# Do you ever wish you were the opposite gender? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 27, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982 "2011-10-27T16:49:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bosstrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Bosstrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstrain)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/41 "2011-10-28T00:42:45Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Not counting the heat-ray vision, of course. Shhhhh!!! You’re not supposed to tell anyone about that, now everyone knows! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/42 "2011-10-28T00:43:30Z")
Oh hell no. Short, fat and ugly is enough of a bitch when you’re a guy. Now if I could be a hot chick, then sure. I’d like to be a lipstick lesbian for a weekend or so. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/43 "2011-10-28T01:00:25Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > White, middle-aged, anglophones in Ottawa, Ontario can pretty much expect to be discounted from just about every municipal, provincial, or federal job. Damn, I forgot: you also will be limited in your ability to get a retail or restaurant job, since you can’t speak French. I am in no way trying to start a language war; I’m just telling it like it is. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/44 "2011-10-28T01:38:52Z")
I’m male and have occasionally wondered what it would be like to be female. But it would have to be temporary, like a vacation say. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/45 "2011-10-28T03:44:51Z")
Let’s see: I’d get to be judged way more on my appearance, my odds of being sexually assaulted go through the roof, and I’d have to deal with occasionally painful plumbing. Hell, no. It’s like that Chris Rock bit where he says no white man would trade lives with him and he’s RICH! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/46 "2011-10-28T04:09:59Z")
It _would_ be interesting to be a lesbian for a weekend. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/47 "2011-10-28T05:28:26Z")
Although I always liked girls much better, I kinda wanted to be a boy (or at least act, dress, and have people treat me as one in most ways) my whole life until I was 19 or 20. Never enough to seriously consider a sex change - but then again I did my research and realized there was no way to have a real penis. Also I always wanted to have babies, though with the Pregnant Man etc I now see that’s not really a conflict. I was so butch I passed for a boy for some of high school (buzz cut, boy’s clothes). Then I got over it. Once I started dating straight men. Now I’m very femme actually. It’s fascinating to contemplate how different my life would be if I were male, but now I don’t think I’d want to switch even for a day. Men generally gross me out and I don’t want to be grossed out by myself. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/48 "2011-10-28T05:46:35Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > When I was a little girl, I did want to be a boy. My brother and I would play together fine, and then the neighborhood kids would come along and all of a sudden it was, “Let’s go do something without this girl!” (Obviously, all the kids of our age in that neighborhood were male). I even got a really short haircut in hopes of fitting in better. > > I got over it though. One of my brothers was (is) only 11 months older than I, so we played together all the time. One game we had was where we were _both_ boys, and we would go on adventures. His alias was Jimmy, and mine was Pat, because Pat could be a boy or a girl. Now we’re in our forties, and I occasionally text or email him, “Do you want to play Pats and Jimmies?” I even tried to pee like a boy once. It didn’t work out. Other than that, I have never, ever wished to be a man. No way. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/49 "2011-10-28T06:03:59Z")
Voted “male, occasionally want to be female”. Now actually I have never wanted to be female permanently. The problems in being female have already been mentioned, and plus I just like being a guy–unshaven, slovenly, and so on. But I do have a feminine side that I like to express by crossdressing, and there are a lot of times when I would like to be a woman for short periods of time (say a weekend every couple of months.) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/50 "2011-10-28T06:52:58Z")
Not… exactly. There have been times I’ve run into sexists whose clearly-spelled-out attitude made me think (and, in a couple of cases, say… I’m now old enough to be shameless when it won’t hurt any prospects already shattered by someone’s imbecility) “ok, so if I happened to have a dick, you would [give me better grades/consider me for the job]? What a dick you are, with my apologies to penises!” but it didn’t so much make me wish to own a penis as simply that there was some decent way to send such pseudopeople to nature reservations… you know, somewhere they’d be able to live happy lives, have real people gawk and take pics, but with “don’t feed the bigots” signs posted all over. I’ve wished to be stronger, or taller, or less horrible at sports, but those don’t necessarily involve a gender change, even though every guy in my family is taller, and stronger, and even the ones who suck at sports are less bad at them than I am (not that getting an actual gender change would do much for my height or coordination). ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/51 "2011-10-28T07:38:36Z")
