Diversity and Representation Archives

I Wish I Didn’t Have to Think About the Political Implications of My Characters

Thea van Diepen

When I started writing, I didn’t think about how people would react to my characters for simply existing as themselves. This is partially because I was eleven and partially because I wrote characters no-one in my social circle would really object to (except maybe in the case of their gender). To be blunt, I wrote straight, cis, able-bodied white characters who were, by default, Christian. And if they weren’t Christian, it was either because they’d never heard of Christianity or

One Question We Will Never Fully Answer (and That’s a Good Thing)

Thea van Diepen

“Who here has spent time thinking about the question ‘who am I?’” my professor asked the class. Most of us, myself included, raised our hands at once. “Well, I suppose I’m going to get a biased sample because you’re all in this class.” The class was Personality Psychology, and this was in my first or second year of university. I remember my bewilderment as she went on to explain that there are people who don’t really think about those kinds

I Don’t Have to Hate My Breasts to Know I’m Not Cis

Thea van Diepen

When I was about six or seven, my brothers were roughhousing and took off their shirts in order to more appropriately wrestle. Since I was playing with them, I also went to take off my shirt. One of my older brothers, who was in his teens, protested and said I should keep my shirt on. I didn’t understand this. Both our chests looked the same. What was so objectionable about the situation? Our mom came by the room and my

Dear Past Self: I Know You’re Scared You’re Gay. You’re Going to Be Okay

Thea van Diepen

Dear past self, I don’t have a specific iteration of you in mind right now, but I imagine early twenties you is who will likely hear this best. So, hi me. You’re gay. This is really hard for you to hear, I know. You started noticing your attraction to girls when you were 14 and it scared you. All through high school, you kept a tight lid on it, trying to eradicate from yourself these thoughts and feelings. You told

Can We Become Foreigners in the Stories We Create?

Thea van Diepen

When writers write, we invariably include our perspective into what we create. This can be a good thing when done in service of the story, but, when overdone, it becomes preaching. Or, if only just overdone, undermines the integrity of the world and characters we create. During my gap year, I read Talyn by Holly Lisle. The world she creates is fascinating, absorbing, and yet there was something jarring about it. Not because of the world itself. But because all her