Nonbinary gender in fiction: Difference between revisions
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===Books and other literature === | ===Books and other literature === | ||
*Alex Fierro is a [[genderfluid]] character from the book series ''Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard'', by Rick Riordan. Alex switches between she/her and he/him pronouns, although expressing that she normally uses she/her pronouns. Alex first appears in the book ''The Hammer of Thor,'' and is the love interest of the main character of the series, Magnus Chase. During ''The Hammer of Thor'', Alex states "I'm gender fluid and transgender" (Riordan 54). | *Alex Fierro is a [[genderfluid]] character from the book series ''Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard'', by Rick Riordan. Alex switches between she/her and he/him pronouns, although expressing that she normally uses she/her pronouns. Alex first appears in the book ''The Hammer of Thor,'' and is the love interest of the main character of the series, Magnus Chase. During ''The Hammer of Thor'', Alex states "I'm gender fluid and transgender" (Riordan 54). | ||
*Min Lee in the ''Under My Skin'' series by A. E. Dooland is nonbinary and accepts [[he/him]] or [[she/her]] pronouns, depending on the situation. Furthermore, the author has said that "She doesn't really like [[they/them]] (because she feels in many cases it draws too much attention to her gender), but in an event where someone used those pronouns, she'd prefer you just went along with it, too. [...] Min ''does'' typically prefer male-gendered words, such as 'boyfriend' and 'husband' etc."<ref>{{cite web|title=Anonymous asked: What pronouns does Min prefer?|date=July 19, 2019|url=https://asynca.tumblr.com/post/186394898034/what-pronouns-does-min-prefer}}</ref> | *Min Lee in the ''Under My Skin'' series by A. E. Dooland is nonbinary and accepts [[he/him]] or [[she/her]] pronouns, depending on the situation. Furthermore, the author has said that "She doesn't really like [[they/them]] (because she feels in many cases it draws too much attention to her gender), but in an event where someone used those pronouns, she'd prefer you just went along with it, too. [...] Min ''does'' typically prefer male-gendered words, such as 'boyfriend' and 'husband' etc."<ref>{{cite web|title=Anonymous asked: What pronouns does Min prefer?|date=July 19, 2019|url=https://asynca.tumblr.com/post/186394898034/what-pronouns-does-min-prefer}}</ref> | ||
*In the fantasy books ''Divided Worlds'' and ''The Ascension of Lark'', by Jennifer Ridge, the character Lark is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. There is an author's note at the end of ''Divided Worlds'' which specifically describes Lark as "non-binary and androgynous". Note: In ''The Ascension of Lark'' there is some misgendering, homelessness, and physical abuse in the flashbacks to Lark's younger days. Their [[deadname]] is redacted in the text. | *In the fantasy books ''Divided Worlds'' and ''The Ascension of Lark'', by Jennifer Ridge, the character Lark is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. There is an author's note at the end of ''Divided Worlds'' which specifically describes Lark as "non-binary and androgynous". Note: In ''The Ascension of Lark'' there is some misgendering, homelessness, and physical abuse in the flashbacks to Lark's younger days. Their [[deadname]] is redacted in the text. | ||
* Sal in ''Mask of Shadows'' and ''Ruin of Stars'', by Linsey Miller, is genderfluid. | * Sal in ''Mask of Shadows'' and ''Ruin of Stars'', by Linsey Miller, is genderfluid. | ||
