That's sad. I think we need a forum for writers to learn how to write LGBTQ+ characters without fetishising their sexuality. So I have a story in my head, have had it for 30 years, never really got to write it. My main villain is a gay man. This is problematic for a couple reasons. One, he's gay and he's a villain, so am I saying being gay is bad? No, I'm not — the character has just always been gay in my head. I've had this character long before Heroes was a thing, but Zachary Quinto's character Sylar on that show definitely helped inspire the character's direction (10-15 years after the character was conceived). The second reason is that I myself am not gay, so the hurdle I face is, how do I present this character as sympathetic to gay youth who are looking for someone to resonate with? It's not just about his sexuality. It's not even about his sexuality — I have never, in 30 years, envisioned a male partner for this character. His favorite person in the world is actually his sister, and they have a close bond, and certain things with her motivate his entire character arc. I see this guy as someone who does not pursue romantic relationships, but he does happen to be a gay man. I don't know if I'll ever write this story. And, to be clear, there's a story where he's the hero (or something of an anti-hero), and then he's sort of a villain, or at least he wants something opposite of what the hero wants, there's a powerful object and they both want it, and he's willing to do lots of terrible things to get it because, in his world, those things don't matter. And the universe justifies it to him.

But, forget my story, it may never get told. What I want to see is a forum or a training course where writers can learn to write characters who are maybe not like them. I hear straight people writing LGBTQ+ as problematic and it shouldn't be. Same with men writing women (or girls). I think there's a stigma about writing non-men if you're a man, and I think rather than stigmatising it, we should be educating people on how to do it right. Encourage inclusion to get inclusion... if you want inclusion (as opposed to bitching about a lack thereof).