# Transexualism in Science-Fiction **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 4, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transexualism-in-science-fiction/765052 "2016-09-04T21:29:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transexualism-in-science-fiction/765052/41 "2016-09-06T02:11:28Z")
Speaking Varley (what? We were, weren’t we?) the short story “The Barbie Murders” involves a colony of people who all have themselves surgically altered to resemble Barbie, including the lack of primary sexual organs. The kicker is that a couple “deviant” folks get off by dressing up as sexual beings, including use of a merkin. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transexualism-in-science-fiction/765052/42 "2016-09-06T02:59:22Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Not just clones in that universe, regular sex changes, too. In one book, noblewoman Lady Donna Vorrutyer goes off planet for “a vacation,” and comes back as Lord Dono Vorrutyer, and files a claim to his brother’s estate as eldest male heir. Mostly to block her cousin, a murderer and rapist, from taking it instead, but he ends up really enjoying being a guy and is married off to a young woman in a later book. > > There’s also an entire subspecies of genetically engineered hermaphrodites, descendants of a failed social engineering experiment. > > And a planet full of nothing but gay dudes. I love the way the Vorkosigan Saga plays with gender. The gay-dude planet book is _Ethan of Athos_ and it’s a stand-alone in the series. Athos considers women the root of all evil, and then poor Ethan gets sent into the rest of the solar system to discover that from everyone else’s perspective, he’s the odd one out. Bujold could have made Ethan’s terror of women into such a lame, gimmicky thing, but she didn’t take the easy way through. I thought it was absolutely stellar. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transexualism-in-science-fiction/765052/43 "2016-09-06T03:08:10Z")
Oh, and a shout-out to _Ancillary Justice_, which I did not personally care for, but which did a lot of interesting things with gender, including having the protagonist (which was really one piece of a ship’s consciousness) be virtually unable to distinguish men from women, so all people were referred to as ‘‘she.’’ I think it was the civilization that made her that just used ‘‘she’’ as a universal pronoun. I didn’t read very far but I’m guessing the ship’s ancillary part became more human-like as time passed. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transexualism-in-science-fiction/765052/44 "2016-09-06T13:45:22Z")
Just wanted to mention, of the Banks Culture novels, _Excession_ is the one where gender switching is most central to the book. Also, some species-switching occurs but isn’t central. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transexualism-in-science-fiction/765052/45 "2016-09-06T14:45:07Z")
Speaking of Varley, in his novel _Steel Beach,_ the protagonist Hildy starts off as a man, but about half-way through decides to become a woman. I can’t remember if Varley explained the process, but I think the character brought up the change almost as an aside, leading me to think the change was trivial. ETA: Nvmd, I see Steel Beach has already been mentioned. I didn’t realize it was part of his Eight Worlds series. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transexualism-in-science-fiction/765052/46 "2016-09-06T14:48:36Z")
If you’re allowing fantasy, “The Marvelous Land of Oz” features a transgendered character (Ozma, as a baby girl, was transformed into Tip, a boy and at the end of the book is transformed back) Also, another book by L. Frank Baum “John Dough and the Cherub” features an “incubator baby” named “Chick” who is either a boy AND a girl or neuter. The author was 100% ambiguous about Chick’s gender. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transexualism-in-science-fiction/765052/47 "2016-09-06T14:51:37Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I love the way the Vorkosigan Saga plays with gender. > > The gay-dude planet book is _Ethan of Athos_ and it’s a stand-alone in the series. Athos considers women the root of all evil, and then poor Ethan gets sent into the rest of the solar system to discover that from everyone else’s perspective, he’s the odd one out. Bujold could have made Ethan’s terror of women into such a lame, gimmicky thing, but she didn’t take the easy way through. I thought it was absolutely stellar. What I think is interesting is Jim Baen, the publisher was somewhere between a rock-ribbed conservative and a libertarian and referred to the book privately as “Planet of the Fags”, but allowed Bujold complete authorial freedom to publish it as she wanted–the only editing was the normal “Move this sentence here, add a paragraph there, don’t forget the semi-colon in the other place” stuff. No content interference. So…despite the crude title he used, he had the decency to publish it untouched. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transexualism-in-science-fiction/765052/48 "2016-09-06T14:53:33Z")
I don’t know if Mr. Robot counts as SF, but one of the Chinese characters (played by BD Wong) plats a transgendered woman. Had the sex change by usual modern means though. But she’ll dress as a man or a woman depending on what her “game” is. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transexualism-in-science-fiction/765052/49 "2016-09-06T17:52:23Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > To be fair, so is everyone else. It’s that kind of place. While you are correct, having just read the series and the collection of short stories called “Budayeen Nights” it seems to me like the transgender characters were predominantly lower class. For instance, none of the city officials, police, or leaders in the criminal organizations that form the “real” government are transgender. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transexualism-in-science-fiction/765052/50 "2016-09-06T18:07:32Z")
I don’t know if _Steven Universe_ counts, but Steven and his girlfriend Connie fuse (using Steven’s mom’s crystal gem) to become one female entity [Stevonnie.](http://steven-universe.wikia.com/wiki/Stevonnie) ---
**Author:** ![Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90ced4/32.png) [@Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waltzes_with_Cacti)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transexualism-in-science-fiction/765052/51 "2016-09-06T20:24:46Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > This was actually made into a movie about 25 years ago, starring Tilda Swinton as Orlando. I didn’t know that, **jayjay**. I’d like to see it. Certainly, Swinton is the most epicene actor I can think of – I believe that had she been a little younger she’d have been better cast than Redmayne for **The Danish Girl**. Thanks for the head’s-up about the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transexualism-in-science-fiction/765052/52 "2016-09-07T08:43:47Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > I don’t know if _Steven Universe_ counts, but Steven and his girlfriend Connie fuse (using Steven’s mom’s crystal gem) to become one female entity [Stevonnie.](http://steven-universe.wikia.com/wiki/Stevonnie) I’m not sure. Technically not, I think. In your own link, it says that Stevonnie’s gender is never explicitly stated, or even implied, and that gender neutral pronouns (they/them) are used canonically. However, it might fit within the spirit of the OP as it is a good example of a character with a non heteronormative gender identity. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transexualism-in-science-fiction/765052/53 "2016-09-07T16:02:58Z")
> [@Barking\_Dog](#): > > I’m not sure. Technically not, I think. In your own link, it says that Stevonnie’s gender is never explicitly stated, or even implied, and that gender neutral pronouns (they/them) are used canonically. > However, it might fit within the spirit of the OP as it is a good example of a character with a non heteronormative gender identity. You’re right the Wiki is keeping the gender fairly neutral. Though there’s some caveats: 1. Stevonnie is drawn very typically female. 2. Characters react to the Fusion as female. 3. All known Crystal Gems are female. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transexualism-in-science-fiction/765052.md?page=2)