* In ''The Way of Thorn and Thunder'' fantasy series (also called ''The Kynship Chronicles''), by [[Two-Spirit]] author Daniel Heath Justice, there is a race called the Kyn, who recognize three genders: he-Kyn, she-Kyn and zhe-Kyn. These are specifically [[gender]]s, not [[sex]]es, according to reviewer [[Bogi Takács]].<ref name="kynship">{{Cite web |title=QUILTBAG+ Speculative Classics: The Way of Thorn and Thunder by Daniel Heath Justice (Part 1) |authorlink=Bogi Takács |last=Takács |first=Bogi |work=Tor.com |date=21 May 2019 |access-date=24 July 2020 |url= https://www.tor.com/2019/05/21/quiltbag-speculative-classics-the-way-of-thorn-and-thunder-by-daniel-heath-justice-part-1/ }}</ref> | * In ''The Way of Thorn and Thunder'' fantasy series (also called ''The Kynship Chronicles''), by [[Two-Spirit]] author Daniel Heath Justice, there is a race called the Kyn, who recognize three genders: he-Kyn, she-Kyn and zhe-Kyn. These are specifically [[gender]]s, not [[sex]]es, according to reviewer [[Bogi Takács]].<ref name="kynship">{{Cite web |title=QUILTBAG+ Speculative Classics: The Way of Thorn and Thunder by Daniel Heath Justice (Part 1) |authorlink=Bogi Takács |last=Takács |first=Bogi |work=Tor.com |date=21 May 2019 |access-date=24 July 2020 |url= https://www.tor.com/2019/05/21/quiltbag-speculative-classics-the-way-of-thorn-and-thunder-by-daniel-heath-justice-part-1/ }}</ref> | ||
* In ''The Tiger's Watch'' by Julia Ember, the protagonist Tashi is [[genderfluid]] and uses [[they/them]] pronouns. The author notes that "Being [[Misgendering|misgendered]] and forced to change their appearance in order to hide is a source of conflict in the novel. It is not the central plot conflict, though."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goodreads.com/questions/738992-this-sounds-like-an-awesome-story-i-m|title=Shade asked: This sounds like an awesome story! I'm confused by the use of 'their' instead of 'her' or 'him' though.}}</ref> | * In ''The Tiger's Watch'' by Julia Ember, the protagonist Tashi is [[genderfluid]] and uses [[they/them]] pronouns. The author notes that "Being [[Misgendering|misgendered]] and forced to change their appearance in order to hide is a source of conflict in the novel. It is not the central plot conflict, though."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goodreads.com/questions/738992-this-sounds-like-an-awesome-story-i-m|title=Shade asked: This sounds like an awesome story! I'm confused by the use of 'their' instead of 'her' or 'him' though.}}</ref> | ||
* ''The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water'', by Zen Cho, has a nonbinary protagonist.<ref name="readsrainbow">{{Cite web |title=Book Recs: Twitter's Favourite Trans Books |author= |work=Reads Rainbow |date=13 May 2020 |access-date=2 November 2020 |url= https://readsrainbow.wordpress.com/2020/05/13/book-recs-twitters-favourite-trans-books/}}</ref> | * ''The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water'', by Zen Cho, has a nonbinary protagonist.<ref name="readsrainbow">{{Cite web |title=Book Recs: Twitter's Favourite Trans Books |author= |work=Reads Rainbow |date=13 May 2020 |access-date=2 November 2020 |url= https://readsrainbow.wordpress.com/2020/05/13/book-recs-twitters-favourite-trans-books/}}</ref> | ||
* ''Raven Stratagem'', by Yoon Ha Lee, has nonbinary side characters.<ref name="readsrainbow" /> | * ''Raven Stratagem'', by Yoon Ha Lee, has nonbinary side characters.<ref name="readsrainbow" /> | ||
* ''Phoenix Extravagant'', by Yoon Ha Lee, has a nonbinary protagonist.<ref name="readsrainbow" /> | * ''Phoenix Extravagant'', by Yoon Ha Lee, has a nonbinary protagonist.<ref name="readsrainbow" /> | ||
* ''Sing for the Coming of the Longest Night'', by Katherine Fabian & Iona Datt Sharma, has a genderqueer protagonist and genderqueer side characters.<ref name="readsrainbow" /> | * ''Sing for the Coming of the Longest Night'', by Katherine Fabian & Iona Datt Sharma, has a genderqueer protagonist and genderqueer side characters.<ref name="readsrainbow" /> | ||
* ''Once & Future'', by Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy, has a nonbinary side character.<ref name="readsrainbow" /> | * ''Once & Future'', by Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy, has a nonbinary side character.<ref name="readsrainbow" /> | ||
* ''Euphoria Kids'', by [[Alison Evans]], has a nonbinary protagonist.<ref name="readsrainbow" /> | * ''Euphoria Kids'', by [[Alison Evans]], has a nonbinary protagonist.<ref name="readsrainbow" /> | ||
