Trans Discussion Thread V: Catgirls Don't Need Litterboxes

[Punished UMN]

Centrism Populism is a hell of a drug

Fixed it for you.

Populism is just radicalism for people who aren't thoughtful enough to understand politics, while centrism is the default opinion for people who aren't thoughtful at all.

[Forsher]

I legit went through the exact same thing she did.

I just started playing female characters more but could never explain why. At first I thought it was because I just wanted to create beautiful women I was attracted to (which is still true) but then I started justifying it to myself by saying there aren't many female MCs in media at all and that I liked the idea of strong, independent female characters (both of which are also true) then I told myself it was because the male characters always had crummy voices (which is, again, still true) and then I just stopped trying to justify it entirely and said "because I feel like it, that's why" and now... well... I think I was subconsciously trying to tell myself something.

The only games I played as a kid that let you choose a gender for your character were the Pokemon games, and even then, I was too afraid my grandparents (the term "helicopter parents" does not adequately describe them) would snoop around and find it and ask me why I was playing a girl, or that my friends would notice (though I was virtually never able to play with them with any of my games) and pick on me for it.

Once I felt safe being able to play games as a girl character, though, I felt incredibly comfortable. FemShep is the only true Shep, FTR.

What about games where the different avatars had different benefits? For example, perhaps the lithe (and female) avatar is faster than the big (and male) one, but is less durable?

4. agender.

4. Anyone who lacks a gender identity.

This reminds me, I was recently talking about LGBT superheroes and I wanted to bring up Xavin from Runaways (the comics version) as an example of a genderfluid character. I did, but immediately afterward I thought... hmm, not sure that's right any more.

For those you who don't know, Xavin is a Skrull, which means they can shapeshift. When Xavin's originally introduced they present as male, but then pretty immediately shapeshifts into a a female form one learning that their betrothed (it's an arranged marriage thing) is a lesbian (and, also, a different kind of alien that only recently learnt she wasn't human). The comics then spend ages in this "what gender is Xavin really" state of mind, which tends to boil down to "ah-hah! you reverted to a fe/male form!" dynamic... uncool but they did it... before basically killing Xavin off (they transform into their betrothed to go do time for her; for whatever reason the Majesdanians appear to take sins of the father very literally and since both of Karolina's parents were dead...). Xavin has basically not been mentioned since (and this was something like ten years ago). Yay! (Nicolina is possibly the fan... and, we assume, the current writer's too since they've canonised it... preferred ship, so having Xavin around gets in the way of that, you see.)

In any case, if you ignore how the other characters engage with the gender (sex?) question there are two things to note. Firstly, Xavin is pretty much the only shapeshifter in Marvel Comics like this... the others all have a standard presentation (true form), most famously Mystique. In fact, I'm pretty sure Xavin is unique in this but I leave the possibility of someone similar open. Secondly, Xavin is very clearly comfortable as male, female, Skrull or (usually black) human and mixes and matches, whilst also showing what I guess you might call internalised patriarchal beliefs (i.e. choosing male forms to engage with the external world explicitly for reasons like "men are less questioned" or "men are more dominant" and so on).

(I also think Xavin doesn't like the "ah hah!" true formism but I can't remember that for sure.)

So, my question, is that genderfluidity or is it something else?

[The Rich Port]

I'm sure they're out there, but it seriously makes me question the veracity of the "The Leftists/Liberals Started The Cultural War" shit I hear so many reactionaries call to defend their aggression.

while this is not really the thread for it in depth
this only works for young reactionaries whose first exposure to the culture war was early YouTube Buzzfeed feminism videos
for practically everyone else, no

In my experience, it's kind of a big demographic, unfortunately.

Remember GamerGate? I know it's hard to but it's a reactionary movement nonetheless.

[Kowani]

while this is not really the thread for it in depth
this only works for young reactionaries whose first exposure to the culture war was early YouTube Buzzfeed feminism videos
for practically everyone else, no

In my experience, it's kind of a big demographic, unfortunately.

