I Thought Of Playing A Transgender Character

[Bartmanhomer]

Hey everyone. I mention this topic in the 3.5 D&D Gitp Discord Server. I'm thinking about playing a transgender character named Ash Drake (True Neutral Male Human Psion). So many people give me so many suggestions for Ash's sex reassignment such as the Cosmetic Transmutation in Eberron which cost 200 GP to have a sex reassignment. Also, this option will make great use of Ash's backstory. This is still a work in progress for Ash's backstory but here goes:

Ash was born a girl at birth. At a very young age, he wanted to become a boy. So when he got older in his teenage years he got a Cosmetic Transmutation for sex reassignment as a boy. He worships Sardior as his patron deity. He met his transgender girlfriend Pamela Chalice (Neutral Good Female Human Psion) and they do divination card reading together. Ash's personality is indifferent, serious, and calm. He always takes a neutral standpoint to develop by knowing the person if he can trust them or not. He doesn't take any sides with anyone.

Ash's backstory still needs work though. So what does anyone else think about Ash Drake? I love to hear your thoughts. :smile:

[bean illus]

I feel the character embodiment when I play, but I always play within a few narrow roles. Like how some actors are typecast.

Playing a chaotic character would be a challenge for me. So would playing a gnome, or an idiot, or a feminine. Playing a female chaotic gnome idiot would be something that I wouldn't know where to start.

But I've noticed that you really like to reach in any direction. You would play a chaotic character, or a lawful one, wouldn't you? Pixie or orc, you just say yes, and jump right into character.

You're fun to watch, like how Johnny Depp just becomes someone different.

But I don't have any advice for Johnny Depp. I just wait for his next character.

[Chronos]

Given that in D&D worlds, and with typical D&D adventurer levels of wealth, it's possible to perfectly change bodily sex, I'm not sure how this would even be relevant. How would Ash be any different from any other male? The only way it would ever come up would be if Ash himself were to tell folks that he used to have a female body, and why would he want to tell them that? That's an aspect of his history that he deliberately chose to leave behind.

[Maat Mons]

It’s funny you mention wanting to be a Psion. There was an article on the Wizard’s site (https://web.archive.org/web/20151102153052/http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070314a) that lets Psions change their bodies to be whatever they want. I like to use it in conjunction with Elan, a race which never dies of old age (see the XPH errata). When you’re 1,000 years old and your natural form looks 80, who wouldn’t want a class feature that can make you look like a hot 20-something? I also like to combine it with Crystal Master (https://web.archive.org/web/20151102164414/http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625d), so you never feel old either.

[St Fan]

The presence of magic and shapeshifters can make the notion of gender identity a lot murkier in a campaign.

If it's common enough, people may not even give it a second thought.

A mere alter self is enough to change sex temporarily.

The Book of Erotic Fantasy has a low-level sex-changing spell, and it can be made permanent.

Changelings, of course, although usually having a gender identity, can be male or female on a simple whim.

[Bullet06320]

transgender has been a thing in dnd for a long while

The girdle of femininity/masculinity first appeared in the original 1979 Dungeon Masters Guide, detailed on page 145.

https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Girdle_of_masculinity/femininity

[Particle_Man]

transgender has been a thing in dnd for a long while

The girdle of femininity/masculinity first appeared in the original 1979 Dungeon Masters Guide, detailed on page 145.

https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Girdle_of_masculinity/femininity

Although it being labelled as "cursed" may not have aged well.

[Crake]

Although it being labelled as "cursed" may not have aged well.

I mean, if it changes to you a gender you DONT identify with, I’d say it being labelled as cursed still fits.

[137beth]

Hmm, this thread topic seems familiar (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?573394-I-m-Planning-To-Play-An-LGBT-Character). I think a lot of the advice in that thread still applies. I particularly like these responses:

Like any sensitive issue there is a chance you might step on toes but I don't think that's a reason you can't do it. As long as you come at it from a place of good intentions and are willing to acknowledge mistakes might be made. And since you are here asking for advice I can only assume that you want to do this as realistically and inoffensively as can be.

Best advice I can think of is to know your audience. You're playing with a small group of friends and not millions of people (probably). My opinion isn't important. Our opinions aren't important. Just the Gm and the other players. If they are comfortable with what you are doing then that's really all that matters.

Other than that other people here have given good advice. LGBT people are just regular people dealing with a society that may or may not see them as fitting in. Regardless of who you are I think everyone has dealt with not fitting in. Sometimes we try to hide the thing that makes us different just trying to get by. Sometimes we project it outward so that we minimize the amount of time we spend with people who aren't receptive and maximize the time we spend with people who are.


