Gender Identity in Firina

Life is chaos. A beautiful explosion of swirling colours that cannot definitively be distinguished from one another even with our best attempts. It cares not for the arbitrary rules you have decided for it. It exists to defy them.

  Firen culture in Firina identifies four overarching gender identities and recognizes three sexes. These are not seen as linked aspects, and people of any sex can identify as any gender as best suits their own preference.

Gender Identities

Gender roles are greatly reduced in Firen society, and different genders hold similar places in society. Gendered spaces do not exist within Firina. For example, public restrooms are all neutral and stores organize their products by style or material rather than by gender with sizes standardized (or labelled to fit certain physical features if relevant, ex: undergarments). This lack of gender significance is often a shock to those from other cultural backgrounds visiting Firina. In the same way, those from Firina visiting other countries generally find the segregation of different genders to be annoying and oppressive.

What do you mean this is the 'wrong' washroom? No, it's not obvious! One door has a person standing, the other has a person with a long shirt. How is that supposed to mean anything?

— A Firen tourist in another country

  There are some expected gender expressions in Firina. Long hair, and hair decorations are considered feminine, short hair is considered masculine. Varied people often style their hair to be a mix of these traits, short hair with decorations, or medium length hair. As hair length is affected by hormones and genetics, and cutting it does little for more than a couple of minutes, those wishing to express differently often use styling techniques instead. Though, mannerisms and physical aspects do not trump over the influence the telepathic bonds have over the interpretation others have over one's gender. Those of other species in Firina are raised to always ask rather than assume, and Fires often find that conversations with those without telepathy to be rather 'clunky', in part to the mass of information they rely on no longer being implicit. Rank, if a person has one, is generally considered preferred for referring to them over gendered titles, as the respectful form of address for these are gender-neutral.

To foreign observers however, the culture seems largely masculine, with a complete lack of dresses, skirts or heels, and a lack of restriction of clothing based on gender (Toplessness is common in Firina, regardless of gender). Military style has a massive influence on Firina fashion, and even far less 'professional' outfits use the same material. It is rare to see makeup used, though Firina doesn't see its use as masculine or feminine. Conversely, the lack of facial hair in Firina could be read as feminine by foreigners, though this is largely due to Fires not growing any, and this influencing the styles of the other species that live there.

Sex

Sex too is also variable, with its significance usually falling exclusively to medical institutions within Firina. It is determined by many factors, with the majority being aligned across the board to factors that define the sex as either male or female. Those with factors that are not aligned as either male or female are considered the third sex in Firina, intersex. Visible and genetic forms of intersex are usually identified first, as all children born in Firina are genetically tested, with their DNA stored for ID purposes. Hormones, hormone sensitivity, and internal organs are generally determined later in life. Regardless of sex, medical professionals in Firina generally use medical notes that specify necessary information to determine which factors are present for diagnosis, rather than sex markers. Preference is to avoid repeated questioning of the attributes a person may have, hence the system to keep track of what is significant and the fact that this information can be shared nationally among all medical staff.

Sex markers are only included on Firina IDs to better facilitate unification with other countries where this marker is seen as significant. It is noted however that Intersex people of Firina travel far less outside the country for leisure, and when it comes to placements required by a job are far more likely to request either an exemption or to be placed in Tora over Tierra. Sex markers can also be requested to be changed to one that will bring up the least questions upon comparison of ID and genetic data, but considering that this often leads to wrong assumptions at international medical facilities, doesn't truly solve the issues.

Sir, could you please stop staring at the 'I' on my ID and skip straight to the DNA test? It isn't going to change, no matter how many times you look at it. At this rate, I'm going to be late to my meeting, again.

— An annoyed intersex Firen Diplomat.

Transitioning

Transitioning either socially or physically within Firen society is greatly accepted. Given the constant and perfect healing abilities of Elementals, transitioning physically is a harder, and longer process than socially transitioning. However, since transitioning socially is as simple as thinking about it for Fire Elementals, this fact is hardly surprising. It's often that one realizes that they do not quite fit the gender identity they were first given when a family member refers to them with different pronouns, since communicating these are subconscious. Later in life, most people will pick a new name for themselves, while younger people either are renamed by their parents, or at least are offered help to pick a new name. True names carry significance in Firen (and Elemental) society, with unranked or lower ranked people being unable to remember, speak, or hear the true name of their superiors. Having a no-longer applicable name on file is an inconvenience to most organizations and far outweighs what little effort is required to update it.

Physical transitioning requires the replacement of hormones with the preferred type prior to surgeries. For those that determine that they do not identify with their physical characteristics, if they have not yet reached puberty, blockers that suppress the development of secondary sex characteristics are used until the age of medical consent. Hormone replacement therapy is then used to change the genes that are activated, leading to the puberty that the person identifies with occurring. Surgery is only offered to adults, and only those that have completed 2 years of hormone replacement to provide the best chance of successful surgery. During which the unwanted characteristics are removed, and with the hormones activating the preferred genes, the desired characteristics form and heal in place instead. This does take time, and is a large commitment, as it often involves multiple surgeries over a short period of time.

Not everyone that changes gender is interested in changing their physical characteristics, but Firen society does not treat people different based on physical characteristics. Some will only take the step of hormone replacement, as the changes this causes are often satisfactory to those taking them. Those that are intersex may also be interested in surgeries, if they find their own physical characteristics to not align with how they see themselves. They are never pressured to do so unless it is a personal choice.

People always ask me if I regret leaving everything behind to come here. And what I say is this: I go on a date here, and I don't dread the questions they will ask. I walk down the street, and despite the chaos and random fights, no one stares, and no one utters slurs under their breath. The Doctors talked to me about what surgery looks like and never questioned why I wanted it. Do I wish that my homeland would accept me for who I am? Absolutely. But I don't regret the choice to freely be myself.

— An Earth Elemental from Tierra

Global Relations

Firina's open culture towards those of varied or shifting gender, those that do not identify as the gender they were assigned at birth, and intersex people tend to make the country a refuge for those born in Tierra, where many face harsh discrimination or forced surgeries to 'treat' them. It is also yet another aspect of the Fire Elementals that the The Tuscendite hold as a crime they have committed against the natural order, a group that many of the above are fleeing from. While Tora may be closer aligned to Firina's cultural attitude, the country still has gender roles that greatly affect daily life. But Firina isn't perfect, Firen culture is violent and militaristic, forcing many to choose between shedding most of the importance of gender roles entirely, or being able to live safely but in yet another box. For Ice Elementals, of course, the only choice is Tora, given how short their lives would be on the Northwestern continent. Tora's recent alliance with Isolde, and continued pressure through propaganda online from the Tuscendite, is slowly having an effect on the once welcoming country, however, making the choice for future refuges more difficult.