Remember GamerGate? I know it's hard to but it's a reactionary movement nonetheless.

indeed, GG was the beginning of the modern generation of reactionaries

[Kowani]

Good news: Florida's transgender sports bill seems to have just died in the Senate

I regret to say this was too optimistic

Florida Republican leaders in the Legislature used some last-ditch maneuvering Wednesday night to revive and approve a controversial ban on transgender athletes participating in women's sports at the high school and college levels.

The move sparked anger and emotional debate from Democrats in the House and Senate, surprised by the language added as a late amendment in the House to charter school legislation.

The House earlier this month approved the ban – but it failed to advance in the Senate, until made part of the charter school bill lawmakers were eager to approve before the session ends Friday.

The Senate balked at moving forward with the ban after the NCAA warned it might move championships out of locations where they felt student athletes were not treated with “dignity and respect.” “I ask you please, kill this. We don’t need this,” said Sen. Victor Torres, D-Orlando, who said he has a transgender grandchild.

Transgender female athletes would be limited to playing coed sports or on teams with male athletes under the legislation, which restricts female teams to individuals identified as female on their birth certificate.

The bill applies to high school and college sports sponsored by public schools, including intramural and club teams. Opponents Wednesday said the ban targets a fragile community of young Floridians struggling to come to grips with their gender. It also involves only a small group of transgender women and girls who may want to play sports.

Indeed, in the House, supporters cited no examples from Florida where transgender female athletes had a competitive advantage.

The measure now goes to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is likely to sign it into law. Florida is among some 30 states where Republican lawmakers have seized on the transgender athlete issue after it was highlighted at February’s Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando.[...]
The measure was approved by the House 79-37, in a mostly party-line vote. Just over two hours later, the Senate OK’d the bill 23-16 along party lines.

Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, said the legislation (SB 1028) was needed to assure that female athletes of all ages are able to compete fairly and without the competitive advantage supporters said was inherent to an athlete born male.

“To think about my daughters competing against biological males rubs me the wrong way,” Perry said. “It’s just wrong.”

Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, also defended her support for the ban.

“You can sit here and say there’s no difference between men and women. If that’s not the case, then why do we have the bills we have to protect women when it comes to assaults and rape…we know that men are stronger than women,” she said.

“This is not against trans-women….but they are stronger than the other women on the team. There are studies that have shown they are stronger,” she added.

Under the bill, an athlete’s gender would be defined based on the sex assigned to him or her on their birth certificate. But Republican lawmakers backed away from earlier provisions that would have allowed schools to verify a student’s birth gender by a medical inspection of an athlete’s genitals.

Elementary school students also were dropped from the ban. Still, Democrats were unmoved.

[North Washington Republic]

In my experience, it's kind of a big demographic, unfortunately.

Remember GamerGate? I know it's hard to but it's a reactionary movement nonetheless.

indeed, GG was the beginning of the modern generation of reactionaries

GamerGate was unfortunately a very successful bait and switch campaign by the far-right. I must say, the far-right are unfortunately quite successful at recruiting young white men that are...in social groups that are typically looked down upon by the general society. This includes(and I’m speaking as a person on the spectrum) young white men on the autism spectrum.

[Lady Victory]

In my experience, it's kind of a big demographic, unfortunately.

Remember GamerGate? I know it's hard to but it's a reactionary movement nonetheless.

indeed, GG was the beginning of the modern generation of reactionaries

I still don't even know what GamerGate was all about...

[Kowani]

indeed, GG was the beginning of the modern generation of reactionaries

I still don't even know what GamerGate was all about...

bullshit version: ethics in gaming journalism
reality: women in gaming spaces, power structures, the "community and culture" of gaming (as it relates to women), harassment...

it is, i think, the most consequential 4chan astroturfing campaign pulled off in the modern day

[New haven america]

indeed, GG was the beginning of the modern generation of reactionaries

I still don't even know what GamerGate was all about...

