Non-binary-sex gender equivalents in fantasy gaming

[marsden_online]

Stupid humans, always judging first if you can give birth and not how hard you can swing an axe. Easy to fool.
- Orc warrior

It is a strangeness of humans that so many of their cultures define and even segregate persons first by whether they possess the physical attributes to bear child and only then how skilled they are at their craft, often assigning primacy to one or the other sex.
- Dwarven sage

Pity the short-lived races trapped in expressing only one portion of themselves based on accident of birth, without the time to master the bodys secrets and wholly fulfil all the self.
- Elven shaper

In the real world gender is very much a cultural construct, in western society currently very tightly tied to the popular sexual binary. I've a vague theory that this is both a luxury and a (hopefully) temporary curse of having time to think about such things and no ability to change them.

I'm aware that non "western" societies have different sets of gender constructs and admit to not knowing much about those, so I'm going to look at a few hypothetical fantasy races, still assuming a sexual binary*, to see where similar conflicts of identity might arise. In all of these it can be assumed that some concept of male/female exists but is generally of as much significance as hair or eye colour is to us.

* for non-binary ideas see my Alternate Reproductions series.

Disclaimer: my understanding of gender issues is flimsy at best so I apologise in advance for any terrible faux-pas / offence made in this writing in regards to real-world issues.

Orcs

For orcs and other races whose existence tends to be "nasty, brutish and short" whether or not you can whelp is secondary to what you can do to aid the tribe's survival right now. If you're good at swinging an axe you are a warrior (which humans for some reason often interpret as synonymous with "male"). If you have have a healers touch or are good with pups (which humans for some reason often interpret as synonymous with "female") or can turn anything which is scavenged into a non-poisonous edible meal - you primarily do what you are good at and your identity is tied up in this.

In this situation the closest equivalent to "gender" (if the concept exists at all) might be a caste based system linked to the common tasks and challenges faced by the tribe. Those who have yet to display a particular talent would be generally regarded as non-gendered "children" and by physical maturity might find themselves potentially locked into an assigned role for life.

You would make a good orc woman!
- Orc warrior genuinely trying to compliment the priest tending their wounds

Dwarves

Some versions of dwarves particularly the more hirsute ones have practically no difference in the secondary sex characteristics* between male and female. Once again this leads to a cultural mindset where what you do on a daily basis is the first definition of your person. Most dwarvish cultures seem to have a high amount of repetition in "day-to-day" life (as much as "day" has any meaning underground) with individuals focused on highly repetitive tasks to the point of perfection.

Just as with orcs a dwarf might find him or herself locked into a role they no longer feel suited for, but the structure of dwarven society would make it even more difficult to change ones path than the more adaptable orcish one.

*[aside] ]It's possible that some races which live in the dark but lack the macguffin of darkvision might develop their secondary characteristics to be more recognisable by feel as a simple evolutionary trait. Just sayin'.

Elves

In contrast to the previous two singularly skill-focused examples the long-lived elves have time to dabble and experiment in all professions and expressions which catch their fancy. They are also often portrayed as universally fair and somewhat androgynous (lacking in secondary sex characteristics). And they have access to and time to develop magic to shape their own ()or others) bodies much as they shape the forests around them. (This ties into a post still in draft form about the relevance of gender as a social construct in a world where your sex can be completely functionally changed by magic.)

So the elves assess a person by the whole of their lifes achievements in whatever fields and much time (from a human perspective) is taken up on meeting in recounting these achievements "good" or "bad" by way of an introduction.

So what of an elf who would prefer some significant part of their past to be forgotten? Introducing oneself with a list of deeds far shorter than would be expected for your apparent lifespan would be met with a raised eyebrow at least, and good luck trying to persuade others to omit these details in their introduction of you.

~~~
Of course in most games the obvious tension which would play out is in the interaction of any of these cultural viewpoints with the "dominant human" norm. But it doesn't hurt to think about what other struggles with self-definition a non-human character might be facing.

Recommended reading on binary-sex gender expression struggles in a dwarven society : Terry Pratchett's The Fifth Elephant and other Discworld books featuring Cheery Littlebottom.

Concluding quote because I didn't have anywhere else for it.

What if a warrior is with child? I do not understand the question. They will grow it to whelping for the tribe; warriors bear strong children; or if not they can chew the red-root to excrete the pup before it matures.
A warriors life is pain, giving birth is simply another battle to be faced and won.
- Orc warrior.