Can you see me?
The first time I saw myself represented in books and in a movie.
10/1/20261 min read
Growing up, I always knew I was different.
I heard adults whispering about me being different, "soft". Then I’d hear the stories they repeated about others in the area who were also different. The tone and language used made me feel isolated and a bit of a freak. I longed to see someone like me in books, on TV, or in movies, but the closest representation I saw was often a flamboyant stereotype, or someone so different from me (yet lumped into the word I kept hearing used to describe who I was) ... and I knew that wasn’t me!
I couldn’t find anyone who matched up with the feelings and emotions I had.
Then, one day, I remember reading a story, and the character was exactly me! It was a revelation that filled me with joy and relief. Not too long ago, I was watching a Thai BL, and one of the characters was me! It felt so comforting to see someone like me. All of the unique qualities I had (that I felt sometimes disqualified me from being the G in LGBTQIA+) were being represented on screen.
It was a moment of validation that I had been waiting for my entire life.
This is the biggest reason I write characters that don’t always fit into a mold. We are all so different, yet absolutely justified in having every feeling, every attraction, and every dislike that we do. The world is made up of square pegs trying to force themselves into round holes. It is high time that we realize we are all different, and that is OK. We deserve to see ourselves reflected in the stories we consume, and we deserve to tell our own stories too. Representation matters, and it can change lives.
BECK LEWIS STORIES
Adult Gay Male Stories
Young Adult Queer Stories
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