Change is happening. Slowly. Often with two steps forward, one step back. Sometimes two steps back. Much of New England allows for marriage equality, even though Maine then pulled a “Prop 8″ and voted it out. But the issue is in play at a level it never has been before.
We also had recent passage of the Hate Crimes Bill that punishes violent offenders who harm someone based on their perceived sexual orientation or gender expression. That’s another important step forward in LGBTQI equality. And while I’m discouraged that DOMA and DADT remain on the books, in spite of President Obama’s campaign promises, I remain hopeful that change for these remains on the horizon.
This brings me to the point of this post. The topics of discrimination and inequality come up with some frequency in my fiction. In fact, right now, I am writing a scene where Kari, my main character, asks her HR department for domestic partnership benefits. The story takes place in Arizona, where marriage is still denied to gays, and where DP benefits for state employees were recently revoked (in the name of budget cuts — yeah, right).
The thing is that some many of these issues are in flux. And what I put down as an important equal rights issue today may no longer be an issue by the time the book is published. So if I include a scene that focuses on the issue, will that give the story a dated feel? I feel it’s important to include such issues as they impact the lives of my characters, just as they impact the lives of real people. So how do I approach it so that if equality is realized in the real world, it doesn’t make my story seem old fashion?
I say go for it as is. Think of it as writing a period piece. I think it can be just as important catching the world as we are experiencing it for the edification of future generations. Stories that capture injustices are important so we learn from them and are inspired to fight other injustices when we see them. It could serve as a reminder of what people have had to endure before their rights were secured. Sadly, I think there will always be some portion of the population that is in this position of inquality. Plus, I think we are going to be in a state of 2 steps forward one step back for the next few years in the area of LGBTQI rights, so it might be fairly current for awhile longer than we hope.
Fiction is my weakenss
I love it