Star Trek and Transgenderism

Star Trek Insiders and "outcasts"

This is hardly the beginning or end of the discussion, but it makes for a good starting point, methinks.

Here's what concerns me about the matter: We know that there's not an insignificant number of transgender folk in the human species. Some contemporary estimates place the number of trans folk somewhere between 0.2% and 0.5%, and frankly I suspect we may approach 1% of the worldwide population. That's enough that you'd think a sizable starship should have at least one trans person. So, where are they?

I mean, you could ask the same question about gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, and queer folk in general. It's as if we all were so thoroughly assimilated that nobody can tell we're there, and therefore heteronormativity and cisnormativity hold sway. My interpretation is that we got so good at gender reassignment treatments that most binary-identified trans folk--trans women and men--were able to completely blend into a cisnormative world. But that leaves genderqueers, agender folk, neutrois folk, gender-fluid folk, etc. with nowhere to really go, unless they go through periods of strong identity with one side or another of the gender binary and are able to change gender as quickly and conveniently as humans could be made to pass as Klingon. But again, that's very assimilationist and frankly a little depressing to me.

Any thoughts?

I figure they probably sort out trans people young and it's all good.

I should point out that I'm purposefully excluding the Trill, J'naii, and other "transgendered species" as Data referred to them in Star Trek Nemesis. Not that they are handled all that elegantly either, but I'm speaking to the human experience intentionally. Star Trek introduced a world to the idea of all races and cultures working together as equals, and despite being somewhat hamfisted about it, also suggested gender equality was not that far off. Only its portrayal was flawed as might be expected given that Gene Rodenberry was coming from the perspective of the Civil Rights Movement, Second Wave Feminism, and the Cold War. He probably didn't know about Stonewall (or the riots at Cooper's Donuts and Compton's Cafeteria before that) and even if he wanted to integrate LGBT folk into his vision of the future, he had plenty on his plate to start with. But, I digress.

See, that's what I meant by "assimilationist"--maybe it's "all good" from their perspective, but it's disheartening to think our loyalty to binary gender is so strong that we'd in essence make people fit into that dichotomy.

I think that we're given the short stick in terms of discussing things like this in terms of fans, because we're often focused on one crew - and even then, mostly senior officers. By my rough calculation (I'm no Vulcan), there's about 0.25% chance of us having seen any kind of non-cis, non-hetero senior officer or captain in Star Trek's run thus far. Now, if we step back and go "Wait a minute, this isn't just a matter of statistics - people write these stories, why aren't they writing queer characters?" I think that's a separate issue rather than "Where are the queers in Starfleet?" The former is a real-life question, the latter seems more like an in-universe question.

I'd imagine that people who don't identify with the binary genders (for humans, anyway) are likely free to be who they identify as in the shiny happy Star Trek setting. Their invisibility in canon works is because they are mostly invisible to our modern mainstream culture which is creating these works. (Not to mention trans and queer people are still anathema to the big studios.)

The easy answer would be to point out how ships like a Galaxy Class have over 1000 people onboard and even over 7 years you can only tell stories about a few of them.

A station like DS9 must have several thousand occupants at any one time. So there would be plenty of options for lots like that within them. But finding a reason and compelling story for why you should focus on one or a few who have had that situation and make a good story around them is another matter.

Trek has tried to touch on Gender issues such as that odd late Next Gen episode where they are on a planet of single gender people and Riker ends up falling for a woman who is genetically female and not like the others. The arguement where he is trying to fight against her being forcefully changed away from what she is/wants to be.

If there is ever another proper Trek show I think you would see a gay character and option for such a story. Alas TOS and TNG were still in far too conservative time for it. ie. Kirk kissing Uhura causing outrage back in the 60/70s.
But we would also want a well implemented character if they did. And to really explore those issues the character would have to be part of the main cast. Alas lower ranks only ever get airtime for low budget episodes and rarely get shown for more then a couple of episodes at best, and as such only get the barest hints of character development.
I know you discounted Trill already but they were the easiest way to include that with Dax and the Lesbian present kiss caused from previous relationship.

Edit: Seems that was The Outcast featuring the J'Naii so I guess you already covered that as well...

Not trying to be a stick in the mud here but as far as gender is concerned, all characters except the occasional Ferengi female or Betazoid are all fully clothed making a definitive gender id almost impossible.

Like myself I never make a song and dance about my gender so why should they? We have also seen episodes in TNG where the clothing was worn by both genders so transvestism and the like would also be impossible to spot. In 10 forward we see single sex groups sitting around all the time and so how do we know their sexuality? Peoples professionalism would also likely pretty much eliminate any intimate episodes for most shots we see.

Really I think the entire subject is a non issue and if it were a big part then Trek may never have been the success we see it as today.

Quote by LesleyA

Not trying to be a stick in the mud here but as far as gender is concerned, all characters except the occasional Ferengi female or Betazoid are all fully clothed making a definitive gender id almost impossible.

You're not being a stick in the mud, you're being sensible.