"Ethics in Game Journalism."

Basically a game developer named Zoe Quinn got accused by an ex BF of cheating on him with people in game review companies to get better scores on her games, this caused a fight on Twitter that drew in the likes of Youtubers Anita Sarkeesian and Sargon of Akkad (Because they had nothing better to do) to yell at each other for ~2 years over ethics and sexism in gaming and society in general. This included doxxing, death threats, rape threats, kidnapping threats, attempted property damage, actually property damage, etc...

There was even a Law and Order SVU episode made about it, where Ice-T plugs Kotaku.

[Lady Victory]

I still don't even know what GamerGate was all about...

"Ethics in Game Journalism."

Basically a game developer named Zoe Quinn got accused by an ex BF of cheating on him with people in game review companies to get better scores on her games, this caused a fight on Twitter that drew in the likes of Youtubers Anita Sarkeesian and Sargon of Akkad (Because they had nothing better to do) to yell at each other for ~2 years over ethics and sexism in gaming nd society in general. This included doxxing, death threats, rape threats, kidnapping threats, attempted property damage, actually property damage, etc...

There was even a Law and Order SVU episode made about it, where Ice-T plugs Kotaku.

So did Quinn actually do that or is it just one of those "he said"/"she said" things where we have no real way of knowing? That, to me, seems like the most important detail that could potentially render everything after it totally irrelevant.

[Dumb Ideologies]

indeed, GG was the beginning of the modern generation of reactionaries

I still don't even know what GamerGate was all about...

Broadly speaking, it was the idea that progressive feminist types, the gaming press and devs were colluding with each other to elevate the influence of particular individual creators and critics, but also particular ideological perspectives in which "gaming culture" and "gamers" were defined as a social problem to be "fixed". This social problem was to be solved by constantly fanning moral panics about misogyny and working together to give critical coverage of games that weren't progressive in their message and praise those that promoted "diversity" and "equality" or had a diverse dev team, even if those games were not very good.

In my opinion, some of the more rational critics had somewhat of a point, at least in terms of the cushy ties between journalism, devs and to some extent the diversity advocates. However, this being the internet, some people decided to constantly bombard alleged guilty parties with death and rape threats. Which did a lot of work in making gaming indeed look pretty problematic and in need of cultural change to people who had previously been on the fence about it.

[Lady Victory]

I still don't even know what GamerGate was all about...

Broadly speaking, it was the idea that progressive feminist types, the gaming press and devs were colluding with each other to elevate the influence of particular individual creators and critics, but also particular ideological perspectives in which "gaming culture" and "gamers" were defined as a social problem to be "fixed". This social problem was to be solved by constantly fanning moral panics about misogyny and working together to give critical coverage of games that weren't progressive in their message and praise those that promoted "diversity" and "equality" or had a diverse dev team, even if those games were not very good.

In my opinion, some of the more rational critics had somewhat of a point, at least in terms of the cushy ties between journalism, devs and to some extent the diversity advocates. However, this being the internet, some people decided to constantly bombard alleged guilty parties with death and rape threats. Which did a lot of work in making gaming indeed look pretty problematic and in need of cultural change to people who had previously been on the fence about it.

To be fair, you could make a 3 minute YouTube video saying soda is bad for you and people will still send you death/rape threats. Some people think it's funny, other people think they're tough, other people think they're being cool/edgy. Almost none of them have the balls to actually go through with it.

[New haven america]

"Ethics in Game Journalism."

Basically a game developer named Zoe Quinn got accused by an ex BF of cheating on him with people in game review companies to get better scores on her games, this caused a fight on Twitter that drew in the likes of Youtubers Anita Sarkeesian and Sargon of Akkad (Because they had nothing better to do) to yell at each other for ~2 years over ethics and sexism in gaming nd society in general. This included doxxing, death threats, rape threats, kidnapping threats, attempted property damage, actually property damage, etc...

