I should start off by saying I am not in any racial minority, and my opinions may not be fully developed and could be flawed. Also my AE, Leo, is usually the one that talks in bold but I will for this survey.

Representing Diversity

General questions (not about specific groups, but an overview)

1. First of all, do you prefer stories centering around representation ("rep") or having rep woven into the story? 

   1. Centering around rep

   2. Rep woven in

   3. Other: both

2. What do you think media is doing now rep-wise, and do you think it's good/working? Why? I think the media is starting to represent more minorities, but are doing it slowly, and with that, some media groups think it's their job to start attacking those minorities.

1. What do you think is an appropriate amount of diversity for any given story/media, and are there any reasons it should vary? I think that there should always be rep in any story. If you're just adding a gay character, for example, so you can say you have rep, it isn't really rep though. 

1. Should writers/people creating/producing media go into the project thinking about plot or rep first?

   1. Plot I'd say if you're planning out a story your goal shouldn't immediately be let's have five black characters, but if you mean choosing between plot and rep, then you should try to add representation in, even if it has some effect on your original plot.

   2. Rep

   3. Other: 

2. How do you think rep should be subtly woven in? What do you want to see? (eg: scars, symptoms, etc) 

1. Is the current representation in media playing too much into stereotypes? 

   1. Strongly disagree

   2. Disagree

   3. Neutral

   4. Agree I agree

   5. Strongly agree

2. Adding onto the previous question, explain your answer. I think stereotypes are added into many pieces of media to fit certain audiences view of what that person acts/looks like.

1. Do you think there is accurate representation in media today?

   1. Yes

   2. No I do not

   3. Other: 

2. About the previous question: Why? Many groups are still avoided because some people don't view them as important. But they are just as human as anyone.

1. What are some of your pet peeves when it comes to portraying diversity/rep in media (being as specific as possible is greatly appreciated)? When immigrants are all assumed to be from Mexico, and assuming that a person's race, sex, country of origin, etc. is all that there is to their personality. (I am a second-generation immigrant so...)

1. How far should people go in regards to representation? They should go as far as possible while being authentic and not using minorities as something that has to be added in just to please some people.

Specific groups

1. What groups do you think have the best/most rep? I don't know.

1. What groups do you think media has enough rep of? That's not for me to decide.

1. What groups do you think media lacks in rep of? (Doesn't mean what you want to see, but in general) All minority groups.

1. What groups do you want to see more of in media? All minority groups.

1. In your opinion, which has more rep (disability version)

   1. Invisible/Neuro (eg: ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, etc)

   2. Physical (eg: Cerebral Palsy, ambulatory wheelchair users, etc) Physical

   3. Other: 

2. Thinking about a minority group as a whole, there are typically subsets of that group (eg: LGBTQIAP2-S+ has many identities, neurodiversity has a wide variety, etc). What specific subset(s) do you think needs more recognition in media? Asexual, Native American, and queer people.

Stories

1. What types of stories/plots do you see a lot of (Could be in stories that have representation like this, but not necessarily)?

1. What types of stories/plots do you want to see more of (Could be for stories that have good rep, but not necessarily)? 

2. Sadly, my mom and dad don't let me read/watch a lot of stories with good rep (I want to), so I don't really have an opinion.

Examples

1. Examples of books/movies/TV/podcasts/other media with not-so-great rep and why? (You can spoil the story, I don't mind) Harry Potter, Gone with the Wind, and the Chronicles of Narnia.

1. 21. Examples of books/movies/TV/podcasts/other media with good rep and why? (You can spoil the story, I don't mind) Black Panther, Mellisa, Raya and the Last Dragon, Moana, and Encanto.

Ty for responding! it’s great you’re willing to discuss more. I also really appreciate you considering my arguments. I’ll do my best to consider yours, and also not to get too offended by any of your questions, so if any of this sounds heated, it’s only because i’m passionate about it. I also think i misunderstood some of your questions because many of them are so commonly used to devalue queerness as a whole, so if you would like to ask them again with more context or have me take a look at them again that’d be fine. i wrote too much so i'll be posting this in 2 parts. And regarding the war, absolutely. Like. i don’t even know any of the politics of it because it’s very complex and confusing, but i’m not okay with war in general, let alone something so hideous and brutal and often one-sided. 

