A Gender/Sex Question

Guest · Dec 3, 2015

Okay... *nervously rubs his hands together*

So, my friends and I really want to create characters together that are based on ourselves and plots about how they meet in this RP ever since we found it, but I some concerns.

I am transgender. This means my gender (mental sex) and my sex (physical sex) do not line up. I want my first character to be the same. Though, on the template for characters, I only see "Gender," which makes me a bit concerned. For me, and most of the LGBT+ community, "gender" now means mental sex rather than physical sex, while sex means physical sex.

Anyway, here's a few questions I would be delighted to have an answer to. c:

1. I know your rules state we can make any kind of character we want, but I have to ask; am I allowed to make a character who is one sex physically, but mentally another and is such defined as transgender?

2. How would the staff (ICly) react to this?

3. As this is a state that is defined as a medical condition and would stress the character out (among other psychological problems), would the Academy do anything to help the character transition their sex so they can be comfortable in their own body?

4. Are the dorms sex-specific? If so, where will they assign the character?

5. Are the uniforms sex-specific? If so, which uniform will they have to wear?

6. What will be the sex written the school records of the student?

7. The existence of transgender people is a hard thing for some individuals to process, and some just refuse to believe it exists due to personal reasons (religion, etc.). If my character is treated any differently in a negative way/bullied because of them being transgender, what will the Academy staff do about it?

8. Is there some way the character can receive some note or something approved by the Headmistress herself that they can discretely show to staff and faculty who call them by the wrong pronoun to inform them otherwise without causing a scene?

9. Lastly, I know you guys work hard to keep this roleplay a safe place, but I do have to ask this as I am a very paranoid and insecure person. Being reassured will calm me a bit. Am I 100% guaranteed that I will not be discriminated against and/or bullied OOCly (ICly is fine. It adds to the story.) for being transgender or for my sexual orientation? (Realistically, I know you cannot control other people, so I will ask a second question here.) If I am discriminated against and/or bullied because of being transgender and/or because of my sexual orientation, what will be done about it?

I thank you kindly for taking the time to read of this, and also for answering my questions.

I hope you have a wonderful morning/day/evening/night. c:

Poppy · Dec 3, 2015

Hello, guest! I am Zero-mod, and, oh gosh. These are all very valid questions, and I understand caution when it comes to these things considering many places online have low tolerance when it comes to minority concerns.

I like to think Starlight Academy is a very safe place when it comes to these stuff. Several of the mods, members, and even characters are transgender. I, myself, identify as genderfluid with they pronouns. Let me pick out your questions one by one.

1. Yes, of course you are! There are already several transgender characters in the community, and they can have as much compelling plots and emotional drama as much as the cis characters. Here are a few examples:

From me, Lei Feng, who transitioned during the course of the RP and is slowly dealing with it. If you're wondering how the RP has treated her, well. She's widely loved and won character of the month. From Kait-mod, you have Chloe Black, Club leader of the Demonic Student Union and former Student Council Member, Kait's signature character.

From our members, we have Tom Marvolo Riddle's Milo Constantin, who is running for Student Council this term. We also have Bowen's Charlie Tempest. And, really, many, many more! Like, wow. Out of the 18 characters in my roster, I only have 1 who isn't LGBTQA+.

2. Most people don't RP out classrooms and students and teachers interacting, but the school staff will write them down as the gender they identify as.

3. I'm sure there are magical means in the Infirmary. They don't have to change their sex to be recognized as their gender, honestly.

4. They are not sex-specific. They're mixed. Male, female and non-binary can room together.

5. They are not sex-specific. In general, as long as elementary to high school wear uniforms, the school isn't really picky. Even cis people can wear uniforms of the opposite sex if they feel inclined. Trans characters can definitely wear what they want.

6. I'm not sure it's important, considering the school records are almost never mentioned IC. It will be their preferred gender, I'm guessing.

7. Bullying transgender characters still counts as bullying. If your character reports the bullying to the guidance counselor or security staff, corrective action will be dealt with.

8. They don't even need to be from the Headmistress! It's a non-issue. SA does its best to make its students feel safe. The teachers will follow whatever pronouns the students want, and if the teacher refuses to abide by it, the student can report them.

9. SA is a pretty inclusive space. It's a large community, so don't expect everybody would be perfect when it comes to issues like this (many are woefully uneducated), but they are trying. If anyone ever makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe about your gender/orientation, please PM the mods and the admin about it and we will take care of it. We don't want you to feel unsafe or bullied. We want you to have fun.

I hope I answered your questions adequately. If you have any others, let us know~

Guest · Dec 3, 2015

Zeronos said:
Hello, guest! I am Zero-mod, and, oh gosh. These are all very valid questions, and I understand caution when it comes to these things considering many places online have low tolerance when it comes to minority concerns.

I like to think Starlight Academy is a very safe place when it comes to these stuff. Several of the mods, members, and even characters are transgender. I, myself, identify as genderfluid with they pronouns. Let me pick out your questions one by one.

1. Yes, of course you are! There are already several transgender characters in the community, and they can have as much compelling plots and emotional drama as much as the cis characters. Here are a few examples:

From me, Lei Feng, who transitioned during the course of the RP and is slowly dealing with it. If you're wondering how the RP has treated her, well. She's widely loved and won character of the month. From Kait-mod, you have Chloe Black, Club leader of the Demonic Student Union and former Student Council Member, Kait's signature character.

From our members, we have Tom Marvolo Riddle's Milo Constantin, who is running for Student Council this term. We also have Bowen's Charlie Tempest. And, really, many, many more! Like, wow. Out of the 18 characters in my roster, I only have 1 who isn't LGBTQA+.

2. Most people don't RP out classrooms and students and teachers interacting, but the school staff will write them down as the gender they identify as.

3. I'm sure there are magical means in the Infirmary. They don't have to change their sex to be recognized as their gender, honestly.

4. They are not sex-specific. Female characters, trans or cis, will be in the female dorms, same goes with male and non-binary.

5. They are not sex-specific. In general, as long as elementary to high school wear uniforms, the school isn't really picky. Even cis people can wear uniforms of the opposite sex if they feel inclined. Trans characters can definitely wear what they want.

6. I'm not sure it's important, considering the school records are almost never mentioned IC. It will be their preferred gender, I'm guessing.

7. Bullying transgender characters still counts as bullying. If your character reports the bullying to the guidance counselor or security staff, corrective action will be dealt with.

8. They don't even need to be from the Headmistress! It's a non-issue. SA does its best to make its students feel safe. The teachers will follow whatever pronouns the students want, and if the teacher refuses to abide by it, the student can report them.

9. SA is a pretty inclusive space. It's a large community, so don't expect everybody would be perfect when it comes to issues like this (many are woefully , but they are trying. If anyone ever makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe about your gender/orientation, please PM the mods and the admin about it and we will take care of it. We don't want you to feel unsafe or bullied. We want you to have fun.

I hope I answered your questions adequately. If you have any others, let us know~

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! I'm glad you guys are so open about this. I'm very excited to create my character with my friends and start RPing. <3

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A Gender/Sex Question

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Poppy

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