Diverse Voices In Literature: LGBTQAI+ and POC
When the word Literature is brought up the first thing that comes to mind are people such as Charles Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald, George Orwell, Ernest Hemingway, and Mark Twain. Just to name a few and while all of these writers are talented and earned a place in the world of literature they are by far a small representation of the world. In this particular field, we often find a very narrow scope of what is out there. In literature, the glorification of CIS straight white men is everywhere. We are more likely to grow up learning about any of the above writers than we are lesser-known ( Ignored, Overlooked)writers who bring a bit more diversity to literature which has been lacking far too long. Different voices in writing are important, it’s necessary to the growth and evolution of literature. Without this, we risk alienating a wide scoop of people, most often LGBTQIA+ and POC. It was not that long ago that being any of these was a one-way ticket to exclusion.
The idea of anything outside of the social norm in literature was frowned upon. Muting its diverse voices for the sake of appealing to what was considered acceptable. There have been many great voices that still to this day do not get the spotlight they deserve. While they are acknowledged and given a place among literary greats, you will find that most do not know them unless they intentionally seek out new names. Oftentimes stepping outside of these big names you can discover many amazing and diverse literary talents.
Some have been around for years and others are fresh but all have changed or are changing the face of literature. From older names such as Oscar Wilde whose career and life were ruined due to the spiteful and ignorant nature of the times. You have others who went against the grain such as Alain Locke who was the “Dean” of the Harlem Renaissance. A prominent scholar and philosopher. Both a POC and a gay man, Locke broke social stereotypes by showing you can be Black and educated. That advancing himself and his culture was something to be encouraged. From people such as Fredrico Garcia Lorca to James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry, Jan Morris every one of these individuals broke the mold and expanded what it means to be a literary talent. Encompassing individuals who for the first time are seeing themselves represented.
Diversity has always been and will always be something that needs to be expanded on. When it comes to something as old and rooted as literature we often find this set of outdated rules and guidelines established over centuries. These parameters do not change unless someone comes along who dares to challenge them. With everyone that breaks into this elite club, we find representation for those who would otherwise go unappreciated.
Many literary talents even changed laws and fought social injustice with their work and their notoriety. One of those people was Lorriane Hansberry, a playwright, and writer whose family fought the courts in a well-known case. Hansberry vs Lee disputed an old restrictive covenant that forbade African Americans from purchasing or leasing land in the Washington Park Subdivision. Lorraine Hansberry herself was a civil rights activist and believed in independence in colonial Africa. Her most well-known work “A Raisin In The Sun” highlights racial segregation in Chicago. Some of her writings also discussed her being a lesbian and subjugation of homosexuality. This is a strong example of the ripple effect of the written word. Most will not learn about Lorriane Hansberry though. They will not know the work that Alaine Locke did or know of Oscar Wilde’s downfall. They won’t be given week-long assignments on the work of James Baldwin or essays to write Asian or Latinx writers. The scope of what I found after high school left me feeling cheated by my school’s English/literature curriculum. When these voices are given their well-deserved spotlight many will feel represented and know that there is a place for them. Diversity is what keeps us as a culture moving forward putting literature in a box can silence those voices and stunt growth. There is nothing in this world that has shaped us more than culture. The written word is one of the oldest forms of expression and has given a platform for many to speak. This generation has been the most vocal about inclusivity and equal rights. We need to keep pushing for this on all platforms, especially literature. It’s been a Cis straight white man’s game long enough.
Diverse voices in literature are what we need, don’t be afraid to speak you could be one of those voices.
My Recommended Reading
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Brown
Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroghs
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Bad Feminist by Roxxane Gay
The Last Story Of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim
About Nena Orcutt
Nena Orcutt is an aspiring author, who thinks too much, Listens to a lot of music. Needs coffee to function. Who thinks Bukowski was a wise man and Hemingway was a genius. And feels romance isn’t dead. She is working on her debut novel “The Crow and The Butterfly” Making her home in Music City she’s ready to conquer the writing world and leave her mark.