I think you can be right about identity, and i think there can sometimes be too much pressure to know who you are certainly, as well. regarding the trend though, it's also worth noting that in a lot of cases, it can be very central to someone’s identity. Especially when it includes hardships, or things that make you question it. Personally, i think that’s more what’s driving it, because i’m not sure what else would be. I also think that there probably wouldn’t be that trend if being queer was normalized.

Also, i’d say that on average, queer people are far more likely to be very active in places that work on things like climate change and inequality and that sort of thing. I don’t have statistics, but i feel like the anecdotal evidence is so strong here that i don’t need to. It’s kind of hard to side with a political group that doesn’t think you should exist.

The thing with the heterosexual/homosexual couples thing is like… showing people that gay people exist is literally just like, having gay or straight people (as a very much reduction, obviously bi, pan, omni, etc people exist) exist. If kids grow up seeing gay and straight people, then I don’t think it would be that stretch. you grew up seeing straight people, so you were confused when there was someone who wasn't. if you grew up seeing people of all orientations, that would be normal. The only reason that people don’t understand it is because, well, it doesn’t ever get discussed. Until I came on here, literally the only time i had ever heard of gay or queer people was when someone made a gay joke at school, and i was like “what?” and then they acted all ashamed like it was a horrible thing to be gay. Also, if you’re reading rom coms, those aren’t really targeted towards kids. Kids media with gay characters is usually just “first crushes but queer”, so just the same as straight first crushes but with extra pressure from it being queer, or something with parents (like the character just has queer parents, and that’s usually as far as it goes). Stuff that kids are experiencing. obviously there are parts of all relationships (straight or queer) that are inappropriate for kids.

On which note, I also think that YA in general is very much directed towards older teens and full-grown adults. Like, most fantasy YA characters i’ve seen lately are 18-21 or more, and things tend to be very edgy and “grimdark” even when it’s not really… helpful to the book. And whenever it focuses on a serious topic, it always seems to have to go with the worst it can while still being okay for YA, and usually having many seperate issues, but maybe only focusing on a few, even though that means the other ones aren't given the time they need. it could be fine, but there's not really anything else and the books only ever focus on the parts with shock value. I think it’s a big issue, actually, and there has to be a lower YA like there’s a lower MG (also that’s possibly where a lot of my books would fit - upper MG or lower YA), but there really isn’t at the moment. So most of the books you’re reading are probably directed at older kids and even grown-ups, since most YA authors are adults, and actually most people reading YA are adults (at least half, i believe, i could be wrong though). Which I also think is part of it: sure, teens are busy, but I personally know/have known a lot of people (on here and a few irl, i don't know many people irl though) who prefer MG to YA often, while being technically in the YA range (though personally, i think 13-18 is far too wide a range, and some of the stuff probably is not great for your average 13-year-old to come across. Some might need it or be fine with it, i’m not saying we should restrict it, but nonetheless.)

Part 2 to come! some of this will make more sense in the context of the next part, just so you know.

(long sigh) Okay, lets do this, I guess. There are a few... problems... with the previous responses in my opinion (speaking as a mixed race, disabled, poc, lgbtqia+ afab person)

First of all, do you prefer stories centering around representation ("rep") or having rep woven into the story?: Rep woven in. I find that stories majorly created just for representation focus a lot on the hardships of living like us. Which is good in moderation, it makes me feel seen sometimes. But I also want to see characters like ME fighting dragons, or being the chosen one, or generally not being seen as lesser. I get enough of that in real life.

What do you think media is doing now rep-wise, and do you think it's good/working? Why?: I don't think there's a way rep "works". There are some pieces of media that are great with representation rn- like Arcane (I really like how Viktor uses a cane but he also is a character outside of that), Craig of the Creek, and the newest Monster High. On the other hand, there are shows like Primos that stereotype like crazy and are not helping the community in any ways. There are highs and lows of media nowadays.

What do you think is an appropriate amount of diversity for any given story/media, and are there any reasons it should vary?: Is there an appropriate amount of diversity in life? No. It should be natural. I will admit, I used to actively search for ways to make my characters more diverse. Now, I simply let them be - and I don't treat cis straight & white as the default. There is no "default" for people in real life.

Should writers/people creating/producing media go into the project thinking about plot or rep first?: PLOT. I BEG OF YOU. If you go for rep first, often it is just the same plot all over again.

How do you think rep should be subtly woven in? What do you want to see? (eg: scars, symptoms, etc): I just want to see people living. Let your characters casually mention their partner of the same gender, show pretransition photos if they are one of the people who keep those. Have characters with chronic pain switch out mobility aids based on their pain levels. But also, don't be afraid to joke about it. I live with this stuff 24/7. It would be hard NOT to joke about how I walk slow in hallways, or how I like all genders but still don't have a partner. Friends will tease you lovingly all the same.