There was even a Law and Order SVU episode made about it, where Ice-T plugs Kotaku.

So did Quinn actually do that or is it just one of those "he said"/"she said" things where we have no real way of knowing? That, to me, seems like the most important detail that could potentially render everything after it totally irrelevant.

He said/She said at best.

[Lady Victory]

So did Quinn actually do that or is it just one of those "he said"/"she said" things where we have no real way of knowing? That, to me, seems like the most important detail that could potentially render everything after it totally irrelevant.

He said/She said at best.

Then it sounds like it was all blown out of proportions and there's really no reason to make a big huff of it.

[New haven america]

He said/She said at best.

Then it sounds like it was all blown out of proportions and there's really no reason to make a big huff of it.

But Anita and Sargon wanted to yell at each other.

[Lady Victory]

Then it sounds like it was all blown out of proportions and there's really no reason to make a big huff of it.

But Anita and Sargon wanted to yell at each other.

Relatable. I'd like to yell at both of them myself.

[Forsher]

indeed, GG was the beginning of the modern generation of reactionaries

I still don't even know what GamerGate was all about...

A lover's spat. No, seriously.

As I remembered it Quinn was a piece of shit but it seems like the boyfriend she was (supposedly) cheating on revenge porned them, which I remembered as being an online screed with no porn elements that accused them of sleeping their way to the top. Why? Well, the problem was that one of the people Quinn was involved with was a journalist involved with a game review website and Quinn was a game developer (the journalist definitely hadn't made a positive review of any of Quinn's work). As to the nude photos, I can't tell if that was the ex or not.

In any case, after a while, people stopped using GamerGate to refer to the inciting incident but instead of the whole mess that developed from it. Why was there a mess? Well, basically, two things. One, bad actors. Two, people ascribing motivations to other people and conflating them with other people. If you believed the ex, then there was very much something to be outraged about. Of course, people shouldn't have believed the ex... and the ex even tried to clarify this... but acting like there's nothing to be concerned about in "developer slept with journalist while in a relationship" is fucked. Every part of that is wrong. And because the internet is the internet, they probably dredged up as many related examples as they could find to show there was something more than a single example.

The conflation and so on naturally pissed off people who were outraged about the original accusation, which is how you get the whole It'S AboUt EthICs iN GaMe JOurNaLisM meme.

The point is GamerGate is very, very far from:

indeed, GG was the beginning of the modern generation of reactionaries

I don't know how old you are Kowani so maybe you won't remember but things were already fucked two years before GamerGate. Here's some greatest hits from the NSG Years, note the wholehearted similarity to GamerGate:

• "Misogynist" the new (N-word)... compare TERF or even "okay, boomer"
• Feminists destroy posters advocating human rights for men
• Feminist mob attempt to shut down discussion on equality
  Rape and Death Threats: What MRAs Really Look Like... this is contemporaneous (or near enough) with Anita Sarkeesian

And I could continue but maybe NSG was just really weird and it's my reference point. But even if it was, it shows that people were ready for something and it shows the world that was out there before GamerGate.

So, the answer to "what was GamerGate?" is two different things. It's like the difference between assassinating an ostrich and a global war, except for some reason we tend to treat them as being the same.

But it was definitely never about ethics in game journalism.

[Nakena]

indeed, GG was the beginning of the modern generation of reactionaries

I still don't even know what GamerGate was all about...

Internet drama going viral and then out of proportion and then straight nuclear.

So did Quinn actually do that or is it just one of those "he said"/"she said" things where we have no real way of knowing? That, to me, seems like the most important detail that could potentially render everything after it totally irrelevant.

That is nearly impossible to dertermine and in the end probably didn mattered anymore either.

[The Rich Port]

I still don't even know what GamerGate was all about...

