Is it possible to write a genderless character?

[Prettygurl12]

I'm not talking about a third gender or someone who is non-binary or anything like that, but is it possible for the main character of a book to not be either male or female? This would allow the reader to think the character was whatever they wanted them to be.

If the author uses a co-ed name like Jamie or Alex or Sam or something like that... do you think it could be done? Assume that the gender of the main character is irrelevant to the story itself. The character has a gender neutral job, etc., and the other characters are all given genders as normal.

Say the character is named Sam Smith. Maybe some readers would think Sam Smith was a male and others might think Sam Smith is a female.

Or do you think it's imperative that the author decide what gender the character is and make it known?

[MCheetah]

Yeah. A robot or inanimate object.

It's harder to do it as a human being who's gender is unrevealed, because men and women act very different (women are way more finnicky and annoying in how they act), and would never do certain things. Like, women almost never ask guys out, or get nervous when dating. And men rarely care about fashion or makeup.

If "the gender of the main character is irrelevant to the story itself," then default to them being a male. And you can always change them into a lesbian later on. That's how they wrote Ripley in "Alien." Ripley was written as a guy, but their gender didn't matter, so Sigourney Weaver got to play the part.

I wrote a short story based on my actual life, written as a male (cause it's me, obviously). But then, if adapted to movie, I saw Scarlett Johannsson can play me, because I think it'd be interesting/a funny troll job. The character would still 100% be male (using urinals in the public restroom and all), but just played by a female actress.

But in short, yeah, "genderless" characters default to being male (as interpreted by the reader), but can be either gender in the eyes of the author.

[hahahmm]

Only if the story isn't relevant to real life society. In that case you can have an animated tomato or an animated car and it doesn't matter. But for anything relevant to real life it does matter since it's a social and biological reality that males & females are different.

[FunnyName]

Yes it is and I have read one. It was called down to the sunken sea. It dose this by using you to reference the character


Alternatively you could right a book where everyone refutes to the main character by their name which would be an angrogonis name so their pronouns are never used.


Sorry if that’s not what you mean

[Be3Bee]

Yes, definitely possible. I have read a fantasy book where one of the characters belongs to a species that has no secondary gender characteristics because of some past problems with being hunted as female sex workers for centuries. So their ancestors used some large scale magic to alter and unify the appearance of both males and females.

Long story short, in the first book, it was never revealed what gender was this character and it didn't hurt the story.


Alternatively, in another book a character remains masked for the whole time as a part of their persona/belief (something like Mandalorian sect only with modified/genderless voice).

[abc3643]

Sure.

https://youtu.be/Wy4EfdnMZ5ghttps://youtu.be/5DX142NtqOE

[Smoothing]

You would have to hide the true identity of the character. But somehow somewhere you would have to reveal their gender in which case you will end up writing a sequel of novels with the same character where you reveal their gender eventually.

[NamerOfStars]

Well, any human character is going to HAVE a gender, but it could easily be not mentioned, or even not decided.

[Chazmatazz269]

Saturday Night Live did it with “Pat”. They’re not exactly the pinnacle of writing.

[Deathraider]

I mean yeah. A lot of video games do that where you don’t really know the appearance of your own character, allowing you to sort of put yourself in their shoe.

[ArtemisSilver]

It definitely is, particularly in sci fi and fantasy settings. You can just write them as wholly alien with motives outside of full human reckoning.

[Xawyx-2]

Yes, there are some genderless aliens in Star Trek.

[loveslongnails]

Read "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula LeGuinn. It's been done.

[AndrésC64]

I don't see why not.

[Waldoe]

anything is possible...

[KrakenAttackin]

This character would be boring as fuck.

[Zolly99999]

I think it's possible

[msc545]

Possibly, but very awkward and contrived.

[MrTaboo]

Possible. But i know that Disney can't do it.