Nonbinary gender in fiction: Difference between revisions

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==Nonbinary genders in fiction==

* Milo, from the ''Danger & Eggs'' animated series, is a minor nonbinary character played by the [[agender]] voice actor [[Tyler Ford]].<ref>''[https://www.autostraddle.com/danger-and-eggs-is-the-greatest-weirdest-queer-and-trans-inclusive-kids-show-ever-382906/ “Danger & Eggs” Is The Greatest Weirdest Queer-and-Trans Inclusive Kids Show Ever]'', Autostraddle, July 2017.</ref>

* Shep in ''Steven Universe Future'' is a human nonbinary character (as opposed to the Gems who are nonhuman, see [[Nonbinary_gender_in_fiction#Fictional_sexes|Fictional sexes section of this page]]). Shep uses [[singular they]] and is voiced by [[Indya Moore]].

* Envy from ''Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood'' is genderless and uses they/them pronouns.{{citation needed}}

* Yuta "Yū" Asuka (飛鳥 悠, Asuka Yūta) from the Tokyo Broadcasting System anime series ''Stars Align'' had a short arc that touched on how they were [[questioning]] their gender identity. During this, they tell Maki that they want to be referred to with [[gender neutral language]] and that they think they are [[X-gender]] but don't want to be categorized.  

*''Luna: Wolf Moon'' and ''Luna: Moon Rising'', also 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>

*''Crooked Words'' by K. A. Cook has several short stories about characters who are explicitly said to be nonbinary. The character Chris cultivates an androgynous appearance, and asks to be called by [[Pronouns#they|"they" pronouns]]. Chris is in the short stories "Blue Paint, Chocolate and Other Similes" and "Everything In A Name."<ref>K. A. Cook, ''Crooked Words.'' Unpaged.</ref> In "The Differently Animated and Queer Society," the queer-identified characters Pat and Moon go by "[[Pronouns#Ze|ze, hir]]" and "[[Pronouns#Ou|ou]]" pronouns, respectively.<ref>K. A. Cook, "The Differently Animated and Queer Society." ''Crooked Words.'' Unpaged.</ref> In "Misstery Man," the self-described non-binary character Darcy asks to be called by "[[Pronouns#Ey|ey and eir]]" pronouns.<ref>K. A. Cook, "Misstery Man." ''Crooked Words.'' Unpaged.</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>Kameron Hurley, "Beyond He-Man and She-Ra: Writing nonbinary characters." https://intellectusspeculativus.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/guest-post-beyond-he-man-she-ra-writing-non-binary-characters-by-kameron-hurley/</ref>

*In a short sci-fi story by Benjanun Sriduangkaew, "[http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/sriduangkaew_12_13/ Silent Bridge, Pale Cascade]" (2013), one of the characters is described as a "[[neutrois]]," and called by "they" pronouns.<ref>Alex Dally MacFarlane, "Post-Binary Gender in SF: ExcitoTech and Non-Binary Pronouns." June 3, 2014. ''Tor.'' http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/06/post-binary-gender-in-sf-excitotech-and-non-binary-pronouns</ref><ref>Benjanun Sriduangkaew, "Silent Bridge, Pale Cascade." ''Clarkesworld Magazine.'' 2013. http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/sriduangkaew_12_13/</ref>

*The graphic novel ''Test'', written by Chris Sebela, has a nonbinary main character named Aleph Null. [[Singular they]] pronouns are used for Aleph, and in a character bio on them, it says "Gender: Various given."<ref name="comi_Test">{{Cite web |title=Test: An Interview With Chris Sebela |author= |work=Comics Pit |date=13 August 2019 |access-date=27 October 2020 |url= https://comicspit.com/2019/08/13/test-an-interview-with-chris-sebela/}}</ref>

*''[https://tapas.io/series/Friends-With-Benefits1/info Friends With Benefits]'' is a webcomic that revolves around a genderfluid asexual person, Eri, who is struggling with his love life. (Eri is pronoun indifferent, and [[he/him]] is used by other characters for Eri.)

* ''Supergirl #19'', co-written by Steve Orlando and [[Vita Ayala]], introduces a nonbinary character named Lee Serano.<ref name="StewartCK">{{Cite web |title=Authentic Trans & Nonbinary Representation in Comics Requires More Than Just a Plot Twist |last=Stewart |first=C.K. |work=Paste Magazine |date=23 March 2018 |access-date=15 November 2020 |url= https://www.pastemagazine.com/comics/the-backstagers/authentic-trans-nonbinary-representation-in-comics/}}</ref>

*[https://assignedmale.tumblr.com/ Assigned Male], a webcomic revolving around a trans girl and often addressing trans issues, has some nonbinary characters, for example Ciel, who also stars in a spinoff novel.

