A couple of questions about Gender & Sexuality in Roleplays

[Phaeton 2]

In my lazy browsing I've been noticing something coming up quite frequently in profile skeletons. Apparently there's a Sexuality category now? I mean I thought the crush category that had been popping up had been fairly stupid but what does it matter what sexuality a character is? I mean shouldn't skeletons only pile on the most basic and important information. If a character's sexuality or crushes are so important shouldn't that fall under the Biography instead of having a category of its own? Or s**t, if your character doesn't swing that way, tell the character who's coming onto them about it.

To double topic, I've been wondering how many people are willing to play characters outside of their gender and do it frequently? I'm not going to be judgmental, I think it's rather interesting and rewarding to do. I mostly want to know if it's a common thing or an uncommon thing. Another head-scratcher that came to mind was remembering that in some titles when they need specific genders to join. I always thought how bizarre. Why not just have another player make multiple characters? If someone does come by and decide to join, and their gender doesn't match the character's, will they be turned away?


Discuss:
Why a Sexuality category in skeletons?
Why a Crush category in skeletons?
Do you play the opposite gender and how often?
Do you know if people get turned away in Gender required RPs?  

[pickle relish]

I suppose sexuality would make sense in romance-based RPs, although crush categories seem sort of pointless.
I personally think it's more fun to develop your character as the RP goes on, and allow any romantic feelings that develop to be part of the story. Having romantic incompatibilities make it more realistic, anyway.

I've played the opposite gender once or twice, and it's kind of fun. I'm not too good at it, though.
I've actually acted as a male in plays before, but I haven't been able to do that in a few years. sweatdrop  

[Thaliat Everwood]

I've played a couple of male characters before. Not that much of a mental challenge for me. I once played an amorphous blob thing before too. That was a little odd.

As for sexuality, I haven't been asked for that in a character skeleton before. I don't tend to play homosexual characters, but I will play sexually ambivalent characters. I prefer not to get my characters romantically involved with other player characters. I did it twice three times, it wasn't a problem, but with most groups I just don't find other characters to be well enough developed for my character to have any real interest develop in them.  

[invisible-weirdo]

I suppose the sexuality category is most useful in Romance-based RPs and in other kinds I guess it would help. But like Pickle, I prefer my character to develop as time goes on, and that includes romantic feelings.

I've played as the opposite gender a couple times. It's nice for a change of pace, I suppose but it's not particularly hard. And as for the ones that ask for specific genders to join, I noticed that a lot in Slave RPs and Romance-based ones (mostly yelling out that they have too many girls and they need more guys or vice-versa), which I don't really go for anyway. Either that or they're the kind that will only accept a predetermined amount of male or female characters because of how the story is set up.  

[Erverain]

This is the first I've ever heard of preference being important in an RP. Maybe I'm just sheltered?
As for the second point, I haven't seriously played another gender in an RP, since I seem incapable of putting myself into that mindset for an extended period of time, since I always tend to fear that I'll end up pigeonholing the character. I've got two sort-of-NPCs running around in one RP, and their personalities are pretty diverse (one's talkative and very Southern, while the other rarely talks at all. They are great friends, though). But it's still only in short bursts.  

[Omnileech]

Kind of ruins the fun to just announce it. I'm in an RP where I'm playing a lesbian cleric that's only attracted to tieflings and as it progresses I'm planning on dropping some subtle hints that she's not into dudes and wants to spend more time with any of the three female tieflings in the RP.  

[Bassios]

The only reason I can see for it, romantic RP or not, is so that the homophobes can see straight away and discriminate against you from the start.

EDIT: Assuming you put down "Gay", "Lesbian" or "Bisexual", of course. Never known a homophobe to discriminate on a "fellow straight". razz

 

[C h i i z u K u m a]

Well, for the first two questions, the Sexuality & Crush questions,
I'd say it's just to get a little more detailed.
After all, it's fun having a character who's not straight. c:
Although, I sort of agree with Omnileech, because if you do have surprises like that, it's also entertaining to drop hints & stuff.

Anyways, I almost never play as girls, even though I'm a chick. For some reason I find guys more fun. Plus, I can get both manly and girly characters out of the male gender. > w>
All my girl characters are kind of just mock whores.

As for the last question, I don't know the answer to it. c:  

[Phaeton 2]

Thaliat Everwood

I've played a couple of male characters before. Not that much of a mental challenge for me. I once played an amorphous blob thing before too. That was a little odd.

As for sexuality, I haven't been asked for that in a character skeleton before. I don't tend to play homosexual characters, but I will play sexually ambivalent characters. I prefer not to get my characters romantically involved with other player characters. I did it twice three times, it wasn't a problem, but with most groups I just don't find other characters to be well enough developed for my character to have any real interest develop in them.

My last female D&D character was viewed as man hating for some odd reason. She was straight, it's just that she had fairly high standards, and who wants to date a drunken devil worshiper, a douchebag pirate (He somehow landed a princess girlfriend anyway), or a half creature mess anyway? (Yes, this is the party she traveled with.)  

[Kaz Likes Cookies]

Another question to ask is the burst of girls saying they're characters are bi. If you don't want to answer either way and have your character secretly swing one way, you can drop the hints and make it successful. I'm a classic kind of person however and usually just play the straight girls. I find it fun to flirt around. For me, playing a guy would be kind of strange. I've done it before, but I'm not too great at it.  

[Phaeton]

In the past I've mostly known the bi trip to be a shot at rebelliousness and seeming cool. It doesn't occur in reality as often as it seems.  

[Slim95]

Well, because the first little spoonfed discussion bits have been thoroughly explored, and I've no idea as far as the fourth one goes...

I play the opposite gender every now and then, but for the most part, it's "tomboyish" girls for me... Or things without gender... Sexuality doesn't play into my RPs very often these days, though I used to get a real kick out of flirting with both genders as both genders. Flirting with boys as boys, flirting with girls as boys, etc etc... My characters of late are too busy being obsessive over explosives or books or whatnot to bother with the birds and the bees.