Sexuality in the D.I.T. Literary Universe

Template:F.A. Nomination

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**Sexuality** is the way people experience and express attraction and its correlation to mating, one of the most crucial part of a living being's life path. Most beings in the universe belong to a gender, namely **male** or **female**, a range of characteristics which determines sexual and physiological traits. All worlds have a traditional idea of gender roles. Women have faced discrimination in some worlds, though others have a history of gender equality, or have made great progress towards gender equality since World War II. Some people do not identify with some, or all aspects of the gender they were assigned at birth, and some of those people identify as transgender or non-binary. Sometimes certain terms are used to denote non-binary individuals, but such as with Troy Zonko, this is not always the case. Each nation has its own history of gender equality, tolerance to sexuality and gender, and marriage patterns.

Sexual orientation is a pattern of interest in the opposite or same sex, generally considered to be **heterosexuality** (attraction to people of the opposite sex), which most individuals exhibit, **homosexuality** (attraction to people of the same sex), **bisexuality** (attraction to people of both sexes) and **asexuality** (lack of sexual attraction or desire). Many non-heterosexual and non-cisgender people identify as queer, or with more specific terms such as gay, lesbian, and bisexual.

## Robot gender programming

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Robots, especially those with complex personalities and those which worked in close partnerships with organic beings, such as astrobots, were often programmed to have stereotypically masculine or feminine personalities. Thus, even mechanical beings were usually designated he or she.

## Biological significance

Traditionally, members of the male sex acted as a father figure, who provided, cared for, and defended their partner from other males or predators. Sentient and non-sentient species both had male and female sexes, with many biological and childbearing similarities exhibited between the two. Humans generally reproduced by the coupling of a male and female, from which the female would give birth to male or female children. A female could have multiple children over their lifetime, or give birth to several at once. Likewise, complications during pregnancy could be disastrous for the mother involved, resulting in permanent disability or death. The children inherited the genetic traits of both their parents, and could also inherit mutation.

In most traditional societies, the female sex acted as the caregiver for the child, and took care of the male in his efforts to protect the family. As such, the female would be responsible for providing early education and teaching the child the ways of the world. In developed societies, children could be given to the care of nannies or other supervisors, such as Valiera Nelson, if their parents were unable to spend enough time with their child.

## Cultural significance

### Cultural perceptions of sexuality

*"On Saturn, you don't simply hide who and what you love."
"It's because they are accepting of differences and embrace everyone, regardless of their gender and their sexual orientation."*
―Morgan and the Ruby Eidolon[src]
While homosexuality often made people the target of discrimination, harassment and violence in the Fobble world, with Galfalor of Eris going far enough to criminalize same-sex relationships, mutants tended to be tolerant of or indifferent toward gays and lesbians. Superhero School was, according to Mr. Formidable NoHead, considered a "safe place" for LGBT individuals. According to Valiera Nelson, Tower Placement School was also known for being unusually tolerant of LGBT individuals, compared to most other schools in the United States of America. In fact, Tower Placement was open to the idea of same-sex couples going to school dances as lovers or in the very least, they certainly didn't forbid it.

Due to the egalitarian nature of the cultures of Saturn, most Saturnians have no need to "come out" about their sexual orientations because same-sex relationships were completely accepted in their civilization, as their generally peaceful and open-minded way of life led them to embrace all forms of consenting love. Saturnian philosophies mean children are raised by the community rather than a dual-parent home, although Saturnians are aware of their relatives and sometimes have close relationships with them. Two Saturnians of the same gender can also be considered parents of the same child. The communities welcome people from all walks of life.

Venus has historically been one of the most matriarchal societies in the star system, with tradition dictating that male residents were only allowed to hone specific abilities. Meanwhile, despite the patriarchy on Mars, the Red Planet has still accepted female warriors in combat, and female leaders in chieftain positions, though traditional gender roles and misogynistic attitudes still exist. Historically, some male Venusians have migrated to live on other worlds within Sol in order to escape the restrictions of their birth place. Both Venusians and Martians are generally accepting of different sexual orientations, and it is atypical for families to disown children for coming out. However, it is Martian tradition to keep personal matters private, and Martian culture encourages people to keep their sexuality to themselves. Venus appears to have a much longer history of same-sex marriage than Mars. Jupiter has a similarly rigid system. Due to the rigid standards for gender found on both Venus and Jupiter, there have been instances of transgender and non-binary individuals being shunned by their communities, in spite of their achieving prominent positions and status.

