Nonbinary gender in fiction: Difference between revisions
Separated live-action and animated shows. Updated link for Rebecca's interview since the old link is dead
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*''E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982), directed by Steven Spielberg. In an interview, Spielberg said that E.T. is a plant-like creature, and is neither male nor female.<ref>"E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - Trivia." ''Internet Movie Database.'' https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0083866/trivia </ref> The finished movie itself doesn't mention this fact. The finished script refers to E.T. as "he" and "the creature." This fact about E.T. was included in the first draft of the script written by Melissa Mathison.<ref>Charlie Jane Anders, "Weird Facts That You Didn't Know About E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial." October 10, 2012. ''Gizmodo''. https://io9.gizmodo.com/weird-facts-that-you-didnt-know-about-e-t-the-extra-t-5950664</ref> | *''E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982), directed by Steven Spielberg. In an interview, Spielberg said that E.T. is a plant-like creature, and is neither male nor female.<ref>"E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - Trivia." ''Internet Movie Database.'' https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0083866/trivia </ref> The finished movie itself doesn't mention this fact. The finished script refers to E.T. as "he" and "the creature." This fact about E.T. was included in the first draft of the script written by Melissa Mathison.<ref>Charlie Jane Anders, "Weird Facts That You Didn't Know About E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial." October 10, 2012. ''Gizmodo''. https://io9.gizmodo.com/weird-facts-that-you-didnt-know-about-e-t-the-extra-t-5950664</ref> | ||
===TV === | ===TV (live-action)=== | ||
*In the ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Outcast_%28Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation%29 The Outcast]" the Enterprise encounters an alien race called the "androgynous J'naii", whose society long ago had female and male roles, but their society had become sexless and genderless, which they believe to be more advanced. They have no physical sex differences, and reproduce without copulation. They all dress alike, and ask to be called by [[Pronouns#It|it]] pronouns. The J'naii believe that it's unhealthy to be female or male, and the genderlessness of their society is enforced on all its members. In that episode, a J'naii named Soren is revealed to be secretly a [[transgender women|transgender woman]]. In a reference to real-life "[[conversion therapy]]" used coercively on transgender people to make them not be transgender, the J'naii use brainwashing to force Soren to identify as androgynous rather than female. The episode fails at exploring the possibilities of a genderless society or identity, which is depicted as bland and repressive, but is a decent critique of conversion therapy, as well as a defense of transgender rights. | *In the ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Outcast_%28Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation%29 The Outcast]" the Enterprise encounters an alien race called the "androgynous J'naii", whose society long ago had female and male roles, but their society had become sexless and genderless, which they believe to be more advanced. They have no physical sex differences, and reproduce without copulation. They all dress alike, and ask to be called by [[Pronouns#It|it]] pronouns. The J'naii believe that it's unhealthy to be female or male, and the genderlessness of their society is enforced on all its members. In that episode, a J'naii named Soren is revealed to be secretly a [[transgender women|transgender woman]]. In a reference to real-life "[[conversion therapy]]" used coercively on transgender people to make them not be transgender, the J'naii use brainwashing to force Soren to identify as androgynous rather than female. The episode fails at exploring the possibilities of a genderless society or identity, which is depicted as bland and repressive, but is a decent critique of conversion therapy, as well as a defense of transgender rights. | ||
*The series ''Earth: Final Conflict'' is primarily about interactions between modern-day humans and aliens called Taelons, who seem to have neither sex nor gender. The Taelons use [[Pronouns#He|he pronouns]] for human convenience, but do not identify as male. | *The series ''Earth: Final Conflict'' is primarily about interactions between modern-day humans and aliens called Taelons, who seem to have neither sex nor gender. The Taelons use [[Pronouns#He|he pronouns]] for human convenience, but do not identify as male. | ||
* Time Lords in ''[[Gender in Doctor Who|Doctor Who]]'' are able to transform their bodies in order to prevent death, giving them a new personality each time they undergo this process. See [[Gender in Doctor Who]] for more information. | * Time Lords in ''[[Gender in Doctor Who|Doctor Who]]'' are able to transform their bodies in order to prevent death, giving them a new personality each time they undergo this process. See [[Gender in Doctor Who]] for more information. | ||
*In the fantasy show ''The Good Place'', Janet is a nonhuman entity who acts as something akin to a superpowered computer-like assistant. Janet uses she/her pronouns but frequently corrects people who call her a girl. Janet's actor D'Arcy Carden and the show's creator Mike Schur have "unofficially concluded that Janet is [[agender]]."<ref name="Yip" /> | |||
===Animation=== | |||
