Time Lord Regeneration and Sexuality

[Ace Katz]

I recently comented in the main board asking whether or not a male Time Lord who regenerates as a female or female who regenrates as a male would be considered transgender or transsexual.  That random idea inspired another train of thought about the implications of the possibility of regenerating into a different sex/gender in an understanding of sexuality. So, what are your thoughts?  

I'm not really sure where would be a good place to start, I just thought the topic would be interesting. Sorry.

*NOTES AND DISCLAIMERS*

Just so we're clear, in this discussion, let's assume that regeneration is a given, not a fictional concept. It'll just make discussing it easier.

Just in the name of full disclosure, I am a straight man. I try to be conscious of the privilege that comes with that all the time, but occasionally I am not. I apologize if I fail, and would appreciate it if someone were to point it out to me if it happens.

</notesAndDisclaimers>

I never thought that I would have a discussion like this, online or IRL. Of the people I know who watch DW, very few of them would be willing to have, or be mature enough to have, this conversation, and of the people I know who would be willing and mature enough to have this conversation do. not know enough about Doctor Who.

I am in awe of Nerdfighteria, I'm really glad I found this community. Thanks for providing a forum for this discussion, everybody

[Red McFace]

With regard to your pronoun query, that would only be a problem in certain languages like English that concentrates on gender for third person singulars.  For example the Indonesian for "he goes home," is the same as the Indonesian for "she goes home."  It makes sense since the whole point of a pronoun is that you already know the person you're referring to so why would you need to draw yet more attention to the gender?  It could be the result of our society putting so much weight on the importance of gender in identity.

Sorry I know that doesn't really make a difference to the conversation because it's being discussed in English, I just wanted to geek out.

[Danno]

what the heck, this is an interesting tangent... i admit i know next to nothing of Indonesian culture, but language is only a part of what goes into a society's outlook on any point.  Japanese, for example doesn't distinguish between genders either, linguisticly, yet the culture has been as gender stratified as its western counterparts, at least historically.

[Chloe Amber]

The Doctor even if a girl will be hetrosexual. But I don't think he will be. Unlless River doesn't mind having a
Wife.

[Alix Cohen]

I don't think River would mind...except for the fact that no Doctor will ever be like Eleven, which is the form of the Doctor that she fell in love with. Remember her shock at seeing the Tenth Doctor in "Silence in the Library"--he is quite literally (as in "The Curse of Fatal Death") not the man she married.

Jack, on the other hand, wouldn't mind at all.

[Plottoberry]

Anything with a postcode, after all <3

[Alix Cohen]

Somebody on tvtropes suggested that the "postcode" bit is so Jack can stay in touch with people...like the executioners he mentioned in "The Doctor Dances." lol

[Danno]

thanks for the input Kristen

i would have to see the scenes/episodes of which you speak... but just upon the surface, i'm curious as to the speaker, because governments/societies, as previously stated, have been less than favorable towards alternative sexualities and gender identities historically...when they've aknowledged them at all, so i'm less than inclined to believe this statement made however long ago is necessarily the abolute authority on the matter.

[Alix Cohen]

No, but it's stating a norm. And we've already seen how stagnant Time Lord society is. As far as I know, all Time Lord society can be assumed to have these views because they're a small enough group (supposedly there are mortals living outside the city?). And the Corsair is the only Time Lord of alternate sexuality I know of; perhaps there are transgender proletarians. (Do we know anything about these mortals btw?)

[Sara Izzy Bee]

To be honest I think the point is pretty mute, I mean would a Timelord have a concept of transexual if changing between genders was simple part of they natural lifecycle? The reed frog can change gender according to the number of females or males, and they are not considered transgender, so many something closer to asexual? Obviously not the reproduction but the idea that gender is fluid. Maybe the idea of gender doesnt really exist for timelord in the same was it does for humans.

[Alix Cohen]

I disagree, simply because the Time Lords' society is so stagnant/traditionalist. The first evidence we get of a sex change is in Eleven's mention of the Corsair, which gives me the impression that it was an anomaly. Also, there's so many parallels between Earth society and Gallifreyan society that we can expect them to have the same aristocratic norms that we've had for most of our modern history. Perhaps they are asexual; perhaps the Doctor and Corsair (and maybe Romana) are anomalous in this regard, from having spent a lot of time among lesser sentients. But I don't think so, because we have proof that the Doctor was a baby once.

Also, frogs aren't sentient by our definition of sentience, and the point would be "moot" in an American sense, not "mute" in any sense. Although since we're mooting it about, it's moot in a British sense.

[Sara Izzy Bee]

OH wow thanks I dont know what I would have done if you hadnt pointed out my dsylexia to the internet. Thats just super awesome of you. and if you had read my comment then youd know I didnt say that the frogs dont think theyre transgender, so whether theyre sentient or not is of no consquence

[Alix Cohen]

I'm still not sure what frogs have to do with it, love. And you can keep shouting if you like.