What would life be like on Planet Andro?

[Guest Juniper Blue]

Hi All,

I am hoping that this can be a light-hearted and fun exploration of what life might be like on an androgynous planet.

I was just thinking at the gym tonight ... "What would life be like on Planet Andro?"

(Don't worry .. this is NOT a role playign game!! ) Anyway ...

On Planet Andro, you could walk into a bakery to meet a person with a full beard, wearing lip stick and a long flowy skirt standing beside a muscle bound yet "bosomy" baker with a buzz cut who giggles sweetly while easily hefting a 50 pound box of bananas. When the two greeted you at the counter it would be a sunny "Hello" (without the Sir of Ma'am that is commonplace on Planet Earth. If you made a request of a preferred gender term, they would happily add that.) Something like this: "Hello Zer! or "Hello Zam!" or Hello Mam or Hello Sir whatever YOU pefer!!

Hugs to All,

JB

[Guest endlessummer]

There would only be stores for universal human unisex clothing where nobody ever looks at you.

I just imagined if all the fixed "roles" and troublesome things concerning gender would be vanished! Great! When does the next shuttle flight go?

[Guest Weaver]

Life on a planet where gender would be meaningless..

This topic makes me thing of The Culture stories.

People would be free to be themselves regardless of what they are.

Nothing is expected on how they should behave because of their parts of flesh.

One can always dream.. But without imagination, we would travel nowhere.

[Guest Micha]

I'm seeing more peace, more cooperation and more friendliness.

[Guest Juniper Blue]

I love these responses!

[Guest Refusing to choose]

I/we'd be able to buy boxer shorts without having to answer questions about the *man* I'm/we're buying them for...

And

I had a glimpse of such a world today during the following situation:

(walking past a bus stop, after recently dying my hair green...)

Little boy: *They've* got green hair!

Boy's mum: Yes, *they* have.

It really made my day that a) the boy said they as presumably he couldn't make out my gender, and b)the mother didn't try to correct a gender..

[Guest Juniper Blue]

LOVE it !! That is so great ... enjoy your green hair!!

[Guest Micha]

Green hair, I'm so jealous.

[Guest Refusing to choose]

Hehe yeah it was purple before green. I like doing stuff to my hair. It's also in a mohawk with a ponytail if that helps lol..

[Guest Melancholy]

You wouldn't have gender specific clothes. Like someone meintioned boxer shorts. You could buy those with no problems, or the other way round. You could have whatever hair you wanted, and it's not " You look like a girl! ( lol!) " . There was something in the newspaper recently about a guy who killed himself, he looked androgynous. Apparently people called him a girl. You wouldn't have that on Planet Andro.

[Guest Juniper Blue]

Oh Melancholy . I hadn't heard abou that ... so very sad .. Sigh ....

No ... we would not have suicides on Planet Andro. We would have parties to celebrate our differences and we would have lots and lots of hugs for people when they felt down or lonely. And on special occasions, like birthdays, it would be perfectly appropriate to give under garments as gifts ... fun boxers or cute little undies .. whatever the birthday person preferred ... just because ... (and it wouldn't be creepy.)

Hugs,

JB

[Guest agfrommd]

You would meet someone you want to be friends with and ask them to have lunch with you. They wouldn't wonder whether you wanted to date them or have an affair and they wouldn't decide based on your appearance that you probably would not be a caring friend.

[Guest Juniper Blue]

High Five on that one AGfromMD!! .... How many friendships never get off the ground because of gender?? Sigh.

[Guest Micha]

On that note, people wouldn't feel threatened by another person on the basis of gender alone (or treated like a threat). Gender based discrimination and violence would be nonexistent. Homophobia wouldn't exist either (cuz homosexuality and heterosexuality would be too difficult to define). I would hope that relationships would be healthier and more meaningful. Workloads and responsibilities would be assigned based on personal ability and not what's gender appropriate, and equal pay for equal work would be a given. Shared responsibilities at home would be far more likely.

Oh, and people would do what they do because they enjoy it, and came to enjoy it, themselves - not for the sake of posing or posturing or because they're supposed to like it. And folks like me wouldn't be looked at as if we had a cockroach crawling out our nose for saying "I don't follow the NFL."

You know, I fantasized once about an androgynous race. A human like species that had the capabilities of both sexes. Even pregnancy wouldn't be exclusive to one gender (this race not having sex or gender), but would be a personal choice between partners:

"You wanna get impregnated and carry the baby?"

"No, I did it last time, now it's your turn."

There wouldn't be two separate physiological archetypes, only one - with as many variations or versions as there are people.

[Guest agfrommd]

"You wanna get impregnated and carry the baby?"

"No, I did it last time, now it's your turn."

One of my secret desires - It profoundly bothers me that I'll never experience childbirth. I agree. It would be way cool if anyone could choose that.