Is the current representation in media playing too much into stereotypes?: neutral

Adding onto the previous question, explain your answer: Some shows are amazing at going against stereotypes (As I said before), and others lean into them. For better, or for worse. 

Do you think there is accurate representation in media today?: Sometimes

About the previous question- why?: Again, media can't be all lumped together. Companies, producers, publishers... They all have a say too. Lots of times, this can come down to limiting or "putting off" representation (think Ruby and Sapphire's wedding- it had been planned for years but after it began production the show was canceled)

What are some of your pet peeves when it comes to portraying diversity/rep in media (being as specific as possible is greatly appreciated)?: Leaning into stereotypes too much, or not doing any real research. Not all feminine men are gay, and not all gay men are feminine. A wheelchair would not help with this character's disability. You say this character has sensory issues, yet they are fine at a loud party later in the series. This, or a character is introduced with something "different" about them, which never seems to be mentioned again. (PJO and ADHD/dyslexia. I don't have these, but it upsets me. Also, the lack of autistic representation in PJO even tho ADHD and autism tend to go hand in hand.)

How far should people go in regards to representation?: I'm not sure what this means?

What groups do you think have the best/most rep?: In what I've seen, lesbian couples. 

What groups do you think media has enough rep of?: I think all groups deserve to be represented, but most shows center white protagonists. And often, they get together with the oppesite gender protag. And often, both fight without any physical set backs.

What groups do you think media lacks in rep of? (Doesn't mean what you want to see, but in general): I have yet to see even 2 characters with tics in media. I also see a lack of mixed race characters, characters that don't have to use a moblity aid all the time, NONBINARY CHARACTERS, questioning characters, etc.

What groups do you want to see more of in media?: Everything said above! I'd also like to see characters with more "diverse" gender identities. Give me the demigirls, the demiboys, the genderfluid people! It doesn't have to be dumbed down! Also, young kids with chronic pain. I've been going to PT ever sense I remember, and I think little me would have loved to see a character with leg braces or visiting their physical therapist.

In your opinion, which has more rep (disability version)-

Invisible/Neuro (eg: ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, etc): This feels weird to answer. Really, there isn't much at all. Autism is most well known I think, but also highly misunderstood. I'd say autism has the most, but it's very flawed. ADHD comes in close second, with PJO being one of the only medias explicitly saying their characters ARE ADHD.

Physical (eg: Cerebral Palsy, ambulatory wheelchair users, etc): Honestly, most physically disabled characters I see are just "in wheelchairs". They don't have a specific disorder or anything, they aren't amputees. They use it, but it is never said why.

Thinking about a minority group as a whole, there are typically subsets of that group (eg: LGBTQIAP2-S+ has many identities, neurodiversity has a wide variety, etc). What specific subset(s) do you think needs more recognition in media?: This is worded kind of weird, but some specific groups I'd love to see more of is characters with hypermobility disorders, demigenders, complecated identities in general, and trauma related disorders like BPD or OSDD.

What types of stories/plots do you see a lot of (Could be in stories that have representation like this, but not necessarily)?: Lots of love stories, fantasy/adventure or realistic fiction.

What types of stories/plots do you want to see more of (Could be for stories that have good rep, but not necessarily)?: Scifi! Give me sci-fi characters with futuristic medical devices, alien genders. And supernatural! Teach the midieval peasent ghost about pronouns. Be silly.

Examples of books/movies/TV/podcasts/other media with not-so-great rep and why? (You can spoil the story, I don't mind): Insignificant Events in the Life of A Cactus (It is a story about being disabled, with both an amputee and tourettic character, yet the author is neither, and the tics are extreamly stereotypical, such as swearing or making animal noises), Primos (it plays into the idea that Mexican familes are huge and it uses "exotic" words to give a "hispanic vibe") 

Examples of books/movies/TV/podcasts/other media with good rep and why? (You can spoil the story, I don't mind): The Ghost and Molly McGee (It features several queer characters, the main character is mixed race - which they talk about it can be a struggle - and their holiday episode is a Christmas/Hanukkah mix, where they tell the story of the holiday), The Owl House (obviously), Arcane (queer characters galore, chronically ill characters, many have scars and several have mental health problems - personally I think Jinx has BPD due to her trauma). Also a ton more, but I'm tired and my fingers hurt. Feel free to ask questions!

