Why LGBTQ Voices Belong in Horror: The Story Behind Love Me

Horror has always been a genre about outsiders.

The monster. The final girl. The kid nobody believes. The person carrying a secret they are terrified the world will discover.

That's one of the reasons I wanted Love Me to be part of the Liminal Paradox series.

When I started creating Jamie Corbin, I wasn't interested in writing a character whose identity existed only to make a statement. I wanted to write a person. Someone struggling with fear, loneliness, acceptance, and the desperate desire to be seen for who they truly are. Those feelings aren't exclusive to any one group of people, they're deeply human.

At the same time, I think horror is at its best when it explores experiences that aren't always represented. For decades, LGBTQ readers have found pieces of themselves hidden between the lines of horror stories. Sometimes intentionally. Sometimes accidentally. But we're finally living in a time where those characters don't have to exist only as metaphors.

They can be heroes.

They can be survivors.

They can be complicated.

They can be flawed.

And they can take center stage.

With Love Me, I wanted to bring a transgender protagonist into a world of fog, monsters, and psychological horror without making the story solely about being transgender. Jamie's identity is an important part of who she is, but it isn't the only thing that defines her. She's brave, scared, stubborn, vulnerable, and human. She's trying to survive a nightmare while figuring out who she is, and I think a lot of readers can relate to that journey, regardless of their background.

What made writing Jamie especially refreshing was the opportunity to explore Moonville through a different perspective. Every character who enters Moonville sees something different in its darkness. The town has a way of finding your fears, your regrets, and the parts of yourself you're trying to hide. Through Jamie, I was able to explore themes of identity, acceptance, self-worth, and transformation in ways I hadn't before.

And honestly, that's one of the reasons I love writing horror.

The monsters may be fictional.

The emotions aren't.

Whether readers see themselves in Jamie's experiences directly or simply connect with her struggle to be accepted, I hope they find something meaningful in her story. Horror should have room for everyone. Different voices create different nightmares, different heroes, and different stories worth telling.

The world of horror is bigger when more people get to step into the darkness.

And Moonville always has room for one more.