Questions and answers, #10: Matters of gender.: seanan

Questions and answers, #10: Matters of gender.

As stated in this post, I am answering ten questions about Toby's world in preparation for the release of A Red-Rose Chain. Please note that these are questions about the world, not questions about individual people, things which have not yet happened in the series, or what is coming up in the books. I am no longer taking questions in the comments on the original post.

Our tenth and final question comes from

heavensgardener, who asked...

"I'm curious about Faerie and trans* people: are there any trans* and genderqueer fae, and if there are, how would this be handled legally/socially/etc? "

This is a great question. This is an important question. And this is a question where I am going to begin my answer with a disclaimer. Namely:

The fae are not human. The reason we have a changeling (Toby) as our primary entrance into the world, with a Cait Sidhe as her main love interest, is because in many ways, the older purebloods of the Divided Courts are so inhuman that they are difficult to explain. Some of them, like the Luidaeg, have spent so much time around humans that they've started thinking like humans do, but for the most part, they are intelligent creatures who are not us. Because of this, when I answer questions about the fae, a) I sometimes need to answer for purebloods and changelings separately, and b) an answer that is about purebloods is not a statement of how I necessarily think things work for real humans, in the real world. Okay? Okay.

So:

There are absolutely genderqueer fae. There are fae, such as the Undine, for whom a human form is a choice, and so they go with whatever they feel. Lily identified as female, so she was almost always female when she talked to Toby; there may have been others for whom she took on a male form, or a completely androgynous one. There are other fae who just don't think it's any of your damn business, and conduct themselves accordingly. The only time anyone will ask them to "commit" to a gender is when it's time to have an heir, which means that if they're not in the direct line of descent, they don't have to worry about it. There have been a few surprises when "Daav you know, Daav, doesn't like pronouns, always sort of assumed they had a penis? Yeah, well, Daav's pregnant," but on the whole, it's no big deal.

It's a bigger deal for genderqueer changelings, who exist at about the same percentage that they do in a human population (maybe slightly higher, as they are more likely to encounter positive genderqueer representation if they're growing up in the Summerlands). Changelings living in the mortal world have to deal with mortal shit. Changelings living in the Summerlands are often being raised by their fae parents, and fae parents can be weirdly gender essentialist about kids. IE, "I have wanted a daughter for three thousand years, you are going to wear that dress if it kills you." Sometimes fae parents do this with no concern for their kid's gender identity, because pureblood parents can be absolute assholes.

Trans fae are somewhat less common than genderqueer fae, and most of them, because they live in a magical world, will just go "well, I want transformation magic now," and have done. The only way to get a permanent transformation spell is to get it from one of the Firstborn, but re-casting once every hundred years can seem like a small price to pay.

Some alchemists have figured out how to make what are essentially the magical version of hormone replacements. This is because alchemists tend to prefer slow, steady, permanent solutions to "wave a wand and it's done."

Fae are very respectful of pronouns and gender declarations. The question of succession is usually handled by either naming a brother or sister's child as heir, or training an heir from a completely different bloodline, or marrying someone with whom a child is possible. (For someone using transformation spells, which would provide a complete biological reweaving, at least in the short term, this is easy. For someone using alchemy, this is harder. For someone who has made a deal with the Luidaeg, this ranges from easy to impossible.)

Trans changelings face many of the issues trans humans do, with the added options of using transformation magic or alchemy (and thus tying themselves more permanently to Faerie).

Selkie skins are interesting, because they transform the wearer from human to seal and back based on what their wearer knows themselves to be. So a Selkie who receives their skin will transform for the first time, and then return to an ideal version of themselves. This can mean a change of visible gender, and a great relief to the young Selkie.

bree_ramsey314

August 27 2015, 02:52:12 UTC 1 year ago

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It's amazing how one little tidbit can change your whole perspective. I love visiting Toby's world, but up until this answer there was no way I would ever agree to live in it, were such a thing possible. Now, I think, there's no way you could keep me from going. I'd even be willing to make a deal with the Luidaeg. True, it would probably lead to an ugly end, but even if I only got a few hours, it would be worth it.

seanan_mcguire

August 27 2015, 23:40:04 UTC 1 year ago

I understand that.

heavensgardener

1 year ago

ironed_orchid

August 27 2015, 03:40:15 UTC 1 year ago

I love that you've thought about this.