Given the ham-handed way that film and television handle THE CHARACTER THAT IS A WOMAN. . . OR IS SHE? it's something of a relief to me that Star Trek hasn't taken the opportunity to disappoint us.

Sam, I cried for Soren, FWIW. Her story sounded an awful lot like mine, subtracting out the issue of whether her gender had any implication for her sexual attractions. And the J'Naii's treatment of gender is not that far off from the way we humans treat ours, only instead of androgyny there is an insistence on a rigid and immutable gender binary. There are plenty in our society that would love to somehow force trans folk's brains to conform to what they think should match the genitalia--I'm reminded of this fact every time a cis person declares trans folk to be mentally ill, or to claim that reparative therapy can make a trans person cisgender the same way they claim it can make gays and lesbians into straight folk.

Lesley, maybe for you it's a non-issue, but if it were a non-issue for me I wouldn't have brought it up in the first place.

Nova, you're right about the ham-fisted treatment of trans characters in popular culture, but that just means the Star Trek universe doesn't have to do much to be progressive.

Quote by Nova

Quote by LesleyA

Not trying to be a stick in the mud here but as far as gender is concerned, all characters except the occasional Ferengi female or Betazoid are all fully clothed making a definitive gender id almost impossible.

You're not being a stick in the mud, you're being sensible.

Given the ham-handed way that film and television handle THE CHARACTER THAT IS A WOMAN. . . OR IS SHE? it's something of a relief to me that Star Trek hasn't taken the opportunity to disappoint us.

Alas it has already if you count Quark getting made up to appear Female and convince the Ferengi that women can do business. I forget which episode it was, but it was truly dire. That managed to make a mockery of TVs and women in general I suspect in how he portrayed them as well.

Quote by lilithvf1998

Sam, I cried for Soren, FWIW. Her story sounded an awful lot like mine, subtracting out the issue of whether her gender had any implication for her sexual attractions. And the J'Naii's treatment of gender is not that far off from the way we humans treat ours, only instead of androgyny there is an insistence on a rigid and immutable gender binary. There are plenty in our society that would love to somehow force trans folk's brains to conform to what they think should match the genitalia--I'm reminded of this fact every time a cis person declares trans folk to be mentally ill, or to claim that reparative therapy can make a trans person cisgender the same way they claim it can make gays and lesbians into straight folk.

Lesley, maybe for you it's a non-issue, but if it were a non-issue for me I wouldn't have brought it up in the first place.

Nova, you're right about the ham-fisted treatment of trans characters in popular culture, but that just means the Star Trek universe doesn't have to do much to be progressive.

What Trek has tried to do in the past was to show a currant issue from a slant that would allow it to be less human, but still apparent as something and raise questions about it. And you are right about Soren there. That was half the plots point. That was it really right to "help" someone overcome that in that way. In the same way mant today still think you can "pray away the gay" and so on.

Frakes himself apparently said he wanted Soren to be made more masculine in it which would have leant an even stronger male/male gay angle to the story. That came either from the Wiki article on the episode itself or sexuality in Star Trek itself.

Where the Federation itself is meant to be far beyond such issues, but those they encounter may not be and how they will often try to help or at least shed light on why there way is bad.
Classic case is the TNG episode where a colony or genetically "pure" people face extinction until Geordi is able to help reinforce their colony to survive a passing comet fragment. Showing how someone "disabled" who would have never lived in their group actually saves them.

The issue at times like those is when Trek wont go far enough with what it is saying and doing. Often taking the more subtle route or losing the message when it tries to be too subtle.

I admit that a trans character on a mainstream fictional work whose trans-ness (for lack of a better word) is unremarkable and not the defining characteristic of the character would be lovely.

I don't trust Hollywood to do it properly. At all. At (censored) all.

"The crying game" was a good work for doing that. The plot did not focus on the trans issues and in fact only introduced it 1/2 way through. Still one of my favourite movies and songs.

Quote by LesleyA

"The crying game" was a good work for doing that. The plot did not focus on the trans issues and in fact only introduced it 1/2 way through. Still one of my favourite movies and songs.

Yeah, but the way they established Dil was trans was messed up. And in fact here is one of the issues with the way transness is portrayed in general: If you're transsexual and post-operative, nobody will necessarily know you're trans unless you say so, and yet we always find out because OMG UNEXPECTED GENITALIA, leading to "it's really a " and, not uncommonly, violence.

The last movie I saw where I actually felt like a transgender character was treated half-way decently was The World According to Garp, and even that was problematic in its way. At least John Lithgow made clear in interviews that he chose to play Roberta Muldoon because he wanted to play a woman--suggesting that in his mind there's no doubt to him that trans women are women, full stop. Also, Garp's mother obviously had no problems with trans women given she accepted them at her home, and Garp and his family develops a close relationship with Roberta. Her transness is established early, and aside from some initial awkwardness on Garp's part, it becomes a non-issue quickly and remains one until the end.