I just read Writing's response and realized I misinterpreted a question... I meant rep woven in! I don't want the story to be centered around rep as in characters facing hardships because of their identity or whatever! I thought it was like, do you want the main character to be diverse (i.e., focused on rep) or would you rather side characters be diverse (i.e., rep woven in) and would you rather culture and foods be only mentioned (i.e., rep woven in) or culture and foods to be focused on (i.e., centered around rep), but I just realized that that wasn't what it was asking :)

1. I like rep woven in. It normalizes it, and I like feeling like, they are transgender, but they have already come out, and it's just adding depth to the story.

2. I think that plenty of diversity is important, but you shouldn't have , like 10 "rep" characters unless it's like, a club

3. PLOT! If you're thinking, let's have a book about a dyslexic person who tries out for a school play, that's considering rep too early. You should think more like, let's have a book about a person who tries out for a school play. Ooh, maybe they have dyslexia so they have trouble reading the lines!

gtg 

This entire rant on autism rep is in response to the question “In your opinion, which has more rep (disability version)”! i hope i haven't written too much in general on here.

Very specifically invisible, very high-functioning (for lack of a better word, not intended to downplay that experience) neurodivergence has had a lot more rep lately. People are incapable of making a disabled character noticeably or severely (or even moderately) disabled and still seeing them as a person, i suppose, so i guess that’s the charm. If I sound jaded, that’s because I am. Media - social media, books, whatever - really only shows the highest functioning, especially for autism (where the entire online community does this). Even in the rare case they have a nonverbal or highly disabled character who isn’t a plot device to show how horrible autism is (which i’ve only seen once for autism, and it’s written by someone who has the specific experience, so i’m not critiquing the book but the trend), they’re actually a genius (like, often literally) and it’s just their coordination issues and they know how to be “normal” and it’s just their body not working. And that’s a completely possible and valid thing that happens, BUT, probably in the minority. Other than that, they always completely can mask, and can completely interact with people, and can sit through sensory pain and only have a meltdown later or not at all, and that meltdown is mostly crying and panicking and like, definitely not flailing and breaking stuff and screaming until you can’t and then still screaming and just not making a sound etc etc, and never have any coordination issues or maybe are a little bit clumsy and don’t need help with anything like showering or teeth brushing or even harder things like school or grocery store, though those might be hard and awful, but they can still do it, without any kind of help or issues… i don’t want to downplay that experience, but it just frustrates me. Especially because people completely ignore that anyone but very very invisible high-functioning autistics exist. Have you noticed for instance that whenever anyone talks about adult autistics they don’t mean all autistics who are adults but high-functioning adult autistics who live on their own and have a job? (which, actually, even my brother doesn’t fall into that actually, and he’s very high-functioning.) 

Idk how to describe where i am for this sort of thing though. It can also vary because of a physical health thing that fluctuates but affects my brain. I should also note i cannot talk like this irl, or type like this irl, at all, and also i think my words come out different than how i intend sometimes, but it’s also hard for me to tell. (I think writing is less stimulation and i get thinking and then i only write in the times where i can turn thoughts into words very well, and i can reread and then i know how it came out. It’s hard to even know what i’m thinking sometimes. It’s not that i’m not thinking about it though. Idk how to describe it, but i also think whenever there is talk about having speech difficulties it’s entirely about coordination, but i have seen some people say that no, it is much more than that for many people, which i agree. I actually had selective mutism my whole life, even when i could talk a lot more, which mostly depended on how tired i was and also some amount of routine (there were some places i never talked).) ummm and idk how to describe the rest. 

Also, i feel like anything other than very mild social difficulties are mostly ignored. Even special interests, to a degree. I was writing about this elsewhere: 