*[https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/wish/list?title_no=71914 Wish] is a fantasy webcomic starring Seth who self describes as a "dashing enby".<ref>https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/wish/the-story-begins-/viewer?title_no=71914&episode_no=3</ref>

===Movies ===

===Plays===

*In [[Rhiannon Collett]]'s play ''Wasp'', the protagonist Wasp is [[genderqueer]] and is to be played by only nonbinary actors.<ref name="mqli_Wasp">{{Cite web |title=Wasp |author= |work=Marquis Literary |date= |access-date=9 May 2020 |url= http://mqlit.ca/plays/wasp/}}</ref>

* In the play ''Wink'', written by Neil Koenigsberg, the title character is nonbinary.<ref name="Wink">{{Cite web |title=New play "Wink" gives non-binary actor a chance to shine |last=King |first=John Paul |work=Los Angeles Blade: America's LGBT News Source |date=14 December 2018 |access-date=22 August 2020 |url= https://www.losangelesblade.com/2018/12/14/new-play-wink-gives-non-binary-actor-a-chance-to-shine/}}</ref><ref name="Wink2">{{Cite web |title="Wink": Timely Story of Homeless LGBTQA Youth Comes to New York Stage |last=Ryan |first=Jed |work=HuffPost |date=April 2017 |access-date=22 August 2020 |url= https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wink-timely-story-of-homeless-lgbtqa-youth-comes_b_58f522d6e4b048372700daa3}}</ref>

*The Canadian magical-realism comedy series ''The Switch'' features a non-binary character, Chris, who uses "zie/zir" pronouns, and works as an assassin.

*The Amazon mini-series ''Good Omens'' features the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and Pollution (who replaced Pestilence at some point in the past few centuries) is nonbinary, and is referred to as "sir" by another character and with they/them pronouns by the narrator. They are played by Lourdes Faberes.

*Bishop in the Fox drama series ''Deputy'' is nonbinary canonically, thanks to a suggestion by the character's actor [[Bex Taylor-Klaus]] who is also nonbinary.<ref name="Bentley">{{Cite web |title=Bex Taylor-Klaus Hopes Their Nonbinary 'Deputy' Character Will Save Lives |last=Bentley |first=Jean |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=14 February 2020 |access-date=23 April 2020 |url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/bex-taylor-klaus-deputy-binary-reveal-1279351 }}</ref>

*On ''One Day at a Time'', Syd (played by Sheridan Pierce) is the nonbinary romantic partner of Elena. Syd uses [[singular they]] pronouns and is uncomfortable with binary-gendered terms such as "girlfriend".<ref name="Heim">{{Cite web |title=What is "non-binary"? Learn from our favorite TV characters|last=Heim |first=Bec |work=Film Daily |date=26 March 2020 |access-date=24 April 2020 |url= https://filmdaily.co/news/non-binary-tv-characters/}}</ref>

* In the live-action remake of ''Cowboy Bebop'', Grencia Mars Elijah Guo Eckener, nicknamed Gren, is nonbinary and played by nonbinary actor [[Mason Alexander Park]].<ref name="RomanoCB">{{Cite web |title=Cowboy Bebop live-action series officially makes anime character Gren nonbinary |trans-title= |last=Romano |first=Nick |work=Entertainment Weekly |date=19 November 2020 |access-date=19 November 2020 |url= https://ew.com/tv/cowboy-bebop-gren-nonbinary-mason-alexander-park/ |language=EN}}</ref>

* The drama series ''P-Valley'' follows several people who work at a Mississippi strip club named "The Pynk". The club's owner is Uncle Clifford, a nonbinary [[genderfluid]] person who uses [[she/her]] pronouns.<ref name="P-Valley">{{Cite web |title=P-Valley's Nicco Annan on Black queerness, serving looks, and why 'femininity is total strength' |author=Opie, David |work=Digital Spy |date=7 December 2020 |access-date=18 December 2020 |url= https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a33132271/p-valley-nicco-annan-uncle-clifford-katori-hall-interview/ |quote=And Uncle Clifford is a beautiful, black, non-binary queer who identifies with the pronoun 'she'. She's very gender fluid.}}</ref> Uncle Clifford is played by Nicco Annan, an out gay man.<ref name="esse_Meet">{{Cite web |title=Meet Nicco Annan: 'P-Valley's' Uncle Clifford Who's Giving Us Life |last=Penrice |first=Ronda Racha |work=Essence |date=27 July 2020 |access-date=18 December 2020 |url= https://www.essence.com/entertainment/meet-nicco-annan-p-valleys-uncle-clifford-whos-giving-us-life/ |quote='As a Black man and as a Black gay man, it's very seldom that I get the opportunity to tell such a rich, lush story that really means something and that I really feel speaks to my community and can uplift us," he says of ''P-Valley''. }}</ref>