* In '' Every Day'', a novel by David Levithan, the protagonist named A wakes up every day in a different person's body. Each person whose body A inhabits has a clear-cut gender identity, but A themself says, "I didn’t think of myself as a boy or a girl—I never have."<ref>{{cite web |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20190131040504if_/https://outwritenewsmag.org/2018/06/trans-characters-in-fiction/|archive-date=31 January 2019|url =https://outwritenewsmag.org/2018/06/trans-characters-in-fiction/|title=Trans Characters in Fiction|date=27 June 2018|last=Miceli|first=Cami}}</ref> The novel was adapted into a 2018 film.<ref>https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7026672/</ref> | * In '' Every Day'', a novel by David Levithan, the protagonist named A wakes up every day in a different person's body. Each person whose body A inhabits has a clear-cut gender identity, but A themself says, "I didn’t think of myself as a boy or a girl—I never have."<ref>{{cite web |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20190131040504if_/https://outwritenewsmag.org/2018/06/trans-characters-in-fiction/|archive-date=31 January 2019|url =https://outwritenewsmag.org/2018/06/trans-characters-in-fiction/|title=Trans Characters in Fiction|date=27 June 2018|last=Miceli|first=Cami}}</ref> The novel was adapted into a 2018 film.<ref>https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7026672/</ref> | ||
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* ''The Vela'', a multi-author serially-published space opera, has a nonbinary character named Niko who uses [[they/them]] pronouns. There are other nonbinary characters as well. Yoon Ha Lee, one of the authors, revealed that in the original drafts "Niko was originally a [[cisgender]]ed male character named Oskar".<ref name="Hadi_thevela">{{Cite web |title=Unveiling ‘The Vela’: An interview with Becky Chambers, S. L. Huang and Yoon Ha Lee (Part 1) |last=Hadi |first=Shana E. |work=The Stanford Daily |date=6 March 2019 |access-date=7 November 2020 |url= https://www.stanforddaily.com/2019/03/06/unveiling-the-vela-an-interview-with-becky-chambers-s-l-huang-and-yoon-ha-lee-part-1/}}</ref> | * ''The Vela'', a multi-author serially-published space opera, has a nonbinary character named Niko who uses [[they/them]] pronouns. There are other nonbinary characters as well. Yoon Ha Lee, one of the authors, revealed that in the original drafts "Niko was originally a [[cisgender]]ed male character named Oskar".<ref name="Hadi_thevela">{{Cite web |title=Unveiling ‘The Vela’: An interview with Becky Chambers, S. L. Huang and Yoon Ha Lee (Part 1) |last=Hadi |first=Shana E. |work=The Stanford Daily |date=6 March 2019 |access-date=7 November 2020 |url= https://www.stanforddaily.com/2019/03/06/unveiling-the-vela-an-interview-with-becky-chambers-s-l-huang-and-yoon-ha-lee-part-1/}}</ref> | ||
* ''Jack Long and the Demon Deal'', by L. J. Hamlin, has a nonbinary side character.<ref name="jacklong">{{Cite web |title=Cover Reveal: Jack Long and the Demon Deal by L. J. Hamlin |author= |work=Let's Fox About It |date= |access-date=8 November 2020 |url= https://letsfoxaboutit.com/cover-reveal-jack-long-and-the-demon-deal-by-l-j-hamlin/ }}</ref> | * ''Jack Long and the Demon Deal'', by L. J. Hamlin, has a nonbinary side character.<ref name="jacklong">{{Cite web |title=Cover Reveal: Jack Long and the Demon Deal by L. J. Hamlin |author= |work=Let's Fox About It |date= |access-date=8 November 2020 |url= https://letsfoxaboutit.com/cover-reveal-jack-long-and-the-demon-deal-by-l-j-hamlin/ }}</ref> | ||
* ''Light Up The Dark'', by Suki Fleet, has a minor character named Loz who uses [[singular they]] pronouns. Another character says about Loz: "They don't want to identify as a boy or a girl." | * ''Light Up The Dark'', by Suki Fleet, has a minor character named Loz who uses [[singular they]] pronouns. Another character says about Loz: "They don't want to identify as a boy or a girl." | ||
*In the children's book (ages 8-12) ''The Moon Within'', by Aida Salazar, Marco is genderfluid. Content note: Part of the plot involves main character Celi getting her first period. | *In the children's book (ages 8-12) ''The Moon Within'', by Aida Salazar, Marco is genderfluid. Content note: Part of the plot involves main character Celi getting her first period. | ||
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*In [[Sassafras Lowrey]]'s ''Roving Pack'', the protagonist, named Click, is [[genderfluid]] and uses [[ze/hir]] pronouns. | *In [[Sassafras Lowrey]]'s ''Roving Pack'', the protagonist, named Click, is [[genderfluid]] and uses [[ze/hir]] pronouns. | ||
