Writing in the Works

[Comrade F&F]

I do a bit of short-story writing as a hobby, and one of my recent projects involves a transgender supporting character.

 

The truth is, I don't want to misrepresent transgenders with what limited knowledge I have, and I don't want to accidentally be insensitive. The story isn't set in the modern era: it's before and during the Great Depression, and I'm not too knowledgeable about the history of transgender during that time. So I guess I'm also looking for valuable resources to build the character in question, if you have any advice or historically accurate links on how people were treated at that time.

 

I'll write up a short summary, and you can be the judge - help me edit in and fluff up the details.

Spoiler

 

Marci, a transgender woman, lives with her cousin in the 1920s and 1930s of America. She's around 17-19 (not officially established) and her official name is Markus. She was disowned by her family when she came out, and her cousin Nate took her in afterwards. During the day she works as a waiter (yes, waiter) at a very sophisticated restaurant. Her transgenderism is mainly kept a secret, and the main character doesn't discover it until the middle of the story. She goes about the day portraying herself as a man, and It's only in the late evening that she feels safe enough to dress and act as a woman.

 

The evening nightlife is when she can truly be herself. She and her cousin formed a jazz band, and play at a speakeasy. This is initially where she meets the main character Williams, the son of a very wealthy and influential family. Williams has snuck away from his immaculate lifestyle, trying to find something more authentic than the posh life he knows. He gets himself involved with the band, and sees the world from the other side of his silver-spooned life.

 

I don't want to push Marci off to the side and make her story simple and generic, but I equally don't want her to be the main focus (She's there to be a supporting character to Williams). There are a couple instances where she and Williams interact, and it's Marci's portrayal (and William's responses) I'm a little worried about. For the most part, Williams is accepting, (albeit shocked). In his words, "If you asked me if I sought any romantic inclinations with Marci, my answer is an absolute no. I was never interested, even before I learned of her secret as a transsexual. I saw her as a friend, a lady, and nothing more. She was someone who faced very...unique struggles. As a gentleman, I assisted however I could, and I promised to keep her secret. Despite it all, she is still a living, breathing human being, and that cannot change."

 

There are quite a few interactions that I'm worried about. I've done my best to let Marci be her own unique person, but I'm afraid this will appear too generic (or worse, offensive) to some readers.

 

This is written from William's point of view, and he'll interchange from he to she, depending if the event took place during the day or night. (Whether she's Markus or Marci, respectively) To note: she's not genderfluid; she's simply too afraid to portray herself as a woman out in the open. 

 

When Williams first goes to meet her at the restaurant she works at, none of the staff know of anyone named Marci, but he recognizes her from one of the waiters. When Markus manages to talk to Williams, he'll state he is taken aback, but won't judge 'her decision.' Markus is relieved and almost breaks down in the restaurant.

 

After that, Williams asks if he should refer to them as Markus and start using male pronouns, or if he should stick to Marci and use female pronouns. The following ensues:

Spoiler

 

"Well, I suppose it's a little complicated, darling." she said. "During the day I have to be Markus, a young waiter of the Seaside Bistro. But at night I can be Marci of The Blue Lagoon." She lightly tapped my shoulder, and as my back was turned, it startled me, slightly. "I suppose," she continued once she had my attention, "you can refer to me by whatever attire I'm in, as it would be most appropriate." She placed a hand on her chin and leaned in ever so slightly. I will confess, for a moment I was afraid she would go in for a kiss. "I suppose," she said softly, "if you really need to refer to me by anything else, you can call me...fabulous."

 

I paused, and was probably rigid for a good few seconds. "...Fabulous?" I asked tentatively.

 

Her face perked up into a wide smile. She stepped backwards with a boisterous gait, flinging her hands up into the air. "I'm fabulous!" she proclaimed, doing a quick turn on the dime, and strutted out the room, humming a little tune along the way.

 

My hand was still frozen over the violin, still in mid-tuning. "Fabulous it is," I muttered, returning my attention to the instrument.

 

---

 

Gavin poked his head into the room. "Where's Marci?" he asked.

 

I jutted a thumb toward the open doorway from which she had left. "Fabulous is in the next room," I replied, still focused on tuning the violin and not bothering to look away.

 

Gavin paused, giving me a look of utter confusion. "...Fabulous?" he asked, unsure if he had heard me correctly.

 

From the next room over, Marci sung out in reply, her pitch high and clear. "I'm Faaaabulous!"

 

"Well," I chuckled softly, Gavin by now absolutely dumbfounded. "Whatever makes her happy."

 

Marci is very flamboyant, but she's also very insecure. Williams sees her as a friend, and tries his best to treat her as a lady. In one incident, Williams suggest to take her out to lunch as Marci, and she panics and initially refuses, despite how badly she wants to walk through the city as a lady. She finally agrees and ends up enjoying herself. (Although this backfires on poor Williams, because now his rich relatives see him with a young woman he's never spoken about before.  )

 

 

So what do you think? Is Marci a good character? What are your thoughts about her?  

[ReyGraves]

I think you did a wonderful job! As a writer it's pretty inevitable you're gonna offend someone but I think you did good. The 1920s was a pretty revolutionary time (roaring 20s and all that) but I think the LGBTQ+ community was all hiding in a closest back then so her hiding it is accurate. Careful with the word transsexual though. It typically means that the person went through a sex change surgery. I understand you're writing from William's perspective so if that's his understanding then I guess go for it. (Plus I guess whatever word they used in the 20s. I don't really know how they spoke then.) 

 

I think if you write Marci's feelings somehow then you'd avoid being generic and flat. Get behind the mask she puts up, show how she feels, otherwise she might feel like a token character if you just show the mask. 

 

(I'm the opposite of Marci as an AFAB transmasculine person but I think the feelings are pretty similar.)

 

I know she's a supporting character but would you touch on dysphoria? 

[Comrade F&F]

4 hours ago, ReyGraves said:

Careful with the word transsexual though. It typically means that the person went through a sex change surgery. I understand you're writing from William's perspective so if that's his understanding then I guess go for it. (Plus I guess whatever word they used in the 20s. I don't really know how they spoke then.) 

Yeah, I had to look that up. Transgender wasn't coined until around the 1950s, so back then they'd use transsexual or transvestite instead. I figured transsexual was the better of the two.

 

 

4 hours ago, ReyGraves said:

I think if you write Marci's feelings somehow then you'd avoid being generic and flat. Get behind the mask she puts up, show how she feels, otherwise she might feel like a token character if you just show the mask. 

 

I know she's a supporting character but would you touch on dysphoria? 

I'll keep this in mind for Marci. It's a little challenging trying to personify the other characters when it's strictly first-person view from Williams, but I suppose that's part of the writing challenge.

 

As for dysphoria, there would be a couple cases. Since Marci only works two minimum-wage jobs, she doesn't have much options for treatment. (not that it would have been helpful anyway, because 1920s medicine wasn't that great). Before Williams, Nate was her only emotional support, and he's usually the one to protect her. I was planning a particular scene where Williams finds her at a church as Markus, where she's praying while crying. After that, Williams offered to pay for her therapy. She eventually stopped since it made her more miserable than just taking on the persona of Marci.

 

I actually stopped writing that midway because I felt so bad for what I was putting Marci through.

[Comrade F&F]

To put it more clearly, my main concern is to not make Marci stereotypical. I guess I will end up offending someone no matter what, but I want to do Marci justice, and paint her as a real person. That's my goal.