I only have two pieces of advice to playing a marginalized sexual orientation/identity:

1. Those who belong to it have a better eye for properly representing such a character as they experience it on a daily basis, compared to those that don't.
2. Expect lots and lots of comments about "forcing" this trait of your character.

[Bartmanhomer]

Hmm, this thread topic seems familiar (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?573394-I-m-Planning-To-Play-An-LGBT-Character). I think a lot of the advice in that thread still applies. I particularly like these two responses:

I forgot about my old thread. It's been a while. :smile:

[redking]

The difference between fantasy sex changes and IRL sex changes is that in fantasy settings, characters can change their biological sex. Once that happens, they are not transgender. Real life transgender tropes would not apply, and it's highly likely that the character would be accepted as a normal member of his sex.

So if the question is "how to play a transgender person identifying as a male in a fantasy setting", the answer is play that character as a male.

[Chronos]

Quoth Crake:

I mean, if it changes to you a gender you DONT identify with, I’d say it being labelled as cursed still fits.
And one general feature of cursed magic items is that Identify or other similar magic often doesn't work properly for them. If you put on a belt because you think it's a Belt of Giant Strength, and it turns out to do something else instead, there's a high chance that you'll be disappointed or worse.

[Drelua]

The difference between fantasy sex changes and IRL sex changes is that in fantasy settings, characters can change their biological sex. Once that happens, they are not transgender. Real life transgender tropes would not apply, and it's highly likely that the character would be accepted as a normal member of his sex.

So if the question is "how to play a transgender person identifying as a male in a fantasy setting", the answer is play that character as a male.

I'd disagree with this, the main definition I've heard is "someone that doesn't identify with the sex they were assigned at birth." That still applies.

I know trans people that have physically transitioned, and others that haven't, if they choose to undergo surgery or hormone treatments, it's so they can be happy with their body, not so they can change their "biological sex," which isn't something that's anywhere near as binary as people make it out to be. Even if surgery with weeks of recovery is replaced with a spell that takes a standard action with no recovery time, they were still raised as a gender they don't identify with. If a woman was raised to be a man, or the other way around, or a non-binary person was raised to be either binary gender, that would effect their behaviour. They were likely taught to do things associated with the gender they were assigned, and not the gender they identify with, so the spell wouldn't swap out that knowledge.

To go for the most obvious example, some people might be more inclined to teach their daughter how to cook or sew than their sons. If their child is a trans woman, they may not have been taught how to do things other women in their community mostly know how to do, and they may know about things mostly men know how to do, like, I don't know, woodworking or fighting. Changing their body doesn't erase that, so I see no reason people wouldn't still be transgender. Gender is about a lot more than just your body.

[Troacctid]

The difference between fantasy sex changes and IRL sex changes is that in fantasy settings, characters can change their biological sex. Once that happens, they are not transgender. Real life transgender tropes would not apply, and it's highly likely that the character would be accepted as a normal member of his sex.

So if the question is "how to play a transgender person identifying as a male in a fantasy setting", the answer is play that character as a male.
I get what you're trying to say, but that's not really what those words mean. Being transgender isn't just having a gender that's misaligned with your body, it's also having a gender that's misaligned with the gender that was originally assigned to you by society. And much like in real life, changing your body to align properly with your gender doesn't erase your lived experience or your transgender status.

Also, the idea that transgender people would simply not exist in fantasy societies because of magic, I mean, it feels like that's taking for granted a lot of assumptions about culture and technology and how magic works in that setting, doesn't it? How widely available is instantaneous sex-changing magic? Does it even exist as an instantaneous effect, or is it going to be vulnerable to dispelling, or tied to a magic item? How accessible is it compared to conventional medical or alchemical treatments that may be cheaper or more widely available, but less comprehensive? And how does someone come to understand that they want to undergo such a transformation in the first place? What is the world like for them before and after transitioning? How does the decision to transition affect their outlook on life? And if sex-changing magic is commonplace and widely available, what implications does that have for that world's culture and society? What's more, to what extent is the magic system inclusive of nonbinary characters, who may want a more androgynous form, or the ability to shift between forms, or the ability to keep their original form but still be perceived differently?

I'm not saying you can't handwave it all away and say everything is fine. I just think the end state of perfect assimilation that you're suggesting doesn't necessarily follow from the premise.

[ManicOppressive]

I don't exactly want to but feel the need to weigh in.

Hi, I'm transgender.

Firstly, 'biological sex' refers to a gamut of traits in the first place and not just to a chromosomal pair that doesn't do as much as most people think it does in the first place. Hormones play most of the role in what most people expect from 'sex' and from a medical standpoint (as in what the doctors who treat trans people list in their documents) a trans woman such as myself is, in fact, 'female' by sex.