*''First Spring Grass Fire'', by [[Rae Spoon]], tells the story of a nonbinary kid growing up in the 80s and 90s in Calgary, Canada.<ref name="Casey" /> | *''First Spring Grass Fire'', by [[Rae Spoon]], tells the story of a nonbinary kid growing up in the 80s and 90s in Calgary, Canada.<ref name="Casey" /> | ||
* ''Stranger Skies'', by Katje Van Loon, has a planet whose society recognizes five genders: woman, man, [[agender]], [[trigender]], and [[genderqueer]]. | |||
====2013==== | ====2013==== | ||
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*In Kameron Hurley's fantasy novel, ''Empire Ascendant,'' all people in a consent culture get to choose which of the five gender roles they identify with. Hurley calls characters who are "ungendered" by singular they pronouns.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GUEST POST: Beyond He-Man & She-Ra: Writing Non-Binary Characters by Kameron Hurley |author=Hurley Kameron |work=Intellectus Speculativus |date=3 September 2014 |access-date=27 September 2021 |url= https://intellectusspeculativus.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/guest-post-beyond-he-man-she-ra-writing-non-binary-characters-by-kameron-hurley/}}</ref> | *In Kameron Hurley's fantasy novel, ''Empire Ascendant,'' all people in a consent culture get to choose which of the five gender roles they identify with. Hurley calls characters who are "ungendered" by singular they pronouns.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GUEST POST: Beyond He-Man & She-Ra: Writing Non-Binary Characters by Kameron Hurley |author=Hurley Kameron |work=Intellectus Speculativus |date=3 September 2014 |access-date=27 September 2021 |url= https://intellectusspeculativus.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/guest-post-beyond-he-man-she-ra-writing-non-binary-characters-by-kameron-hurley/}}</ref> | ||
*''Long Macchiatos and Monsters'', by [[Alison Evans]], is a romance between a trans guy and a genderqueer person.<ref name="Casey" /> | *''Long Macchiatos and Monsters'', by [[Alison Evans]], is a romance between a trans guy and a genderqueer person.<ref name="Casey" /> | ||
* In ''What We Left Behind'' by Robin Talley, Toni is a genderqueer student at Harvard in a long-distance relationship.<ref name="Acree">{{Cite web |title=Robin Talley: Young love in a nonbinary world |author=Acree, Cat |work=BookPage.com |date=17 November 2015 |access-date=15 September 2020 |url= https://bookpage.com/interviews/19062-robin-talley-ya}}</ref> | |||
====2016==== | ====2016==== | ||
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* A minor character in ''A Tyranny of Queens'' by [[Foz Meadows]] is nonbinary. | * A minor character in ''A Tyranny of Queens'' by [[Foz Meadows]] is nonbinary. | ||
* In ''The Black Tides of Heaven'' by nonbinary author [[Neon Yang]], gender is not assigned at birth and children get to choose at a gender confirmation later in life. One of the characters, Akeha feels at home with the childhood nonbinary designation.<ref name="Casey">{{Cite web |title=8 Fiction Books with Non-Binary Characters |author=Casey |work=Autostraddle |date=27 November 2018 |access-date=25 May 2020 |url= https://www.autostraddle.com/8-fiction-books-with-non-binary-characters-439192/}}</ref> | * In ''The Black Tides of Heaven'' by nonbinary author [[Neon Yang]], gender is not assigned at birth and children get to choose at a gender confirmation later in life. One of the characters, Akeha feels at home with the childhood nonbinary designation.<ref name="Casey">{{Cite web |title=8 Fiction Books with Non-Binary Characters |author=Casey |work=Autostraddle |date=27 November 2018 |access-date=25 May 2020 |url= https://www.autostraddle.com/8-fiction-books-with-non-binary-characters-439192/}}</ref> | ||
*''Luna: Wolf Moon'' (2017) and its sequel ''Luna: Moon Rising'' (2019), by Ian McDonald, have a nonbinary character named Vidhya Rao.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna:_Wolf_Moon and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna:_Moon_Rising</ref> | |||