Broadly speaking, it was the idea that progressive feminist types, the gaming press and devs were colluding with each other to elevate the influence of particular individual creators and critics, but also particular ideological perspectives in which "gaming culture" and "gamers" were defined as a social problem to be "fixed". This social problem was to be solved by constantly fanning moral panics about misogyny and working together to give critical coverage of games that weren't progressive in their message and praise those that promoted "diversity" and "equality" or had a diverse dev team, even if those games were not very good.

In my opinion, some of the more rational critics had somewhat of a point, at least in terms of the cushy ties between journalism, devs and to some extent the diversity advocates. However, this being the internet, some people decided to constantly bombard alleged guilty parties with death and rape threats. Which did a lot of work in making gaming indeed look pretty problematic and in need of cultural change to people who had previously been on the fence about it.

You know what I'll go ahead and say, maybe some of the more "feminazi" people were problematic themselves.

But yeaaaaaaah, it's funny how that works don't it. Starting to think Anita Sarkeesian was right all along, regardless of her own issues, which frankly in my opinion were not that serious. From what I understand about her donation scandal, she ended up doing the videos, it just took her way longer than she said it would.

In the end I'm glad that cooler heads prevailed... Or more that Donald Trump and the alt-right ruined euphemistic politics and now everyone with any morals and standards is on high alert for fascist and reactionary rhetoric, especially LGBTQ people, who stand to gain very little from either the current gaming/Internet community and reactionary politics.

[Punished UMN]

Then it sounds like it was all blown out of proportions and there's really no reason to make a big huff of it.

But Anita and Sargon wanted to yell at each other.

Yeah the sexual tension between those two is palpable.

[Kowani]

Texas Senate passes bill to classify gender-affirming medical treatment for transgender children as child abuse

The Texas Senate passed a bill Tuesday in an 18-12 vote that would classify providing gender affirming health care to transgender minors as child abuse — just one of the Legislature’s many attempts to prevent transgender children from transitioning before their 18th birthday. Senate Bill 1646 is among several other bills that advocacy groups say erode the rights of transgender Texans. Authored by Lubbock Republican Sen. Charles Perry, it amends the definition of abuse under Texas Family Code to include administering or consenting to a child’s use of puberty suppression treatment, hormones or surgery for the purpose of gender transitioning.

But it’s unclear what the legislation’s chances are in the House, where another major bill targeting transgender children appears to have stalled. In a Senate committee hearing, SB 1646 attracted over four-and-a-half hours of public testimony from LGBTQ Texans, their parents and several state and national medical associations opposing the bill’s intrusion into intimate medical decisions. Social workers also testified the bill could put more transgender children into the foster care system, where they face elevated rates of suicide and depression.

Perry argued in floor debate that the bill was necessary to prevent children from making irreversible decisions that they may regret later, but experts say both parts of that claim are questionable.[...] Perry rebuffed criticism of the data and asserted that he could not "in good conscience" allow families to make the decision to medically transition their children.

"As well intended as our medical profession is, and the folks that get tied up in these conversations and discussions and things, they have decided that they're smarter than our Creator," he said on the floor.

But Maya Stanton, a 10-year-old transgender Texan, previously told the State Affairs committee that she felt being transgender was a purposeful act of God. "I used to say, 'I think God made a mistake and put me in the wrong body,'" she testified. "But now I realize God put me in this body for a reason, which was to teach people like you about diversity, tolerance and how people can be different."

In a similar vote earlier this month, the Senate passed Senate Bill 29, legislation that would force transgender students to participate in school sports based on the sex originally labeled on their birth certificate.

That bill has been sitting in a House committee since the Chair Harold Dutton (D), told the Houston Chronicle its identical House companion bill likely didn’t have the votes to make it to the full lower chamber. In the Senate, both the floor vote and committee vote on SB 29 were split directly down party lines, with every Republican voting for and every Democrat voting against. In both cases, Republican majorities pushed the bill forward despite backlash from LGBTQ Texans and business leaders.

But once the bill reached the house, Speaker Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, assigned the Senate bill to the Public Education Committee instead, where its House companion had been sitting since the end of March. The day after SB 29 was assigned to the committee, House Bill 4042 was heard by the committee’s six Democrats and seven Republicans.