It might be interesting to switch for a short time, just to see what it’s like for the other sex, but I’d only be interested in it if it was a magical/technomagical transformation like in Varley’s Steel Beach. Something where all the parts work properly, inside and out, not just a cosmetic transformation. Our current “state of the art” genital mutilations are something that only people with a severe aversion to their current form would even consider doing, and I’m quite happy being a genetic and physical male. No amount of curiosity would get me to cut off my dangly bits and take female hormones just so I could play dress-up more convincingly. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Bosstrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstrain)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/52 "2011-10-28T13:20:05Z")
> [@Sleel](#): > > It might be interesting to switch for a short time… …Something where all the parts work properly, inside and out, not just a cosmetic transformation. People are so interesting, everyone has different things that go through their mind when faced with the same situation. I just assumed the switch would be real, I’ve never even considered having the fake parts, it wouldn’t matter if I had my penis made into a vag, I’d still be a guy, only with a dick that no longer works :smack:. Thanks, Sleel, for sorting this out for us ;). ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/53 "2011-10-28T13:31:15Z")
Male. Wouldn’t mind being a woman. For the lesbian sex. ---
**Author:** ![Grey\_area](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Grey\_area](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey_area)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/54 "2011-10-29T09:08:58Z")
It would be interesting to experience one of those mind-blowing orgasms that women seem to be capable of having. And be pretty. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/55 "2011-10-29T12:23:01Z")
> [@YourAdHere](#): > > Are people nicer or more polite or friendlier to women rather than men? Only if they want in said women’s pants\*. Even when expanding on this question, you specify that it’s hot young girls who get people making various overtures toward them. Those of us who are neither hot nor young get treated pretty much the same as you do. It does tickle me, though, how many guys seem to assume they would automatically be an attractive woman instead of a plain Jane. I never wanted to be a guy, not even when dealing with really awful period stuff. Rather frequently wished the stupid medical community would agree to spay me, though. \*Discounting the guys whose attempts to get in one’s pants are carried out in various impolite and/or disgusting manners, like trying to reach up a stranger’s skirt/down her blouse, opening a conversation with “Hey baby, wanna fuck?”, or talking shit about someone’s SO to paint yourself as the much better option. Or my personal favorite, accusing someone of being a bigot if they’re a different race than you and turn you down. ---
**Author:** ![BTEzra04](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9f8e36/32.png) [@BTEzra04](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BTEzra04)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/56 "2011-10-29T12:55:44Z")
Hm. Fun for experimenting to see what the other gender goes through in a given day, but I would not be wanting it permanently, most likely. So count me in the “It would be fun for a weekend,” group. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/57 "2011-10-29T13:18:04Z")
I’d certainly be interested in trying it out for a bit. > [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > Only if they want in said women’s pants\*. Even when expanding on this question, you specify that it’s hot young girls who get people making various overtures toward them. Those of us who are neither hot nor young get treated pretty much the same as you do. He also pointed out how a woman crossed the street to avoid him, a big “scary” male. I doubt many women have that happen to them. I see various women here on the SDMB talk about how they look at every man they see as a “potential rapist”, how they do things when a man walks by like get ready to grab their pepper spray or constantly look for escape routes in case the passing man tries to grab them. So no; I doubt you are regarded with anywhere near the level of fear and hostility that a man gets just for being a man. I doubt many men or women constantly worry that you might suddenly attack them. ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/58 "2011-10-29T13:47:27Z")
I voted “I’m male, and I have occasionally wanted to be female.” but really I want to be able to change back and forth at will. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/59 "2011-10-29T14:46:09Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > Now I think I should have done the poll with “I want to be [gender] permanently / temporarily” options. :dubious: > > I suck at polling. Oh, well. Next time. 😃 But you _put in the effort_. We might have gotten two choices: “Yes.” “No.”. WTF? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982/60 "2011-10-29T14:53:32Z")
When I was little I occasionally wanted to be a boy because boys got to do cool things like drive trucks and fly airplanes and play with tools and make stuff and get dirty and wear pants all the time and I wanted to do those things. I didn’t want to be a boy so much as I wanted to be able to do the things boys got to do. Well, after awhile I bought a truck, got a pilot’s license, and my most recent jobs have involved workboots, jeans, and the occasional safety google or hardhat, and they all involve power tools and either making or fixing stuff. Guess I figured out a way to do the fun stuff even if I was a girl. About the only thing I’d still like to be is stronger - not that I’m a weakling by any measure, but I’m never going to have the upper body strength of a man. Right now I"m stronger than some men, but even more strength would be handy. But I manage anyway. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-wish-you-were-the-opposite-gender/600982.md?page=4)