That's relevant because, and I'm in the delicate position of attempting to describe any aspect of my own existence inside a typical set of forum politics, we don't all get that. In the non-fantasy, non-magical world we live in, it is meaningfully possible for a transgender person to have their gender identity, endocrinology, and yes, 'sex' brought into very nearly whatever alignment would fit the person's desires, be that hormonal treatments, surgeries, all of the above, or none, and for all of that to result in a person whom society treats like the person they say they are. We don't get that. It's illegal in many countries and heavily restricted and persecuted even where it's legal.

So to suggest that transgender characters wouldn't exist in fantasy is, well, naïve. An Alter Self with a temporary duration is not a cure for gender dysphoria. Make it permanent and an AMF still reminds everyone. And to get that Alter Self you have to live in at least a Large Town, because that's what stock says you have to do to find someone who will cast a 2nd level spell for you, so the vast majority of people living on farms or in villages are out. Oh, and that'll be a minimum of 60 gp. Per casting. So there's the vast majority of any setting out of any capability right there.

And that's for the limited duration Alter Self.

Getting into full, permanent magical body alteration? Sure, it's possible. But it's significantly less accessible to the average person in a world than surgeries and hormones in real life that, again, the majority of transgender people cannot safely and securely access. OP described a 200 gp procedure. 68 ounces of gold. A cool six figures in a modern sense, or at least five no matter how you slice it. Quite comparable, if even quite a bit higher, than what I've spent and will spend.

If, in real life, society truly didn't care and had never cared that I was trans, I could've gotten the medical services that the medical profession agrees I should have a long time ago, and I'd effectively disappear into life as a woman. If society truly didn't care, I'd only need them to the extent that I have dysphoria to be perceived as who I say I am when I say who I am anyway. 'Transgender' is a social construct used to describe me, and it still exists in a world where I have more access to change myself than a peasant in Eberron or Forgotten Realms does, so it should absolutely exist there. Even if you've made a fantasy setting where immediate magical transition can occur, not all trans people desire medical transition even when it's available. Gender identity is a complicated thing, and even cis people would usually benefit from examining their own perceptions about which parts of their body and identity 'make them' their gender, and which ones contrast or clash with it.

Now, should OP play a trans character?

I don't know, sure? I'm not the leader of the transes, do what you want. It's a D&D group, and again, trans people do exist in any world where humans like us exist, even if they're being societally gut punched too hard to let it show. If there are trans people in your group, don't use it to make them uncomfortable and listen to them when they suggest things. If you're playing a trans man, play a man. If you're playing a trans woman, play a woman.

If the society the character is in values them but can't provide them the extreme resources required to bring their presentation in line with that same society's expectations, then they still have the experience of peoples' expectations being often wrong by default, or of people being confused by them; these aren't necessarily traumas, but they inform an attitude. Much like any other roleplaying, this is something that anyone can try to empathize with and approach. Stop trying to imagine wanting to be the opposite sex; start imagining if everyone started treating you like the opposite sex when you didn't want it, no matter what you did. And then roleplay.

If the society is less loving of its differences, then much like in the real world most trans characters will experience persecution. I don't really recommend this if neither you or your DM are in the queer community because you're going to be missing a lot of on the ground, day to day context for what it looks like to exist in a world that rejects your existence and constantly purports to know better than you about your own body and mind. Trauma dramas don't actually benefit anyone, and they lead to skewed views of what people actually go through. Don't make actual peoples' contemporary suffering your fun fantasy flavor element.

In any case, listen to trans people in your life. Don't fetishize our existence. Don't fetishize our traumas. If you're putting good faith into that, then yeah, by all means, blow some peoples' minds with Ash the Psion. It sounds like he's from a background that does let him access resources for transition--he should think about that when he's thinking about what to do with the piles of wealth adventurers inevitably gain. The great thing about a fantasy setting is that one person can affect a whole lot of change for the better.

I'm not going to engage even a little bit with arguments about trans stuff on here--I'm not interested in breaking politics rules, and I'm not really interested in debating my own existence on my 3.5 roleplaying forum of choice in addition to literally every other social situation in my life.

P.S. None of this even gets into shapeshifters--we've been caricatured with them in fantasy since before Tolkien, so please just tread carefully. Consider if, rather than the ability to be 'a man' or 'a woman' at will, shapeshifters might not simply default to a different, less concrete view of gender in the first place.

[ahyangyi]

I get what you're trying to say, but that's not really what those words mean. Being transgender isn't just having a gender that's misaligned with your body, it's also having a gender that's misaligned with the gender that was originally assigned to you by society. And much like in real life, changing your body to align properly with your gender doesn't erase your lived experience or your transgender status.