During the two-century era of the PROM, Terran culture traditionally had patriarchal aspects. Women were expected to adhere to a standard of femininity. Historically, it was rare to see women serving in the military of the seven continents. Despite this, Asia often had women ascend to the throne as queens, and there have also been several prominent female noblemen. Women have also historically had economic freedom as prominent businesspeople across many parts of Earth, as well as being accepted in professions such as governors, mayors, village captains or in local police forces.

Gender equality improved drastically after World War II and even more after the School War, with the notion of the Contemporary Era and the Final Era. After the First NoHead War, the extremely feministic Magistrate's own modernization efforts of Earth saw many more women serving in her army, and later in the military of the U.S. Government.

For the most part, Earth has been slow in accepting people who are not heterosexual, even going as far as being militaristically repressive. Still, Master Intelligence, being out about his relationship with Sebiscuits Cardarphen inspired many queer Terrans to come out. In 2060, the two men felt free to express themselves as a couple in New York. Some transgender and non-binary people have found acceptance on Earth. Women have also served in the Uranian Corps and clan militias for much of its history.

For most of its history, Eris was tolerant of people with diverse sexual orientations, and same-sex marriage was permitted. However, Galfalor of Eris made same-gender relationships a criminal offense during his reign. In spite of these laws, an underground community of people with diverse sexual orientations and gender identity still persevered on Eris during the Second NoHead War. Although it was never resolved, after the end of the Renascence in a potential future, Eris became a tolerant place for transgender and non-binary people. Eeidaria is a welcoming place for transgender and non-binary citizens, residents, and visitors. During the intolerant regime of Galfalor of Eris, an underground community still persevered on Eris, after all.

### Social attributes

Most societies held certain cultural expectations over the definition of what it meant to be a 'man' and a 'woman.' Typically, such ideas revolved around the idea that men were stronger than women, or at least more capable in the art of warfare, and executing political and intellectual power within the world. As such, women were generally expected to be submissive, subservient, and loyal. Fred Irma, chief informational officer of the OIP affectionately called women 'dolls,' and treated them as sexual objects. Likewise, officer Caden chastised Jean Richardson for wishing to rescue survivors of the government facilities following Centerpoint Headquarters' destruction. Within the NoHead Empire, pro-male human ethnocentrism and xenophobia dominated its policies. Despite this, some individuals, such as Lily Clark, Annabeth Black, and Zira Miranda Grover rose to positions of considerable power and influence within their respective societies, despite being born female.

According to Coach Shabani, men tended to mature faster than women. Dean Dixon once cited a thirteen-year-old boy looking seventeen and acting twenty-five, over a twenty-five-old girl looking seventeen and acting thirteen. Brown retaliated by joking that when men meet in the bathroom, they draw offensive things on walls, but when girls do it they're probably half-naked and performing devilish rituals, making Izzy furious. Reggan Holme also mentioned that whereas womens' most potent nightmares were about adultery, mens' were about murder. However, it can be assumed most of these are jokes and not serious stereotypes.

### Sexual orientation

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While most individuals exhibited male to female attraction, there also existed a large minority of the international population that sexually identified as preferring male-to-male or female-to-female relationships, or both. While some places were sexually liberal enough for non-heterosexual individuals to make public displays of affection, most felt awkward, strange, and embarrassed on admitting such facts publicly. As demonstrated with people like Luke Norris and Tori Newell, however, this was not always the case. Others viewed sexual encounters as non-binding, participating in encounters "just for fun," as Carl Alex, Valiera Nelson, and Helen McKeen may have done more than once, and as Rose Johannson, Newell, and Stanley were all known to do excessively, though it's possible that as of 2043, Johannson and Newell don't do it anymore. Many in Sol considered such lifestyles "awkward" and "strange," and looked down upon those that practiced it. Andromeda, for instance, disapproved of gay marriage, although she later learned to tolerate it. Despite this, several such individuals such as the Magistrate and Master Intelligence existed within the annals of high society.

There is a difference between being on the LGBT+ spectrum and merely being bi-curious, in which a youthful heterosexual is curious or open about engaging in sexual activity with a person whose sex differs from that of their usual sexual partners. As a teenager who had always been socially awkward, Josh Hogan has admitted to Steven Thompson (who is heterosexual) that he is bisexual, but that he likes women more than men, awkwardly admitting he would never sleep with a man. After being hurt several times by male juveniles, Bailey Dennings began wondering if she could think of a single male she found attractive, which in turn made her question if she was asexual. She eventually admitted to her face that she found Ronan to be incredibly attractive, who responded by giving her some advice that made her realize not all men were toxic, that Ronan saw her as a sister figure, and that she undoubtedly felt the same way. Three years later, she fell in love with Daniel Murrell. By this point, she had become completely heterosexual.