If the House bill had gone through the State Affairs committee like its Senate equivalent, it would have faced a 8-4 Republican majority. Instead, it went before what Houston Republican Rep. Dan Huberty, who was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated Saturday, called “the most bipartisan committee we have in the Texas House” during the hearing. However, Phelan, who assigns bills to committees, may have difficulties making the same maneuvers for other bills, like SB 1646.

The Speaker did not return a request for comment, but previously told Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith in a podcast interview last session that he didn’t support bills “bashing” LGBTQ Texans.

“It’s completely unacceptable,” he said at the time. “This is 2019.”

Last week, the House Public Health committee, made up of six Republicans and five Democrats, narrowly passed a bill that would ban children from receiving gender affirming medical care, such as puberty suppression treatments or hormones. That bill hasn’t yet come up on the House floor.[...] Even if the bills pass through committee and floor votes in each house, they’ll still need to be signed by Gov. Greg Abbott to become law. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed legislation that would ban transgender women from school sports, and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson vetoed another piece of legislation that would ban gender affirming medical care for transgender youth. Hutchinson’s veto was later overturned by the Arkansas legislature. [...]
Abbott did not return a request for comment.

[Lady Victory]

Texas Senate passes bill to classify gender-affirming medical treatment for transgender children as child abuse

The Texas Senate passed a bill Tuesday in an 18-12 vote that would classify providing gender affirming health care to transgender minors as child abuse — just one of the Legislature’s many attempts to prevent transgender children from transitioning before their 18th birthday. Senate Bill 1646 is among several other bills that advocacy groups say erode the rights of transgender Texans. Authored by Lubbock Republican Sen. Charles Perry, it amends the definition of abuse under Texas Family Code to include administering or consenting to a child’s use of puberty suppression treatment, hormones or surgery for the purpose of gender transitioning.

But it’s unclear what the legislation’s chances are in the House, where another major bill targeting transgender children appears to have stalled. In a Senate committee hearing, SB 1646 attracted over four-and-a-half hours of public testimony from LGBTQ Texans, their parents and several state and national medical associations opposing the bill’s intrusion into intimate medical decisions. Social workers also testified the bill could put more transgender children into the foster care system, where they face elevated rates of suicide and depression.

Perry argued in floor debate that the bill was necessary to prevent children from making irreversible decisions that they may regret later, but experts say both parts of that claim are questionable.[...] Perry rebuffed criticism of the data and asserted that he could not "in good conscience" allow families to make the decision to medically transition their children.

"As well intended as our medical profession is, and the folks that get tied up in these conversations and discussions and things, they have decided that they're smarter than our Creator," he said on the floor.

But Maya Stanton, a 10-year-old transgender Texan, previously told the State Affairs committee that she felt being transgender was a purposeful act of God. "I used to say, 'I think God made a mistake and put me in the wrong body,'" she testified. "But now I realize God put me in this body for a reason, which was to teach people like you about diversity, tolerance and how people can be different."

In a similar vote earlier this month, the Senate passed Senate Bill 29, legislation that would force transgender students to participate in school sports based on the sex originally labeled on their birth certificate.

That bill has been sitting in a House committee since the Chair Harold Dutton (D), told the Houston Chronicle its identical House companion bill likely didn’t have the votes to make it to the full lower chamber. In the Senate, both the floor vote and committee vote on SB 29 were split directly down party lines, with every Republican voting for and every Democrat voting against. In both cases, Republican majorities pushed the bill forward despite backlash from LGBTQ Texans and business leaders.

But once the bill reached the house, Speaker Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, assigned the Senate bill to the Public Education Committee instead, where its House companion had been sitting since the end of March. The day after SB 29 was assigned to the committee, House Bill 4042 was heard by the committee’s six Democrats and seven Republicans.