Also, the idea that transgender people would simply not exist in fantasy societies because of magic, I mean, it feels like that's taking for granted a lot of assumptions about culture and technology and how magic works in that setting, doesn't it? How widely available is instantaneous sex-changing magic? Does it even exist as an instantaneous effect, or is it going to be vulnerable to dispelling, or tied to a magic item? How accessible is it compared to conventional medical or alchemical treatments that may be cheaper or more widely available, but less comprehensive? And how does someone come to understand that they want to undergo such a transformation in the first place? What is the world like for them before and after transitioning? How does the decision to transition affect their outlook on life? And if sex-changing magic is commonplace and widely available, what implications does that have for that world's culture and society? What's more, to what extent is the magic system inclusive of nonbinary characters, who may want a more androgynous form, or the ability to shift between forms, or the ability to keep their original form but still be perceived differently?

I'm not saying you can't handwave it all away and say everything is fine. I just think the end state of perfect assimilation that you're suggesting doesn't necessarily follow from the premise.

Yep, wish and miracle can even undo a reincarnate. The D&D world might have nice sex-changing magic, but the people who are obsessed in "one's sex at birth" somehow also have magical tools to reveal one's original form.

Magic is truly the sword (or wand?) or Damocles.

[redking]

A magically altered person would not experience gender dysphoria. Their biological sex would be congruent with their gender identity, and the only way that you can say that it wouldn't be is if you are claiming that such people are merely confused. I think some of the people in this thread do not realise what they are saying, even though they believe they are coming from a good place.

Anyway, as for role playing transgender characters, it's important to do so for the right reasons. If you've got a solid character concept that will be healthful to your gaming group, go for it. The fact that you are asking for advice suggests that you do not, and you are going to play a stereotype.

[pabelfly]

If you're going to have a character that's transgender, there will eventually reach a point where you can trivially and perfectly resolve your character's transgender identity with money and/or spellcasting levels so they are the sex they want to be. I'm not sure how the rest of your gaming group are going to react to that.

The idea seems to be a potential minefield whose upsides are difficult to see. If you feel your character concept has merit, perhaps you can roleplay that character elsewhere, with a setting and gaming system more designed with such issues in mind.

[Kitsuneymg]

Not even going to attempt to weigh in on the social issues or group issues. That’s y’all’s problem.

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/e-g/elixir-of-sex-shifting/

This item exists. It’s instantaneous. It can’t be dispelled. It’s expensive though. It would make a decent reason someone with body dysphoria to start adventuring. 2250 gp is a lot to a commoner 1. But easily attainable for mid level adventurers.

[Remuko]

A magically altered person would not experience gender dysphoria. Their biological sex would be congruent with their gender identity, and the only way that you can say that it wouldn't be is if you are claiming that such people are merely confused.

just want to chime in to say this isn't true. not even all trans people have dysphoria to begin with, it's not a requirement by any means.

[Troacctid]

Yeah, and even trans people who experience dysphoria very strongly may stop experiencing it after transitioning.

[ahyangyi]

Not even going to attempt to weigh in on the social issues or group issues. That’s y’all’s problem.

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/e-g/elixir-of-sex-shifting/

This item exists. It’s instantaneous. It can’t be dispelled. It’s expensive though. It would make a decent reason someone with body dysphoria to start adventuring. 2250 gp is a lot to a commoner 1. But easily attainable for mid level adventurers.

Good stuff, praise the modernity!

( on the other hand, don't forget this is a game where gender can sometimes have strong mechanical consequences... I'm imagining a Lashunta character might be an Eldritch Knight who uses one gender for “cavalier mode” and the other for “sorcerer mode”... )

[Burley]

Having read the OP and nothing else:

The major pitfall a player can run into when playing a transgender character is playing the "trans" part more than the "gender" part. Ash, probably, doesn't go around saying they're trans, does he? I assume he just uses male pronouns and identifies as male. He is male.

I have a few trans friends, though I would never refer to them as my "trans friends" if they were around. Because transitioning isn't the totality of who they are and they don't want to be seen as "trans." They want to be seen as the gender they are presenting.


So, while your character may have transitioned in his backstory, don't go into the roleplay thinking, "This is my trans-man character." Rather, "This is my character who is a man," is the mindset I'd suggest. If gender or transitioning comes up at the table, and your character is comfortable sharing, share. But, in my experience, people who have transitioned are not generally advertising it.

I think, even using the term "trans" or "transgender" falls into a stickily offensive realm. In much the same way that any other label (gender, sexuality, race) is an "otherism," referring to somebody as trans/gender may feel marginalizing. I, personally, endeavor to remove these labels whenever I can, because it's not my job or my place to define other people.