The first book I ever wrote was white washed with a couple bisexual characters. My second finished manuscript was mostly whitewashed (though one of the main boys is Middle Eastern in features, but that doesn’t entirely mean anything, given the subject). After writing the sequel to the first book I added a Japanese punk, a black former gangster, and a male gay couple. I didn’t go about it quite right and am still working with those characters to make them more authentic. But when I realized Tsingsei was homosexual a few thousand words into the story, it changed everything. It’s not a main plot point of the book, but honestly I am so proud of her bravery in a world as unforgiving as ours was a couple decades ago, maybe even more so. Diversity is important in books as it is in other mediums, because not everyone can relate to the straight white character.