Diversity

When writing a fictional tale of wondrous adventure, thrilling twists and scandalous romance, there are a few important elements that should be included. One of the most vital features: who will fall in love?

Recently, while browsing bookshelves, I have noticed an influx of LGBTQ+ novels. The best YA LGBTQ+ romances that I have read include The Binding (2018) by Bridget Collins and The Winter Duke (2020) by Claire Eliza Bartlett, both of which have interesting protagonists and strong, independent love interests. The more I read diverse tales, the more I see the fine line between what should be considered good/bad representation of LGBTQ+ relationships. So, in this discussion, I will attempt to present three rules that writers should aim to follow if they want to succeed in providing the proper representation characters deserve.

The Winter Duke succeeds because our protagonist, Ekata, is shown to be a passionate learner and she possesses interests outside of her romantic and dutiful life and beyond her sexual orientation. Her ‘lover’, along similar lines, exists in the tale because of the role she has as the youngest Princess of her country and she just happens to be gay.

What If It’s Us? (2018), cowritten by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli, allowed the main gay couple to fall flat in a phenomenal fashion. The issue in both the characters’ individual lives is to find ‘that one special person’, which feels forced all the way through. Ben, the love interest, is very different from the protagonist, Arthur, but when in the same room, they felt like the same insecure character. The characters have great potential outside of their queer storyline but the writers failed abysmally in allowing any topic independent of sexuality to come through.

A character’s sexuality is usually assumed to be straight unless flagged in the online blurb or on the dust jacket. In The Binding, however, we are never explicitly told about the protagonists’ sexual preferences, but this mystery is revealed half-way through the book as we see the connection between the two male leads. This is successful story-telling.

However, do you ever consider why Dumbledore is suddenly confirmed to be gay in the last few seconds of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2001) by J.K Rowling? In an interview, Rowling confesses that it was an attempt at LGBTQ+ representation in her primarily heterosexual cast. It was a complete surprise since nothing in the previous books even whispered that Dumbledore was anything but straight and it left her fans dissatisfied and any LGBTQ+ readers, irritated.

A great example of successful dialogue would be from Carry On (2015) by Rainbow Rowell. A large portion of this book centres around the mysterious identity of the protagonist’s roommate, Baz GrimmPitch. The fact that he’s gay is insignificant compared to the question of how he has to put up with the protagonist for so long (Simon is such a suspicious snoop). Their relationship is the driving force behind the plot, but when it comes to their sexuality Simon has a harder time coming to terms with the fact that Baz is a vampire than the possibility of him liking guys. This allows the focus of the dialogue to be on the plot of the novel, rather than the relationships within it, and gives a more accurate representation of LGBTQ+ characters, given they are treated as intricate, layered characters rather than a catalyst for shallow love stories. It also helps with the normalization of queer characters in general.

So, the next time you go to pick up a pastel covered LGBTQ+ romance, keep in mind how great the representation truly can be.

Below left: Carry On (2015) by Rainbow Rowell. A great example of successful dialogue. Below top right: The Binding (2018) by Bridget Collins. Interesting protagonist. Below bottom right: The Winter Duke (2020) by Claire Eliza Bartlett. Strong, independent love interests.

The Clemes Diversity Club was founded in 2015 - 2016 through the passion and drive of a dedicated group of Year 11 and 12 students. 2021 has seen the introduction of the High School Diversity Club as students and teachers within the School community realised that there is still much of a lack of diversity and normalisation of such within it, and that bringing more attention to issues surrounding diversity will make the School a safer and more accepting place.

The aims of the High School Diversity Club are to bring positive change within the School community regarding language, discussion and acceptance, and to normalise the diverse nature of race, sexuality, gender, and physical and mental ability. The club is run by Casey-Rae Mullen, Lou Giudici, and anyone who joins.

The first thing the High School Diversity Club is intending to do is improving the Health Faculty’s education of gender and sexuality by taking input and advice from students.

You can join Diversity Club by just turning up to the meetings, which occur on Mondays every fortnight at lunchtime, in H208.

The meetings are laidback and informal, which encourages participants to feel safe and respected within the meeting, and feel comfortable addressing issues. We greatly encourage participants; the more members that the High School Diversity Club has, the more the likelihood of a safer, more comfortable environment for our School community.

The Diversity Mural. A visual sign of inclusion and community painted on our walls. A 2018 Clemes Council initiative. ‘Situated at the bottom entrance to the Clemes campus, opposite the top entrance to The Farrall Centre, the mural acts as a physical reminder of the strength that can be found in diversity. It is a significant aspect of the Clemes Council’s work in promoting diversity; one of their major goals for 2018. The mural followed on from this year’s Whole School Gathering, which occurred on Harmony Day, under the theme, “Everyone Belongs”. Fondly nicknamed by the Morris students as the ‘Wonky Rainbow’, the mural depicts a multi-layered, dynamic symbol of diversity. Chief designer of the mural, Charlie Potter, a Year 11 student, used sedimentary rock as her inspiration in addition to traditional images of rainbows. The planning and execution of the mural involved many different groups, which is reflective of the message it promotes.’ (Claire Fox, ‘A wall to bring people together’, Focus #105, pp. 1 & 4). In the 2018 Photo: L-R: Zack Stephenson (Year 12), Felixe BoutinReeve (Year 12), India Lockley (Year 12), Milly Crombie (Year 11) and Morag Anderson (Year 12). Photo taken in 2018 by Claire Fox.

