#DiversityinSFF was on point last night

I was delighted in being able to join on the trending of the hashtag #DiversityinSFF last night. It brought out some interesting opinions, new people to network with, and obviously trolling.

Diversity is important in any genre in literature, period. But the lack of diversity in Science Fiction and Fantasy is outright troubling. There were of course those whom felt excluded(e,i. white, cis-gendered,able bodied and male). Is it really asking a lot for a story to reflect the world you actually live in? I don't know where most people are from, but being a Black-Latino, I encounter Black-Latinos the least in my day. I live right in the smack of Yale territory. I am exposed to huge East Asian populations, whites, Blacks, and Latinos. I wish there were more races I could say I encounter(Indigenous American or Arab-descent) but even with the people I encounter on a daily basis, Im exposed to more who DONT look like me, than do. Im sure plenty of people experience this. So why must it be on some "hidden agenda" to incorporate people of all walks of life? Religion, sexual orientation/identity, differently abled, and the obvious race.

So if diversity is on an agenda to shove multiculturalism down our throats, are we not receiving the same message for books, movies and television programs to not feature diversity? Is only having the default of white, able bodied, cis gendered and male not on an agenda within itself?

Because come on? If their world were only made up of powerful people that looked that way, it would be a pretty crappy world.

Heroes come female. Heroes come Asian. Heroes come Muslim. Heroes come transgender. Heroes should not be limited to one way just because no one is willing to speak up about it.

Is it perhaps shaking people's privilege a bit? Because it's always been, people have no right to questions it?

Is it really stifling a person's creativity to think up a world beyond all white?