Representation Part 1

In developing the Kazarim Campaign Setting, I wanted to make sure that I continued the trend of making gaming culture more accessible, and if I can, expand on it. I don't want anyone to pick up the book and say, "I don't see myself here."

To that end, when I was putting the different cultures and people of the world together, I wanted there to be a realistic division of gender and sexual orientation in the demographics. For gender disparity, I was committed to having equal representation between male and female characters as examples or iconic characters. Except, even that is inaccurate, as there are a lot more ways to define gender than a male/female duality. Turns out having friends who identify as neither man nor woman or who have transition between two different designations has an effect on your worldview of such things. Go figure.

The stats on these sorts of questions are a little hard to come by, as this is a complex, evolving, and inherently difficult topic for many people. A Smithsonian article from 2013 estimates that up to 20 percent of folks are "attracted to their own gender"--which could mean a lot of different things, but for now, let's say simply that they are gay or bisexual. (That report also has a lot to say about concealed bigotry, but that's for another time.) A similar lack of data can be seen in who identifies as transgender.

So I assumed that 20 percent LGBTQ was an accurate number. Out of 44 character profiles (one for each class, from Alchemist to Wizard, including the advanced and alternate classes through the Shifter, as well as four Kazarim-specific classes), that means at least nine characters would be considered LGBTQ, and two are explicitly trans. I've made all of these characters human or near-human species, to avoid othering an already othered population unnecessarily. 

This is all a little arbitrary, but I had to start from somewhere. I'm a cis-gendered white man approaching middle age, so my understanding is incomplete, and will hopefully improve over time. Let me know what you think of my methodology, and when doing so, please be a good human. I won't tolerate comments that espouse hatred or violence.