What if we could swap sexes at will?

[Kato]

So, since the "What if we were hermaphrodites?" thread was kind of popular there's a related question I've been asking myself:

What if every person could choose their gender? Yeah, I guess it kid of comes down to the specifics of how this would work but let's imagine the biologically least plausibly case of everyone having a male and a female identity and just being able to transform into the other at any point in time. (Though, we should probably exclude all kind of kinky ideas this scenario might give rise to )

Obviously, this is all based on speculation but I'm just curious what you people think and what you personally would do if you were able to just become (fe)male whenever you want.

[Killer Angel]

It would be decisely more fun.

[sktarq]

the fashion industry would love it.

[Ravens_cry]

I'd love it.

[Pyromancer999]

Kind of depends. What would the opposite sex form look like? Would it be like the person with different....you-know-whats, or like the same person if they had been born the opposite sex? Would various looks for the opposite sex form change(i.e. female to male changes hairstyle to shorter hair, clothes change from male to female with sex-switch)?

Few variables to consider.

I am thinking about this way too logically.

[mistformsquirrl]

So, since the "What if we were hermaphrodites?" thread was kind of popular there's a related question I've been asking myself:

What if every person could choose their gender? Yeah, I guess it kid of comes down to the specifics of how this would work but let's imagine the biologically least plausibly case of everyone having a male and a female identity and just being able to transform into the other at any point in time. (Though, we should probably exclude all kind of kinky ideas this scenario might give rise to )

Obviously, this is all based on speculation but I'm just curious what you people think and what you personally would do if you were able to just become (fe)male whenever you want.

I would love it. I'm gender-fluid so, my identity fluctuates. Some days I feel more masculine, other days, more feminine - probably the latter more than the former, but still, both are definitely present. Being able to shift to match my current feeling would be a great boon.

[Coidzor]

Well, either that'd make us all trans* or no one trans*, I suppose, depending upon how you looked at it.

Alternatively, as a worst case scenario, transgender individuals would be really screwed, since they'd trade having one form of gender dysphoria for another whenever they switched.

[Kato]

I am thinking about this way too logically.

Considering I went with the most convenient/least realistic approach... Yeah
Well, in my head I would really go for the magical transformation of complete looks change, except clothing. (We need to keep it somewhat realistic )

I would love it. I'm gender-fluid so, my identity fluctuates. Some days I feel more masculine, other days, more feminine - probably the latter more than the former, but still, both are definitely present. Being able to shift to match my current feeling would be a great boon.

I wouldn't call myself sexually fluid but... I don't think I'd have an issue with being born a woman? Or suddenly turning into one? Well, I think I wouldn't like the monthly health problems but otherwise I don't think I'd miss being a man and it seems if not convenient at least interesting to think about it.

Well, either that'd make us all trans* or no one trans*, I suppose, depending upon how you looked at it.

Alternatively, as a worst case scenario, transgender individuals would be really screwed, since they'd trade having one form of gender dysphoria for another whenever they switched.

Well, that's obviously a way to look at it. Though I guess maybe some people would decide to rather stick with one gender while others vary depending on their mood? So I guess there'd still be kind of differences. Possibly.

As for the second point... I don't think I want to touch on that

[Astrella]

Female, stick at female. No reason to go with a body that makes me dysphoric.

[Eulalios]

John Varley was fascinated by this question; many of his novels consider it. Also a pretty good semi-hard sci fi author.

[Ghost Nappa]

I'd have better racial abilities than I do right now.

[Coidzor]

I wouldn't call myself sexually fluid but... I don't think I'd have an issue with being born a woman? Or suddenly turning into one? Well, I think I wouldn't like the monthly health problems but otherwise I don't think I'd miss being a man and it seems if not convenient at least interesting to think about it.

Well, that's obviously a way to look at it. Though I guess maybe some people would decide to rather stick with one gender while others vary depending on their mood? So I guess there'd still be kind of differences. Possibly.

As for the second point... I don't think I want to touch on that

Point, I imagine it would be a not unpopular choice to use the ability to switch sexes to avoid menstruation/ovulation, though once you get into the messy details of tubes and gametes things get, well, messier. I suppose the simplest thing would be either pregnancies would be kept intact during the transformation to le male or they'd go into stasis in whatever L Space the bits that weren't in use go to, allowing pregnant women to take vacations from being pregnant. Without going dark anyway.

I think we'd have to delve into metaphysics or some other body of philosophy to try to properly address it, yeah. Almost assuredly there'd be people who never or almost never made use of the ability just as there'd be people who changed as often as was physically possible.

A bit of a dark place, yeah.

I'd have better racial abilities than I do right now.

Considering we'd actually have something other than a bonus feat and skillpoints which don't translate into the system we're using anyway. XD

[Tengu_temp]

Alternatively, as a worst case scenario, transgender individuals would be really screwed, since they'd trade having one form of gender dysphoria for another whenever they switched.

I'm pretty sure that's not how being trans works.

[Castaras]

I'd try out being a guy for a couple of days. Be interesting. Think the first three things I'd do would be pee, wank, and have sex.

Would switch back pretty quickly though, I can't imagine being a guy would be something I'd enjoy.

[Coidzor]

I'm pretty sure that's not how being trans works.

Not in this world, no, but we don't exactly have the ability to change both our sex and our gender at a pop, either.