*''Simoun'' takes place in a world that recognizes three genders: male, female, and a feminine "maiden" gender which everyone is assigned at birth. When people in this world come of age, they're required to give up the "maiden" gender and commit to male or female--those who do not choose have it chosen for them. Several of the main characters, including the two leads, decide that they do not want to be men or women, but rather keep their "maiden" gender, which goes against the rules of society. Despite the maiden gender being feminine, the fact that choosing to keep it is regarded as significantly different from choosing to become a woman shows that it is a third gender role and not the same as womanhood. | *''Simoun'' takes place in a world that recognizes three genders: male, female, and a feminine "maiden" gender which everyone is assigned at birth. When people in this world come of age, they're required to give up the "maiden" gender and commit to male or female--those who do not choose have it chosen for them. Several of the main characters, including the two leads, decide that they do not want to be men or women, but rather keep their "maiden" gender, which goes against the rules of society. Despite the maiden gender being feminine, the fact that choosing to keep it is regarded as significantly different from choosing to become a woman shows that it is a third gender role and not the same as womanhood. | ||
*''Steven Universe'' is about an alien kind called Gems, who all look similar to human women, except for the half-human Gem named Steven. The show creator, [[Rebecca Sugar]], says the Gems aren't female: "Steven is the first and only male Gem, because he is half human! Technically, there are no female Gems! There are only Gems!"<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2e4gmx/i_am_rebecca_sugar_creator_of_steven_universe_and/cjw8e1p</ref> The Gems are called by [[Pronouns#She|she]] pronouns just because it's easy: Sugar said, "There's a 50 50 chance to use some pronoun on Earth, so why not feminine ones-- it's as convenient as it is arbitrary!"<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2e4gmx/i_am_rebecca_sugar_creator_of_steven_universe_and/cjw8ztw/</ref> In a later interview, Rebecca stated outright that "the Gems are all nonbinary women. [...] They | *''Steven Universe'' is about an alien kind called Gems, who all look similar to human women, except for the half-human Gem named Steven. The show creator, [[Rebecca Sugar]], says the Gems aren't female: "Steven is the first and only male Gem, because he is half human! Technically, there are no female Gems! There are only Gems!"<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2e4gmx/i_am_rebecca_sugar_creator_of_steven_universe_and/cjw8e1p</ref> The Gems are called by [[Pronouns#She|she]] pronouns just because it's easy: Sugar said, "There's a 50 50 chance to use some pronoun on Earth, so why not feminine ones-- it's as convenient as it is arbitrary!"<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2e4gmx/i_am_rebecca_sugar_creator_of_steven_universe_and/cjw8ztw/</ref> In a later interview, Rebecca stated outright that "the Gems are all nonbinary women. [...] They wouldn't think of themselves as women, but they're fine with being interpreted that way amongst humans." (She also identified herself as a nonbinary woman in this same interview.)<ref name="TheMind">{{Cite web |title=The Mind Behind America's Most Empathetic Cartoon |work=NPR.org |date=14 July 2018 |access-date=27 October 2020 |url= https://www.npr.org/2018/07/13/628885509/the-mind-behind-americas-most-empathetic-cartoon}}</ref> Furthermore, Gems can temporarily fuse together to become a combined being. In episode "Alone Together", the aforementioned Steven manages to pull off this skill with human girl Connie, resulting in a fusion named "Stevonnie." When asked about Stevonnie's gender, Rebecca Sugar replied that "Stevonnie is an experience! The living relationship between Steven and Connie," describing them as a "metaphor that is so complex and so specific but also really, really relatable, in the form of a character."<ref>http://io9.com/steven-universe-guidebook-spills-the-secrets-of-the-cry-1704470546</ref> [http://steven-universe.wikia.com/wiki/Matt_Burnett Matt Burnett] confirmed on Twitter that Stevonnie uses they/them pronouns,<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413004824/https://twitter.com/mcburnett/status/620637717731217408|archive-date=13 April 2016|title=@Tumble234 Stevonnie uses them/they.|date=13 July 2015|url=https://twitter.com/mcburnett/status/620637717731217408}}</ref> which do get used for Stevonnie in later episodes. Later, in a 2019 public service announcement about self-esteem and social media, which is also part of the canon, Stevonnie is briefly seen scrolling past their Instagram profile, in which they have described themself with the words "nonbinary" and "intersex."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pride.com/geek/2019/6/26/cartoon-network-confirmed-steven-universe-character-intersex|last=Ermac|first=Raffy|title=Cartoon Network Confirmed This ''Steven Universe'' Character Is Intersex|date=June 26, 2019|website=Pride.com|accessdate=September 10, 2019}}</ref> These are both real human identities and conditions, even though Stevonnie's origins are only possible in fiction. | ||
*Izana Shinatose in ''Knights of Sidonia'' is neither female nor male, but has the ability to eventually choose a sex if they fall in love. Izana's uniform is different from that of her classmates, reflecting their lack of gender (while females have skirts and males wear pants, Izana wears shorts). This gender is given the name of "middlesex" in the second season. Izana's body does eventually become female after falling in love with Nagate, against their conscious wishes and to their dismay. | *Izana Shinatose in ''Knights of Sidonia'' is neither female nor male, but has the ability to eventually choose a sex if they fall in love. Izana's uniform is different from that of her classmates, reflecting their lack of gender (while females have skirts and males wear pants, Izana wears shorts). This gender is given the name of "middlesex" in the second season. Izana's body does eventually become female after falling in love with Nagate, against their conscious wishes and to their dismay. | ||
*The Sailor Starlights in the ''Sailor Moon'' anime are male in their human form, but they can change to female when transformed into Sailor Senshi. | *The Sailor Starlights in the ''Sailor Moon'' anime are male in their human form, but they can change to female when transformed into Sailor Senshi. | ||
===Webseries=== | ===Webseries=== | ||