* The British comedy ''Maxxx'' has a nonbinary character named Roxx (played by Sonny Charlton), who uses [[they/them]] pronouns and is a romantic interest of Amit.<ref name="Maxxx">{{Cite web |title=Hulu's 'Maxxx' Features a Refreshing Nonbinary Romantic Interest |last=Henderson |first=Taylor |work=Pride.com |date=5 August 2020 |access-date=4 March 2021 |url= https://www.pride.com/tv/2020/8/05/hulus-maxxx-features-refreshing-nonbinary-romantic-interest}}</ref>

* BBC America's ''The Watch'' (2021) features Cheery Littlebottom, who is referred to by they/them and she/her pronouns and is played by [[Jo Eaton-Kent]] (who is trans and whose pronouns are also they/them and she/her).

*In ''Tokyo Afterschool Summoners'', the player can set the protagonist's gender to male, female, or "other", regardless of which appearance they choose. The character Arc is also referred to with they/them pronouns in the official English translation.

*In the MMORPG ''Runescape'', there is an NPC who can change the player character's avatar from male to female or female to male, as well as change the player's skin color. The NPC also switches their own avatar's "sex" at 10-second intervals. They are officially called "The Makeover Mage", but in a 2006 letter they wrote "My name is Pete, or Peta, depending on my mood", implying they may be [[genderfluid]], [[bigender]], or some other type of nonbinary.<ref>https://runescape.wiki/w/Makeover_Mage</ref>

* In ''The Oregon Trail 4th Edition'', the character Hattie Caulfield identifies as neither a man nor a woman.{{citation needed}}

* In the furry drama video game ''Goodbye Volcano High'' (to be released 2021), the protagonist Fang uses [[they/them]] pronouns and is voiced by nonbinary actor [[Lachlan Watson]].<ref>https://store.steampowered.com/app/1310330/Goodbye_Volcano_High/</ref>

* In the 2020 adventure game ''Bugsnax'', scientist Floofty Fizzlebean is nonbinary and uses [[singular they]] pronouns ([[Gender neutral language in Polish|onu/jenu]] in the Polish translation<ref>{{cite tweet|user=neutratywy|number=1329918251560787968|title=ekipa http://zaimki.pl miała zaszczyt i przyjemność pomóc w tłumaczeniu gry Bugsnax @YoungHorses na język polski[.] występującu tam naukowcu, Floofty, jest niebinarnu i używa dukazimów (http://zaimki.pl/onu)|date=20 November 2020}}</ref>). They are voiced by nonbinary actor [[Casey Mongillo]].<ref name="dist_Meet">{{Cite web |title=Meet the Voice Acting Cast Behind 'Bugsnax' |author=Belcher, Sara |work=Distractify |date= |access-date=9 December 2020 |url= https://www.distractify.com/p/bugsnax-cast}}</ref>

* In the visual novel ''Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of the Forest'', the character Kim is nonbinary and referred to using they/them pronouns. Their in-game character description begins by referring to them as "A nonbinary activist from Berlin."

* Ash in ''Wandersong'' uses they/them pronouns and has been confirmed as nonbinary by creator Greg Lobanov.<ref name="pink_9kic">{{Cite web |title=9 kick-ass video game characters you probably never knew were non-binary |last=Johnson |first=Shakeena |work=PinkNews |date=17 February 2021 |access-date=20 February 2021 |url= https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/02/17/non-binary-video-game-characters-bloodhound-apex-legends-lgbt-gaming-fl4k-borderlands-3/}}</ref>

* In ''Hades'', the NPC Primordial Chaos is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns.<ref name="pink_9kic" />

=== Board and card games ===

===Books and other literature===

*The Children of the Triad fantasy novel series by Laurie Marks includes a genderless species. The books are ''Delan the Mislaid'' (1989), ''The Moonbane Mage'' (1990), and ''Ara's Field'' (1991). The title character and protagonist of the first book is a member of that species.<ref>''All our worlds: Diverse fantastic fiction.'' http://doublediamond.net/aow</ref>

*''[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/466375.Commitment_Hour Commitment Hour]'' by James Alan Gardner features a culture who switch between male and female sexes once a year until their 21st birthday, when they are asked to choose whether they want to stay forever as male, female, or both.