* ''River of Teeth'', by [[Sarah Gailey]], has a nonbinary protagonist.<ref name="readsrainbow" /> | |||
====2018==== | ====2018==== | ||
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* ''The Melting Queen'', by Bruce Cinnamon, has a genderfluid protagonist named River Runson. | * ''The Melting Queen'', by Bruce Cinnamon, has a genderfluid protagonist named River Runson. | ||
* ''Sexarchate: Hot Equations'', by Lia Meyers, is a sexually explicit sci-fi with a nonbinary character. From the same publisher (Less Than Three Press), ''A Party for Lola'' by Caitlin Ricci and ''Beginnings'' by Alexa Black also contain nonbinary characters.<ref name="LT3tumblr">{{cite web|url=https://lessthanthreepress.tumblr.com/search/non-binary|title=Less Than Three Press: Search results containing "non-binary"|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20201026214542/https://lessthanthreepress.tumblr.com/search/non-binary |archive-date=26 October 2020}}</ref> However, these books may be hard to find, as the publisher closed down in 2019. | * ''Sexarchate: Hot Equations'', by Lia Meyers, is a sexually explicit sci-fi with a nonbinary character. From the same publisher (Less Than Three Press), ''A Party for Lola'' by Caitlin Ricci and ''Beginnings'' by Alexa Black also contain nonbinary characters.<ref name="LT3tumblr">{{cite web|url=https://lessthanthreepress.tumblr.com/search/non-binary|title=Less Than Three Press: Search results containing "non-binary"|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20201026214542/https://lessthanthreepress.tumblr.com/search/non-binary |archive-date=26 October 2020}}</ref> However, these books may be hard to find, as the publisher closed down in 2019. | ||
* ''Why We Fight'', by T.J. Klune, has a bigender protagonist.<ref name="readsrainbow" /> | |||
* Lelia in ''The Lost Coast'', by Amy Rose Capetta, is a nonbinary gray-asexual, and described as such in the text. | |||
====2020==== | ====2020==== | ||
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* ''Shameful Scars'', by A. L. Williams, is a paranormal romance starring Gabriel, a nonbinary angel.<ref name="amaz_Sham">{{Cite web |title=Customer Review: Shameful scars |author=Cheryl_cajun |work=amazon.com |date=14 June 2020 |access-date=9 December 2020 |url= https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R23Z4KKA7LKDFB/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B089G8N99X}}</ref> | * ''Shameful Scars'', by A. L. Williams, is a paranormal romance starring Gabriel, a nonbinary angel.<ref name="amaz_Sham">{{Cite web |title=Customer Review: Shameful scars |author=Cheryl_cajun |work=amazon.com |date=14 June 2020 |access-date=9 December 2020 |url= https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R23Z4KKA7LKDFB/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B089G8N99X}}</ref> | ||
* ''Dragons Past Dawn'', by Ennis Rook Bashe, has two nonbinary protagonists: Sely, who uses [[they/them]] pronouns, and Andreas, who uses [[English_neutral_pronouns#Xe.2C_xir|xe/xir]] pronouns.<ref>{{cite book|title=Dragons Past Dawn|year=2020|last=Bashe |first=Ennis Rook}}</ref> | * ''Dragons Past Dawn'', by Ennis Rook Bashe, has two nonbinary protagonists: Sely, who uses [[they/them]] pronouns, and Andreas, who uses [[English_neutral_pronouns#Xe.2C_xir|xe/xir]] pronouns.<ref>{{cite book|title=Dragons Past Dawn|year=2020|last=Bashe |first=Ennis Rook}}</ref> | ||
* ''Upright Women Wanted'', by [[Sarah Gailey]], has a nonbinary character.<ref name="readsrainbow" /> | |||
* ''The Thirty Names of Night'' by Zeyn Joukhadar, stars a closeted Syrian American [[nonbinary man|nonbinary boy]] who uses he/him pronouns.<ref name="30names">{{Cite web |title=Review: 'The Thirty Names of Night' ties past to present in compelling tale of nonbinary identity |last=Barbiero |first=Delfina V |work=USA TODAY |date=25 November 2020 |access-date=27 November 2020 |url= https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2020/11/24/review-the-thirty-names-night-delves-into-nonbinary-identity/6407219002/}}</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/ZeynJoukhadar/status/1331252073434898435 Twitter thread by Zeyn Joukhadar], 24 November 2020</ref> | |||
====2021==== | ====2021==== | ||