Book Talk
Goodbye, Bad Bi: The No-Win Scenario of Bisexual Characters
Busting some common myths about writing bisexual characters
An earlier version of story was first published as a guest post on LGBTQ Reads in 2016 to promote the release of my second book with Dreamspinner Press. In 2023, I am rereleasing my former-DSP titles with JMS Books. Like my books, this story has been updated to reflect my growth as a writer.
Young Adult literature is often characterized by discovery — by firsts. The first crush, first kiss, first love, first loss. YA is a genre that helps teens find their place in this world and discover who they are. It is therefore extremely important that YA novels reflect their demographic; the readers in need of that help most are young members of the LGBTQ+ community.
The world can be a scary place for queer teens. YA books can be an escape, but also a mirror: for many LGBT kids, their first taste of what it might be like to actually be queer comes from the pop culture representation of queerness.
Luckily, more and more authors are taking the leap to publish stories with diverse characters. My YA book series has a bisexual teenage protagonist, but, unlike with other identities, there’s a major problem authors encounter when writing a…
