the issue was not discussed although the knowledge was not suppressed. It simply did not impact on the lives of the rest of us. This was also true of the sex lives of the others. Some liked to boast, but most kept it private.

You choose the plot, you choose the story. If the character's identity/orientation are not relevant, don't discuss it.


So how do I prevent the story from taking a turn into political
discussions?


Don't go there. If you cannot imagine an alter-ego who is incapable of discussing the subject at length, well, your story is not likely to avoid the subject, is it?


Is there a way to avoid talking about LGBT issues when my MC is LGBT?


Do you talk about it to everybody you meet, at every opportunity? If you do, I suspect you're not very interesting company except to a select few other nonbinaries who are similarly obsessed. Otherwise, have your character follow your example. If a situation in your story makes it imperative to discuss the subject, edit out the situation and go in a different direction. Writing has the great virtue that nothing you write is irreversible until it's published. If you simply cannot imagine a story in which your character's sexual orientation and identity are not front and center, that is more of a judgement on the limits of your imagination.


Is it smart to avoid it, and by avoiding it does it seem like I'm
being lazy or trying to not offend people?


Oh, that's easy. Yes, it will offend some and not others. And depending on how you handle it will determine whether or not it will "seem like etc." And, yes, that's probably not very useful. It's still true.

Look. Just as the saying goes, "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, you can't fool all the people all the time", you lose no truth by substituting "please" for "fool". Sexual identity is one of those things which cuts very deep, and making an alternate (or at least uncommon) orientation/identity part of the story will indeed turn off a considerable chunk of your possible readership. There will also be portion who can be persuaded to buy into your story if you do it well. There will even be a number who will revel in unabashed celebration of nonbinaryness. It is entirely up to you which segment you want to appeal to. And a test of your ability as a writer to make whichever you choose entertaining and engaging.

If the social circles you travel in spend all their time talking about the issue, it will be hard for you to imagine characters who don't do that. While understandable, it is technically "failure of imagination". If you cannot break free of your everyday social patterns, start making new friends and start moving in other circles and keep your eyes and ears open. The science fiction writer Joe Haldeman once wrote something along the lines of "The common advice to new writers is 'Write what you know.' This explains why there are so many bad novels written about middle-aged professors who are contemplating adultery."

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