Fanfiction and LGBTQ+ Representation

Fanfiction has come to be infamous among many fandoms and communities around the world. This could be due to the fact that just as the internet and social media became a prominent part of daily life, sites like fanfiction.net and Wattpad also rose in popularity. So what is fanfiction? Fanfiction is a story based on an already published work in which the writer takes creative liberties to make it suit their narrative. The popularity of fanfiction stemmed from the ability to take your favorite show, book, movie, or even book and reinvent it to suit your own preferences. 

However, although quite popular in the current times, fanfiction sometimes equates to being problematic due to copyright and infamous writers like Anna Todd who have used their stories to make money while putting actual people in uncomfortable positions. One of the biggest problems with fanfiction is the fact that some writers tend to write about real people which can make those people feel weird or uncomfortable. There is a mirage of different opinions and views on whether or not it is ethical to write fanfiction about real people. There are similar issues with fandoms based around kid’s shows and whether adults should be able to write fanfiction on said shows. These are all valid criticisms and are aspects of fanfiction that should be discussed and taken into account. However, I would like to dive into the positive aspects that have come out from fanfiction and how in its prime it was a safe space for many people.  

One of the reasons why fanfiction became so important for many people was because along with being a way to vicariously live your dreams through self-insert fanfictions, it also allowed for representation. In the early 2000s and 2010s, there was a lack of LGBTQ+ representation in the media. For many queer individuals, it was hard to relate to our favorite shows especially when the leads were cisgender straight white folk. In order to create a space to belong or to add the much-needed representation things like shipping and headcanons became a thing. Imagining that our favorite characters could be queer or trans was a way to mediate the disconnect from the lack of representation. It created a better It allowed the writers and readers to combat the feeling of otherness and to embrace their true identities. 

It is through seeing your favorite character and being able to imagine that they are like you that fanfiction opened up the door for the conversation on why diverse representation is important. Readers should not have to rewrite the whole series because not a singular character is relatable. Diversity and representation should not just be the responsibility of young writers and readers but of the authors who should realize that their fanbase is not all cis white folk. Inclusion should also not be something that is exploited either as seen with J.k. Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter declared that Dumbledore was gay after seeing the call for diversity, only to be openly transphobic. It should be something natural and reflective of the real world, a great example being Nico di Angelo from the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. Overall, it is through creating a space for creative LGBTQ+ individuals, writing our own narratives, and demanding inclusion through fanfiction that we see a paradigm shift to real inclusion and representation in media today.

• culture
• LGBTQ+
• opinion
• representation