*The ''Culture'' series by Iain M. Bank is centred around a postgender civilisation.

*M. C. A. Hogarth's science-fiction series about the Jokka, an alien species that can randomly change sex twice at puberty, with three sexes, and three corresponding gender roles: female, male, and neuter. The neuters can't reproduce, but since they're the least vulnerable to succumbing to "mind death" (a kind of stroke that afflicts any member of their species if they exert themselves too hard), their place in society is to do work that requires a hardy body and a good memory. Several main characters don't like the sexes they ended up with, and could be seen as transgender. The main character in the short story "Freedom, Spiced and Drunk" wishes to be neuter; details aren't possible without spoiling the story.

*''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Left_Hand_of_Darkness The Left Hand of Darkness]'' by Ursula K. Le Guin is a classic science fiction novel published in 1976 featuring a race of people whose sexes become male or female only briefly for reproduction, and whose genders can be a variety of masculine, feminine, both or neither.

*Bard Bloom's World Tree is a setting with no human species, and many of the intelligent species in that setting have fictional sexes, such as co-lover, both-female, and so on. This includes the protagonist of a book in that setting, ''[http://www.amazon.com/Sythyrys-Journal-Chronicle-Transaffection-Adventure/dp/1451562934 Sythyry's Journal]'', which was first serialized as a blog starting in 2002. Sythyry is a member of a dragon-like species who are all "hermaphrodites" (and not analogous to real-life intersex conditions), and don't identify as female or male. In World Tree society, species is more important than gender, so same-gender relationships are seen as unremarkable, but cross-species relationships are seen as queer, which is a significant plot element in that book. The setting also has a role-playing game handbook, ''World Tree: A role playing game of species and civilization'' (2001). A romance novel in the setting, ''[http://www.amazon.com/MARRIAGE-OF-INSECTS-novel-World/dp/1890096369 A Marriage of Insects],'' deals with the relationships of a group of Herethroy, an insect-like species that has three (arguably four) sexes: male, female, co-lover (a sex necessary for males and females of that species to reproduce), and both-female (a socially unaccepted variant sex, indeterminate between female and co-lover).

*In ''Static'', a romance novel by L. A. Witt, there have always been a marginalized minority of humans capable of changing sex instantly and at will, known as "shifters." Shifters are usually, though not always, genderfluid, having different gender identities at different times, including male, female, and other genders. (Though they only have the ability to change between two sexes.) Alex, one of the protagonists and part of the lead romantic pair, is a genderfluid shifter who is the victim of medical assault to force them to remain in one form, but continues to be genderfluid and experience dysphoria.

*In ''Cardcaptor Sakura'', a manga series by CLAMP, beings who were created by magic are canonically said to be neither female nor male. They're sexless, but may prefer a gender expression that is female, male, or androgynous. This includes some main characters, but it would be spoilers to say who and how. This is also the case in the anime based on the manga, of the same name.

*''[[Wikipedia:The Sandman (Vertigo)|The Sandman]]'' by Neil Gaiman and various artists - seminal graphic novel series, as recommended in [[Nonbinary_celebrities#Kate_Bornstein|Kate Bornstein]]'s ''My New Gender Workbook'' as having "Lots of good gender play." One character, Desire, is a being who can have any sex or gender.

*In ''[http://spectracomic.smackjeeves.com Spectra]'', a science fiction comic by Cori Walters, the main characters are members of an alien species that has one sex, and all people voluntarily choose which of several gender roles they identify with. Outside of the story, Walters said, "They only have one physical sex but they have three socially enforced genders (or four if you count young children, who are seen as genderless until they choose their role in society.) For simplification reasons, in the comic the three main ones are referred to as he, she, and ne. The 'male' role is that of destruction, the 'female' is that of creation, and the third gender is that of preservation." The comic started in 2013 and is still in progress.<ref>''Spectra.'' [http://spectracomic.smackjeeves.com http://spectracomic.smackjeeves.com/]</ref>

* The comic series ''Crash and Burn'' involves "a genderless race of bird-like aliens" called the ornos.<ref>https://www.comixology.com/Crash-and-Burn/comics-series/78750</ref>

===Movies ===

===TV (live-action)===