One unpleasant interpretation of having female gender identity + FAAB body and male gender identity + MAAB body and being able to switch both at the same time is that if one were starting off as a male gender identity + FAAB body and one switched both, then one would end up with a female gender identity + MAAB body. Another interpretation is that no such individuals could exist. Or that gender identity itself couldn't exist.

If the changing of gender identity wasn't included, this wouldn't really be something that could be conceptualized though.

[Gnome Alone]

I'd like to take this opportunity to plug Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness to anyone interested in this kind of question. One of its major themes is a thought-experiment about what we'd be like if we were usually androgynes but went into a sex-frenzy and randomly morphed into being male or female for a few days every month. Has lots to say about gender identity and so forth.

[Proud Tortoise]

Point, I imagine it would be a not unpopular choice to use the ability to switch sexes to avoid menstruation/ovulation, though once you get into the messy details of tubes and gametes things get, well, messier. I suppose the simplest thing would be either pregnancies would be kept intact during the transformation to le male or they'd go into stasis in whatever L Space the bits that weren't in use go to, allowing pregnant women to take vacations from being pregnant. Without going dark anyway.

In some books with shape-shifters, they are unable to change gender while pregnant.

[Togath]

I would love it. I'm gender-fluid so, my identity fluctuates. Some days I feel more masculine, other days, more feminine - probably the latter more than the former, but still, both are definitely present. Being able to shift to match my current feeling would be a great boon.

I'd find it nice as well

[druid91]

Meh. I'd never use it. until I did need to use it to sneak past people.

[AtlanteanTroll]

Might try it for sex once or twice, but eh.

[Talya]

Think the first three things I'd do would be pee,

Seriously, this would make bathroom breaks so much easier.

wank, and have sex.

Would switch back pretty quickly though, I can't imagine being a guy would be something I'd enjoy.

I have a girlfriend I'd love to learn about from a man's perspective.

[AtlanteanTroll]

Seriously, this would make bathroom breaks so much easier.

Not really. You'd have a flood of women turned men all hammering for the guy's room.

[Randomguy]

Not really. You'd have a flood of women turned men all hammering for the guy's room.

Would there even be a guy's room in such a society?

[TrueJordan]

John Varley was fascinated by this question; many of his novels consider it. Also a pretty good semi-hard sci fi author.

I'm a big fan.

Although Mammoth was my favorite, and it had no gender swapping.

[Aedilred]

Would there even be a guy's room in such a society?

Well, it depends.

If this were a change that applied to our existing society going forward, then I imagine there would still be sufficient people who wouldn't make use of the facility (or would do so once as a short experiment then change back permanently) and would prefer to retain the option to use separate-sex toilet facilities.

If we're imagining an alternate universe where this was always the case, then who knows; it's so far outside the experience of anyone currently alive that it's almost impossible to judge. I suspect the existence of sexed toilets is a consideration quite a long way down the list in the list of comparisons.

[EmeraldRose]

Well...would one be able to switch before having whatever unpleasant things are associated with either sex/gender, and have only the benefits of either? Or would it be all or nothing? Would the switch be at will or precipitated by something?

[Skeppio]

I'd be far happier, that's for sure.

[Lord Raziere]

personally? I'd turn female. then not turn back ever again, unless I need to disguise myself.

societally? well this pretty much makes which sex you are a choice. and while I don't see quite as much sex-based inequality as before since people wouldn't be able to make any assumptions about the opposite sex- they can BE the opposite sex whenever they want- humanity has shown they can be just as hateful and discriminatory based on things you choose.

in older societies, gender would be seen as what part of the reproductive process you participate in, whether your going to be the wife or the husband, and marriages would be some affair where your parents pressure you to change to another gender to marry some other person. or other societies they might look at it from a purely pragmatic viewpoint and change their gender according to the needs of the community without much caring for their personal stake in the matter.

some societies would probably view at as a lifestyle choice, as a sort of signifier of what you do-sure you can go be a warrior, just turn male. when you get back from war, you can turn back to female again. these societies would probably be bewildered by the term "gender equality" since to them, the entire point of gender is that they're not equal and that they are designed for different purposes- since they can choose whichever sex they want, they'd view themselves as already equal and gender as just as options they have instead of a permanent thing that is apart of their identity.

however thats all old-world stuff, what about the modern stuff? I think people would still be sexualized, its just that both sexes would be sexualized so as to advertise to you no matter what form your in, homosexuals might still face prejudice because its possible that the sex-changing humans wouldn't like it on some wrong-headed "if you like the other person so much, why don't you change sex?" reasoning.....

but other than that, its fuzzy. you simply cannot tell how much this change would affect everything. if its from the dawn of time to now, I'd lean more towards everything drastically changing than not though.

[lord pringle]

It seems like it would be really good for anyone who is trans, and pretty fun for most other people. I personally would enjoy being able to become a woman for a bit, and just seeing what it was like.

[Rain Dragon]

Considering the way gender identity works, I think the majority of people would not hop back and forth like bunny rabbits. Even though everyone would have the potential to be both at various points in their life, once the novelty wore off there would still be a lot of people who say 'I am a guy' or 'I am a lady'. As has been mentioned, the way society views gender fluid, gay and bisexual folk would still need to be resolved.