# Films in which a character changes to and from their gender

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-in-which-a-character-changes-to-and-from-their-gender/252471>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 28, 2004, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-in-which-a-character-changes-to-and-from-their-gender/252471 "2004-06-28T01:36:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-in-which-a-character-changes-to-and-from-their-gender/252471/21 "2004-06-28T22:02:50Z")

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Have you read any Famous Five books?

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**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-in-which-a-character-changes-to-and-from-their-gender/252471/22 "2004-06-28T22:21:55Z")

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If TV series count, how about Holly in _Red Dwarf_?

How about the female character inhabiting John Malkovich’s body during sex in _Being John Malkovich_?

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**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-in-which-a-character-changes-to-and-from-their-gender/252471/23 "2004-06-28T22:52:30Z")

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> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#):
>
> If TV series count, how about Holly in _Red Dwarf_?

IIRC, that was a different Holly, swapped with the original during an alternate-worlds episode.

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**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-in-which-a-character-changes-to-and-from-their-gender/252471/24 "2004-06-28T22:58:45Z")

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> [@rjk](#):
>
> IIRC, that was a different Holly, swapped with the original during an alternate-worlds episode.

Didn’t they end up getting the “original” Holly back, but he decided he liked the new identity (at least for the rest of that season)? Or am I confused?

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**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-in-which-a-character-changes-to-and-from-their-gender/252471/25 "2004-06-28T23:54:38Z")

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This is one of those times where I know I’m not answering in the spirit of the OP, but figure I may as well give this example anyway as it may inspire interesting discussion.

There was the TNG episode “The Host” where Dr. Crusher fell in love with Ambassador Odan, who was really just a host body for a Trill. Odan gets hurt so the Trill is transferred to Riker, (which caused Crusher to put up what only her mother would consider a fight), but then was transferred into the true next host body, which was a woman’s body.

Of course, the episode then completely pussed out and had Crusher find that situation “icky” so they went their separate ways. Nice message there - people will still have close-minded sexuality issues 300 years from now in a multi-species Universe.

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