If the House bill had gone through the State Affairs committee like its Senate equivalent, it would have faced a 8-4 Republican majority. Instead, it went before what Houston Republican Rep. Dan Huberty, who was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated Saturday, called “the most bipartisan committee we have in the Texas House” during the hearing. However, Phelan, who assigns bills to committees, may have difficulties making the same maneuvers for other bills, like SB 1646.

The Speaker did not return a request for comment, but previously told Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith in a podcast interview last session that he didn’t support bills “bashing” LGBTQ Texans.

“It’s completely unacceptable,” he said at the time. “This is 2019.”

Last week, the House Public Health committee, made up of six Republicans and five Democrats, narrowly passed a bill that would ban children from receiving gender affirming medical care, such as puberty suppression treatments or hormones. That bill hasn’t yet come up on the House floor.[...] Even if the bills pass through committee and floor votes in each house, they’ll still need to be signed by Gov. Greg Abbott to become law. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed legislation that would ban transgender women from school sports, and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson vetoed another piece of legislation that would ban gender affirming medical care for transgender youth. Hutchinson’s veto was later overturned by the Arkansas legislature. [...]
Abbott did not return a request for comment.

Texas confirmed for unbased and cringe.

[Grenartia]

The only games I played as a kid that let you choose a gender for your character were the Pokemon games, and even then, I was too afraid my grandparents (the term "helicopter parents" does not adequately describe them) would snoop around and find it and ask me why I was playing a girl, or that my friends would notice (though I was virtually never able to play with them with any of my games) and pick on me for it.

Once I felt safe being able to play games as a girl character, though, I felt incredibly comfortable. FemShep is the only true Shep, FTR.

What about games where the different avatars had different benefits? For example, perhaps the lithe (and female) avatar is faster than the big (and male) one, but is less durable?

I don't even know any games like that currently.

4. Anyone who lacks a gender identity.

This reminds me, I was recently talking about LGBT superheroes and I wanted to bring up Xavin from Runaways (the comics version) as an example of a genderfluid character. I did, but immediately afterward I thought... hmm, not sure that's right any more.

For those you who don't know, Xavin is a Skrull, which means they can shapeshift. When Xavin's originally introduced they present as male, but then pretty immediately shapeshifts into a a female form one learning that their betrothed (it's an arranged marriage thing) is a lesbian (and, also, a different kind of alien that only recently learnt she wasn't human). The comics then spend ages in this "what gender is Xavin really" state of mind, which tends to boil down to "ah-hah! you reverted to a fe/male form!" dynamic... uncool but they did it... before basically killing Xavin off (they transform into their betrothed to go do time for her; for whatever reason the Majesdanians appear to take sins of the father very literally and since both of Karolina's parents were dead...). Xavin has basically not been mentioned since (and this was something like ten years ago). Yay! (Nicolina is possibly the fan... and, we assume, the current writer's too since they've canonised it... preferred ship, so having Xavin around gets in the way of that, you see.)

In any case, if you ignore how the other characters engage with the gender (sex?) question there are two things to note. Firstly, Xavin is pretty much the only shapeshifter in Marvel Comics like this... the others all have a standard presentation (true form), most famously Mystique. In fact, I'm pretty sure Xavin is unique in this but I leave the possibility of someone similar open. Secondly, Xavin is very clearly comfortable as male, female, Skrull or (usually black) human and mixes and matches, whilst also showing what I guess you might call internalised patriarchal beliefs (i.e. choosing male forms to engage with the external world explicitly for reasons like "men are less questioned" or "men are more dominant" and so on).

(I also think Xavin doesn't like the "ah hah!" true formism but I can't remember that for sure.)

So, my question, is that genderfluidity or is it something else?

*shrug*

[Odreria]

Centrism Populism is a hell of a drug

Fixed it for you.

Those are not the same thing.

[Lady Victory]

Fixed it for you.

Those are not the same thing.

Frankly I'm still trying to figure out what grills have to do with centrism or populism.