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No mincing of words, if you are a white author writing a BIPOC character, you are responsible for writing that character in a manner that doesn’t tokenize, fetishize, or otherwise make a caricature of that character. I am not a published writer. But I am a biracial Black woman who has on occasion been tokenized, fetishized, and exoticized. I can’t tell you the amount of times I have read a Black female character as having ‘wild, out of control hair” (which is also a way to sexualize), skin like insert-brown-food-product-of-choice, and let’s not get into how our bodies are described. There are some white authors I’ve seen who have stated openly that they don’t write BIPOC characters because they do not think they would do it properly, i.e. with attention paid to not just looks, but culture, socialization, family dynamics…all the different parts that make up a whole person. I frankly admire those authors for knowing their limitations, and understanding that there is a level of care that is necessary for a white author to write a BIPOC character in a way that is authentic, respectful, and complete. Do I think that no white author should ever write such a character? No. But please do so with the respect that we deserve.
Now for the real subject of this writing. As fans of Heated Rivalry are aware, Hudson Williams has been the target of racist attacks since the airing of the show. Pointed out in Paris Match magazine, he has been described as “a vulgar influencer” or a “K-pop idol”. This quote in particular is positively dripping with microaggressions: “"It has nothing to do with skin color, (If you have to say it…) it's about how they carry themselves. Connor does things tastefully and with good manners, in moderation, at the right time and in the right place,". BIPOC are often accused of being tasteless. But it is the words “...in the right place.” that are doing the heavy lifting here. What they are really saying is that Hudson needs to KNOW his place. He is supposed to dull his considerable, chaotic, good-hearted shine to let his costars sparkle, which they ALREADY DO. There is no need, nor should there be an expectation for Hudson to be anything less than who he already is. It is the perpetual conundrum of being a BIPOC-we have to be exceptional to get in the room, but once we are in the room, we are expected to blend in with the furniture. And if you are a biracial POC as Hudson is, and as I am, the hate comes from both sides of your own heritage, as well as white people. People have said that Hudson is “white-passing” and that is why he has thus far been successful. But he’s not fully white, so while the proximity is there, he will still be treated in white circles as a POC, with all that is entailed.
Finally, we come to author responsibility. The character Hudson plays, Shane Hollander, exists in the “Game Changers” m/m hockey romance series written by Rachel Reid. Shane is half-Japanese. This is pointed out in the book, and in the show, results in a microaggression from a handler for Shane’s team, the Metros. There is nothing wrong with Shane being half-Japanese in itself. The problem is that Rachel, having taken pains to point out (through the eyes of Ilya) that it is his Japanese heritage in particular that makes him noticeable- jet-black hair and very dark eyes, specifically from his mother, does nothing with this. It’s as if he is only biracial specifically so he can be hot, because of the misconception that all biracial people are supposed to be good-looking. There is no mention of how his heritage affects him, no commentary on what being half-Japanese in a white sport could be like for him, nothing to distinguish him being Japanese as opposed to another Asian heritage. It begins and ends with his looks. This is fetishization.
And as stated by other POC fans in online forums, the unfortunate fact is this: “...Rachel is a culturally insensitive white woman — and being queer (bisexual) doesn't erase that. And she's been specifically asked why she didn't explore further about Shane's racial identity and doesn't seem interested in fixing it.”
A Japanese fan states: “As a Japanese person who spent formative years living in very white American suburbs, I have a pretty good understanding of how a visibly Asian person would feel they do or don't belong so I have found Rachel's writings to be extremely lacking and oblivious, very white feminism.” (this fan does go on to say that they feel perhaps RR was just writing a bit out of her depth-which is a charitable take).
Another fan states: “I’m fully Asian and while I love the books it bothers me that a white woman has a main character or co-lead that is half Asian. Of course it’s obviously not her intention, but it feels like the POC is being sidelined again for the white guy POV tbh. I mean this is the problem when someone who is writing a POC character hasn’t had to experience anything a POC goes through. It either just gets skipped over or sidelined.”. This is what happened with Shane, and also in aspects of his character unrelated to race. RR is not to be faulted for not experiencing things that are particular to the BIPOC experience. Where she can, and should, be faulted is in failing to make even a minimalistic effort in understanding what that experience looks like. The daily microaggressions. The feeling that you always have to be better/best/greatest in order to earn being in the same room. If you are great at something, being forced into the position of role model for everyone that comes after you. These are all part of Shane’s experience. We see it onscreen, but not in his character on the page. There are so many areas in which he could have been written as a much more complex and layered character. As it stands, it has been left up to the fans to find those areas and expand upon them.
How does Shane’s characterization by Rachel tie into racism against Hudson? To put it bluntly…if you don’t care enough about your POC character, certain fans won’t either, and they will demonize the person who plays them. I’m not saying that anything that RR has written or said about Shane is actively inciting racism. That would be ridiculous. RR aside, racists don’t need encouragement. They’re going to do what they are going to do. But in her obvious preference of Ilya over Shane, and things like the penis size list (look it up), and her silence so far amidst these attacks, it’s clear that she doesn’t care about it. Because she doesn’t care about the POC character that she wrote.