“side note, i kind of feel like i'm not obsessive in the right way compared to how it is described online. idk how to describe it. like, it's not that i'm thinking about it all day even, i think about other things sometimes, like i'll draw my characters while listening to something that isn't ballet (although often ballet hehehehe) but it just has to be there. it feels different than how i read online people talk about it. which is often that they're always thinking about it, but then for me in a lot of ways it's way more intense, the difference between "I go through phases where a certain show is literally all I will watch, and I'll watch the whole show over several times" and "i am very (nearly) literally always watching it pretty much unless i'm practicing viola, and the day I went to a nearby big city, which was to test out violas, so very good and nice, and we were in the car all day and i couldn't watch it (and had probably watched it all day the day before), and as soon as we got to the hotel i absolutely had to watch it or else i wouldn't have functioned probably". the first kind is completely cool and valid of course, just different, but i think definitions might be different - like i think if you have 10 special interests that change a lot most likely most are hyperfixations, which would basically mean that it's shorter-lived, less central to who you are, and generally less intense (not less valid, but different). But worse, relatively often i see "neurotypicals have special interests too and nobody cares!" and like, it seems pretty clear at that point that the meaning has gotten watered down. i mean, when i was younger (and less clearly/visibly autistic!) i thought that people hated cats, because i would pretty much only talk about them and considered things bad and pointless if they didn't have cats and so people were like "what's wrong with you". it's not that different people won't experience it differently, and some might not have it very intense, but nonetheless, my point stands.” 

And i don’t think routines have ever come up in books even a little. I don’t have a ton of specific routines, but my days do have very similar rhythms, and i have a schedule for the week, and then there are things like having to do buttons on the tv in a certain way, and food on different plates, and that sort of thing. And if i expect something it can’t change, like if we go home a different way, or such. 

In books, masking is often the main thing they discuss. I didn’t even consider it was a possibility until i read about it online, and still don’t know how i’d do it. And no it’s not that i wasn’t bullied or excluded, the opposite actually. That aside, it just doesn’t affect anything. 

I also hate, there’s this autistic character who’s played by an autistic actor in a show who everyone loves (I’ll call her Q), and she’s really high-functioning and fun and such, successfully dates and has friends, and her entire personality is autism. I seriously cannot find a trait that is completely disconnected from her autism (though i haven’t watched the whole show, because honestly i hate it overall, but she’s actually a pretty cool character). It’s her whole story. And yet she never gets the whole “their whole personality is autism!” outcry. It’s only when they’re noticeably autistic. The character who is poorly written, sure, but has noticeable (and realistic!) symptoms immediately gets bashed because “it’s their whole personality, and nobody’s thatttt autistic, we’re all invisible.” also often called "stereotypical". Anyone who is not super high-functioning and doesn't mask and all that is "stereotypical". 

I am actually scared if i would ever get published (not that it would probably happen) but the “autistic community” (low level 1, very masking, self-sufficient) would hate them. Especially if they’re written from somebody else’s POV. Even though they have way more personality and feelings outside of autism than Q. The autism community seems to be able to handle nonverbal people who are otherwise completely like them, or at least mostly there, which is good at least. But my characters are not. They have a lot more symptoms and such, and they come in more. Also, they’re more likely to be partially verbal and have issues with talking and communicating (somewhat separate skills btw), and some might seem more or less fully verbal, but it’s not quite enough or they aren’t the best at words even though they can talk or they aren’t good at communicating with them or such.

I think overall it’s good that there’s more well-written autistic characters but it still annoys me because of what i’ve listed. furthermore, the characters are pretty much always white, cishet, otherwise abled, etc, and interestingly always female. 

okay, so first of all, thanks so much (@Bobcat and LE) for taking so much time and thought with your responses! it's clear you're really passionate about this topic and you have very interesting viewpoints! (dear me, that sounds like my teacher... ah well, let's forge on)

anyway, a lot of what you said is totally correct. some of it doesn't quite mesh with my other opinions, like the bit about whether people should be private or not; also, @LE, the glamorization of queer characters isn't upsetting. it's fine to have gay characters who are cool; it's just a different thing to make them be cool solely because they're gay. and it's a different thing to logically assess that trend, than to get upset about it :) (oh, and it's terrible that you've been treated that way! some people behave so awfully :/) in the end, though, it seems like my ideas are the same as yours. we probably would all say that all groups should be treated with human dignity and compassion, and that discrimination and malice toward other fellow humans is wrong. the thing is that my ideas of how to achieve a happy society are a little different from yours.  in my view, rep is often important, but not all-important. that's really all i was trying to say.

anyway, thanks for listening/reading! there's actually something else i was wanting to discuss with you, which is: what are your thoughts (general or specific) around the topic of immunocompromised people, or people who get sick easily? it seems like that group is seriously underrepresented and not many people even know about it. but it's really common; just this morning my teacher was telling me that one of her family members is in that position. @Bobcat, you might have mentioned struggling with illness yourself at some point? i just thought it would be interesting to see what takes you and LE have on the subject!

also happy almost-Thanksgiving!! do you have any special plans for the holidays?