The bit about Selkies goes straight to my heart.

bunny_m

August 27 2015, 09:29:28 UTC 1 year ago

Indeed.

It gave me a great warm fuzzy, in fact.

Thank you for answering these questions, Oh Gracious Host.

peneli

August 27 2015, 15:17:40 UTC 1 year ago

I love everything you said in this post. The q&a have all been interesting because you've obviously thought about so much that we don't see in the books. But this... This is great.

August 27 2015, 23:40:34 UTC 1 year ago

Yay!

reedrover

August 27 2015, 16:35:43 UTC 1 year ago

and then return to an ideal version of themselves

That is so amazingly wonderful, my heart grew a size just reading it.

August 27 2015, 23:40:45 UTC 1 year ago

wasureneba

August 27 2015, 17:18:35 UTC 1 year ago

Selkies. ♥ This is so great.

August 27 2015, 23:40:54 UTC 1 year ago

Thanks. :)

seabhac_mhor

August 27 2015, 18:46:49 UTC 1 year ago

I was doing just fine (cheering for parts of your explanation, granted) until I got to the bit about the Selkies.

Now I'm a quivering mass of tears and happy. Thank you.

August 27 2015, 23:41:04 UTC 1 year ago

Aw.

_dante_sparda_

August 27 2015, 20:41:33 UTC 1 year ago

This post makes me so, so happy.

August 27 2015, 23:41:13 UTC 1 year ago

petfish

August 27 2015, 21:04:49 UTC 1 year ago

The selkie bit makes me wonder about the Roane. Would this kind of transformation have been part of their ability? Was it inherent (could they only affect their own body) or could they transform others?

This series of answers has been so great, thank you.

August 27 2015, 23:41:30 UTC 1 year ago

No; the Roane possessed no transformation abilities.

taylweaver

August 27 2015, 22:46:41 UTC 1 year ago

The Selkie part is just... wow! That made me so happy to read.

Is it the same for other skin shifters too?

August 27 2015, 23:42:07 UTC 1 year ago

No. Selkie skins were made by massacring the Roane, and as such have qualities not shared by the other skin-shifters.

notalwaysweak

August 28 2015, 00:28:14 UTC 1 year ago

If fae are generally very respectful of pronouns and gender declarations, how come pureblood parents are so gender essentialist? Is there a reason beyond 'sometimes people are arseholes'?

August 28 2015, 00:38:17 UTC 1 year ago

Because even the best, well-meaning pureblood parent, if they have reached the point of having a changeling just so they can FINALLY HAVE A BABY, OH GOD, is likely to view their infant/child as a possession, not a person.

oneminutemonkey

August 28 2015, 01:32:07 UTC 1 year ago

I like how you handle this aspect of the Fae world.

November 5 2015, 04:10:27 UTC 1 year ago

Thanks, darlin'.

gwyd

August 28 2015, 10:55:32 UTC 1 year ago

Thank you so much for this.

November 5 2015, 04:10:36 UTC 1 year ago

Very welcome.

marooux13

August 28 2015, 19:10:13 UTC 1 year ago

A Selkie skins will be the answer in the end, I can feel it.

November 5 2015, 04:10:50 UTC 1 year ago

The answer to what?

August 29 2015, 07:39:11 UTC 1 year ago

Thank you so much for this - it makes me so happy.

November 5 2015, 04:11:04 UTC 1 year ago

I am very glad.

unnisarah

August 29 2015, 21:39:55 UTC 1 year ago

Thanks for the well thought out answer. 😊

November 5 2015, 04:11:14 UTC 1 year ago

bigscary

September 8 2015, 22:06:25 UTC 1 year ago

"For someone who has made a deal with the Luidaeg, this ranges from easy to impossible."
"This can mean a change of visible gender, and a great relief to the young Selkie."

These statements, taken together, are very interesting, and fill me with a nameless dread. It could just be that any mention of a deal with the Sea Witch does so.

November 5 2015, 04:11:45 UTC 1 year ago

In this case, there's no need for dread: individual skins are considered part of the group bargain, not individual deals.

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December 24 2016, 03:37:48 UTC 6 months ago

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Questions and answers, #10: Matters of gender.

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