More than ever, horror has looked increasingly diverse, but wait, where are the other minority authors? There happen to be many queer and women authors but few of other nationalities. From Asia, there’s Ai Jiang and a few other unheralded names. Latinx writers are better represented than most ethnic minorities. Yet, from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, authors unknown to the international community have no choice but to market their books in their native countries. Indeed, there is reason to believe that the publishing world regards foreign authors as inferior to Caucasians. In fact, horror has been mostly a “white” genre since its inception, with few African Americans and other authors from the global south to mention.
I’m thankful that authors like Johnny Compton are getting their due, since we need more representation from Black authors. Still, there is a wealth of mythos from other nations that never see the light of day in the form of horror/fantasy titles. I have a horror/fantasy saga planned based on Filipino mythology and demonology, but I have no choice but to slowly build momentum so the saga can better gain traction if it ever gets published someday. After all, Filipino horror is not yet a thing.
So, I would encourage readers out there to demand true diversity and inclusion from publishers. Horror has been a “white” genre for too long now. It is sad to see the lack of variety in a scene where horror can manifest in a gamut of forms, despite being altogether “white,” in terms of characters and stereotypes. Agents and presses say they want underrepresented voices, but little evidence of that inclination exists. Many of them still opt to sign white writers who repeatedly rehash existing horror tropes with little to offer in terms of originality and cultural heterogeneity. What this boils down to is that readers have to ask themselves some important questions. If underrepresented voices are a priority for agents and publishers, where are authors from the global south that have unique stories to tell? Where is the multiculturalism that proves diversity in horror is real?
For a long time, it seemed only a dream to publish my brand of horror fiction. Like I’ve said, Filipino horror is not yet a thing. If agents and publishers continue to brand Filipino horror unmarketable, regarding it a foreign market predominated by writers who aren’t considered fluent in the English language, where is the dedication to inclusivity? Who will ensure that readers have a glut of international perspectives to choose from? What it comes down to is that manuscripts must be accepted or rejected based on quality. Yet, publishers would rather cater to friends in a scene where transactional networking is frowned on despite being proliferate.
What should we do? Demand change. Demand true diversity. As an LGBTQ author, I write with both the queer and mainstream horror markets in mind. Still, if the powers-that-be turn a blind eye on multicultural horror, white authors adopting the perspectives of foreign peoples will prevail. There will be straight people writing from the point of view of LGBTQ characters, no matter how straight people do not relate. There will continue to be white people who include Black or Asian characters to answer the call for multiculturalism, even if these writers aren’t Black or Asian.
And that is unacceptable. We need more and deserve better.
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