Layers of Diversity
A diverse group of women and men.
Today, there is a focus on diversity. That’s a good thing! Interestingly, it is almost always the same aspects: gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, race, age, ethnicity, religion. These are also, not coincidentally, protected classes (meaning protected by laws, at least some of the time).
What isn’t often discussed, however, are all of the other layers of diversity worth recognizing. For example:
Wealth or income level. The amount of money you have affects how you view the world and your experiences in it.
Education.There are those of us with Doctorates and those without high school diplomas and every step in between.
Skin tone. Having a lighter or darker pigment, depending on the culture, can affect how you are treated.
Beauty. Yes, beauty standards vary. But if you exceed or don’t meet the standard, it can affect how people view you.
Geography. Urban/rural. North/south. East/west. You know what people think. People in the south are slow. City folks are rude. West coasters are laid back potheads.
Weight/body type. All kinds of assumptions are made about people who are overweight—Lazy. Stupid. Jolly.
On the one hand, it is a research-based fact that when you have a diverse environment, people are happier and more creative, and decision-making is high quality.
In my books, you’ll find characters along many layers of diversity. My characters are older and younger, rich and poor, straight, gay, and transgender, chubby and not. There are attorneys, musicians, drag performers, and corporate bigwigs. And of course, a myriad of races, including the supernatural kind: Vampires, Weres, Incubi, Huldra, Caladrius, Dragons, Wizards and more. All of this makes for, as one reader noted, Memorable characters, humor, compassion, and adventure.
That’s the kind of world I want to live in. The one that diversity can create.