I think that, in keeping the general views of Gene Roddenbury's utopian future, odds are that transgender, as well as those of sexual orientation, would be dealt with in a manner befitting human dignity. However, as a television program airing in modern times, the stories that the staff choose to tell are just as important as the world that exists in the universe of Star Trek. That they have yet to include this element of diversity is unfortunate and an area where the biases of the times are at odds with the utopian futurist vision of Star Trek.

That message is part of what drew me to Star Trek (once I was old enough to understand it and not be terrified of the Horta). However, I think that the stories that are told are more useful for those in need of learning their lessons than preaching to the choir. That is, those of minority groups see their experience reflected in the story which brings benefit on many levels. Those of majority groups may actually learn something and help to contribute to a public culture of tolerance.

Thanks, everyone, for their feedback on this matter. After much thought on the matter, I decided I should make my STO character openly transgender, and tried to come up with a backstory that might help explain why transgenderism isn't quite so visible in the Star Trek universe. To that end I've written a speech my character could've given upon graduation from the Academy, although I'm not yet sure why she would give such a speech. I'm not quite so arrogant as to presume my character was the class valedictorian, after all. ;)

At any rate, this is a very early draft, so comments and critique are welcome.

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In 2385, my parents received a diplomatic assignment to Earth, and we moved to Seattle, close to my grandfather Jace. I was terrified of the change, as up to that point all I had known was Betazed. But the moment I met my Grandpa Jace I fell in love with him, and I didn't want to leave his side. I remember browsing Grandpa Jace's library which included a number of novels written in the 20th Century in the curious genre known as "science fiction." These novels puzzled and unsettled me. Some presumed there was no other sentient life known, but humanity--and the notion chilled me. But almost all of them were fairly unscientific on some level. Although most of the authors demonstrated a basic understanding of scientific principles, eventually the authors would introduce some made-up conceit, and often that conceit would prove vital to the storyline. Grandpa Jace finally explained it to me in a way that cleared up all my concerns and gave me fresh appreciation for the books. "They're not really about sceince," he said in his gentle yet deep voice. "They're about human beings. They're about how we'd think and act if things were different. You could say they're thought experiments for the human condition. The only reason why science fiction is no longer popular is because science fact these days change us faster than authors can keep up."

I think it was that insight of his, coupled with my affection for him, which led me to trust him with a secret that, today and for now on, will never be secret again. You see, my fellow classmates, I was declared a boy at birth. On Betazed transsexuality is very rare for reasons that I still can't quite explain, even after trying to find an answer for much of my life. But other species, including humans, have transgender behavior to one degree or another. Perhaps it's my partially human heritage that accounts for this. But the few times that I tried to tell my parents that I thought I was really a girl, they would tell me that I was plainly mistaken--although with much unease on their part. Grandpa Jace was different. His best friend, I found out, was declared a girl at birth but proved to be a boy. He also told me that Earth medical technology could help me grow up to be a woman. He introduced me to his friend, and he helped me understand myself and to come to peace with my understanding. But still, I hid all this as well as I could from my parents, certain they would not understand.

Then puberty began, and with it, my paracortex developed--and between the distress of testosterone and my unmastered telepathy, I lost my ability to keep my true self a secret. My parents reacted harshly at first. After all, my family includes members of the Fifth House, and parents worried that the news would somehow compromise the Fifth House itself, bringing strife to a typically peaceful society. But Grandpa Jace apparently knew members of the Fifth House, and had one of them, Ambassador Lwaxana Troi, intervene. Ambassador Troi endorsed Grandpa Jace's plan to have me undergo surgery. But there was a caveat: My family and I were to remain on Earth until I had matured enough that the average Betazoid, without any aforehand knowledge of my past, would not know I was transsexual. I'm honestly not sure whether I cried harder than my parents, but in the end it was a sacrifice I had to make.

I was renamed Kestra, a name suggested by Ambassador Troi, after her departed daughter. She once told me her daughter had been guided by the Fates to be reborn as me, so similar was my personality to her daughter's. In honor of her help, and as a reflection of my destiny on Earth, I took on her first name as my middle name. I had a fairly conventional girlhood after that, only slightly complicated by my resistance to courtship by boys. I continued to spend as much time as I could spare with my Grandpa Jace, reading his library, especially his "thought experiments for the human condition," and as a side-effect, developing my interest in sociology and in space exploration. It was inevitable, then, that I'd enlist in Starfleet. But I credit my beloved parents, Ashiel and Tommatiel Litalto, my grandfather, Jace McPhearson, and of course the Daughter of the Fifth House, Ambassador Troi, for giving me what I needed to make it this far. I thank my mentor, Admiral Riker, for helping me through his Human insight on Betazoids. I thank my instructors, who were as patient and gentle yet as strict as my own parents. And, not least of all, I thank you, my classmates, for inspiring me to push myself towards excellence, for being my friends, and I hope, for being there with me in the future as we all boldly go where no one has gone before. Thank you.

You are a very talented writer!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue

Thanks, SiranNataan!

Nova, care to describe what you think is unrealistic or hackneyed? I'm certainly up for specific constructive criticism.