Max Muller in his home state, Western Australia; interviewing the creator and director of the

What is SDI? SBS/NITV animation series In my final year at Friends’, Little J and Big Cuz (2017I chose a subject called 2018), Tony Thorne; and Student Directed Inquiry that interviewing Tasmanian allows a student to pursue a Aboriginal Centre leader, trans-disciplinary research Andry Sculthorpe, here in topic that they are passionate Hobart. about and address some real- I have also viewed comics world problems and issues. (digitally and in hard-copy)

What is the nature of my and animations, emailed the inquiry? CEOs of key institutions like

My inquiry area aims to the Australian Children’s highlight ‘How Aboriginal Television Foundation and and Torres Strait Islander the Indigenous Literacy people have been represented Foundation and got in touch in comics and animation: with the Aboriginal Nations Changes, current challenges Animation Studio in Sydney, and future opportunities’ and that have been working for covers themes related to art, more than 35 years. literature and politics.

I was interested in researching this topic because have thought I love comics and animation. when I began I have for most of my life. It is something that is very close to this study that my heart. However, I wanted Eddie Betts to research comics and animation through a different and Cleverman perspective. Through would highlight researching how Aboriginal people have been represented, some of the key I wanted to increase my themes of my knowledge of race relations in Australia. Inquiry.

I was also very conscious A number of my of the Black Lives Matter interviewees commented Movement and I wanted to that my research topic see if comics and animation was important. An initial could be an effective vehicle literature scan showed me for change and collaboration that serious analysis of between Aboriginal and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Non- Aboriginal people. I Islander People representation also wanted to learn how in comics and animation had comics and animation could only begun in the last five inform and engage younger years. So, without realising audiences and convey it, at the start of my research, important health, social and I had come across an area political messages. that was novel but also really

Where has this inquiry relevant. taken me? I would never have thought I have learned how to when I began this study that conduct research in lots of Eddie Betts and Cleverman different ways. I real highlight would highlight some of the has been interviewing key themes of my Inquiry. Aboriginal comic creator “There’s no room for of Ubby’s Underdogs (2011- racism in Australia and we as 2013), Brenton E McKenna, Aboriginal people and Torres

Books in Eddie Betts’ Lil’ Homies series: My Kind: Rap Yourself and Others in Kindness (2018) and My People: Rap Yourself and Others in Culture (2019).

Strait Islander people are sick of fighting — we are, we’re sick of fighting — because it just keeps happening and happening and I’m tired” (Boisvert 2021), Eddie Betts said in August 2021, as he announced his retirement from AFL.

Even before his retirement, Betts’ focus had been on Lil’ Homies, a series of educational picture books that incorporate the medium of rapping, which is being considered for adaptation as an animation by the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.

Cleverman is a comic created by Aboriginal creator, Ryan Griffin, initially for his son, who he believed needed to see an Aboriginal superhero in popular culture (Griffen 2016), which was adapted for television by the ABC in 2016 and explores issues of the stolen generation, genocide, overcoming adversity and discrimination set against the backdrop of a dystopian Australian future that doesn’t seem too far away.

Taylor Ferguson, who portrayed the character Audie in Cleverman, reflected on how important the series was for him in dealing with racism:

“I think especially the unspoken themes, the unspoken class system and racism, all those things we don’t speak about or put on TV really resonated with me…. The show acts as a mirror of what we are. People can see it as just a genre piece, superheros and powers, but there’s so much ingrained in Indigenous culture. I think so many people are unaware of that history and culture...” (Whitehead 2017).

When people think of representation in comics, they often don’t think of the representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people yet there is over 80 years of this history in comics and animation and, more recently, there are a growing number of Aboriginal creators, directors and producers.

Through my research, I realised how important it is to have Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice controlled by the community, the power of collaboration and mentoring between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and NonIndigenous people and the importance of protocols developed by Aboriginal animation groups as to how their rich stories can be told to benefit their communities and raise global awareness of their culture.

Boisvert, Eugene. ‘Eddie Betts urges all Australians to join Taylor Walker on ‘journey’ against .racism’, ABC News (online). Wednesday, 11 August, 2021. Griffen, Ryan. ‘We need more Aboriginal superheroes, so I created Cleverman for my son’, The Guardian (online). Friday, 27 May, 2016. Whitehead, Matt. ‘‘Cleverman’: How A Landmark Series Became The Benchmark’, Huffington Post (online). 2 August, 2017.