## Known LGBT individuals

### Known Lesbian individuals

* **Zygen**: Zygen, who was homosexual, fell in love with her friend, Zira Miranda Grover. Her feelings initially blinded her to the instability of Zira's views and caused her to "[lose] her moral compass completely." After their huge falling-out, Zygen mistrusted her own judgement in matters of the heart and "became quite asexual," leading a "celibate and bookish life."
* **Bonnie Romijn**: She is mentioned to be dating a girl named Kamala.
* **Elizabeth Pace**: By 2010, Elizabeth Pace had begun dating a girl named Jena Kamen.

### Known gay individuals

* File:Master Intelligence.png  **Master Intelligence**: By 2052, Master Intelligence was confirmed to be homosexual. A few years later, he fell in love with his lifelong friend, Sebiscuits Cardarphen.
* **Sebiscuits Cardarphen**: In his middle age, Sebiscuits Cardarphen, who was gay, fell in love with his lifelong friend, Master Intelligence.
* **Luke Norris**: Luke Norris is homosexual and he had a crush on Charles Hugh for a long time. Norris' phone's screensaver is a photo of his temporary boyfriend.

### Known bisexual individuals

* **Summer Petersen**: Summer Petersen admitted that she had a huge crush on Annabeth Black after delving into her Police Grand Army-related research and later meeting her at the Royal Palace of the Magistrate, so it can be safe to call her bisexual. After starting a "teen emo phase", she passionately threw herself onto Sierra while they were at a party. However, she was obsessed with Steven Thompson since she was in fifth grade, who eventually fell in love with her; she never let her feelings for Black cloud her feelings for Thompson. They also conceived a chef named Tyson Jay Thompson. Despite this, it is likely that Petersen was always bisexual and Black merely helped her "come out of the closet".
* **Charles Hugh**: Charles Hugh is bisexual and he briefly fell in love with Luke Norris. He also had a crush on Valiera Nelson and eventually won her affections. Charles also addressed Carl Alex in a way that heavily implied a crush on him.
* **Zira Miranda Grover**: While she conceived Eegan Grover with her boyfriend Corey Deidrick, Summer Petersen made her question her sexuality and she began dating Princess Velina just because Summer was still a teenager. Other than Velina and Summer, the promiscuous dictator had more than twenty ex-boyfriends.
* File:Melinoe2.jpeg  **Melinoe**: Like his ruler the Magistrate, Melinoe was sexually voracious, sadistically violating her boyfriends whenever he monitored them, extending the same to Princess Velina and seeking to do likewise with Summer Petersen to no avail.
* **Miranda Patrick**: Miranda Patrick was the girlfriend of Valiera Nelson (see below). For a long time, it remained unknown whether she was homosexual or bisexual as little is known about Patrick at all. It was revealed at the last minute that she wasn't a Lesbian since she had a boyfriend who was currently bugging her.

### Known queer individuals

* **Ronan**: File:Ronan.png   While she was obviously asexual during her time as the Mistress of the Knights of Mae, by the time she was eleven years old, Ronan had undoubtedly become pansexual, and clues to her sexuality can be found in some of her one-liners. Some of her scrappier comments revolve around sexual, sometimes flirtatious, jokes. She loved her boyfriend and saw a future with him prior to their breakup, which was extremely hard for her to bear. She clearly loves Bailey Dennings in a sisterly way, though it is likely that if they had not parted ways, their relationship could have become much more intimate. Additionally, her active respect for Exogale borders on sexual advances and even love, though it can be assumed that she was joking.
* **Valiera Nelson**: Valiera Nelson has specifically told Charles Hugh that she is bisexual. She later confirmed that she was actually trans. Nelson's phone's screensaver is a photo of her girlfriend, Miranda Patrick, and she is determined to win Helen McKeen's romantic affections. She is currently dating Charles and formerly dated another male, Blaise Parton (who was probably heterosexual).
* **Rose Johannson**: Rose Johannson is attracted to Carl Alex but eventually ditched him for Madeline. And in spite of this, her real romantic feelings were for Andre the entire time. Going into adulthood, her sexual orientation was evidently not unknown, given that Tori Newell was well aware of it. In spite of her enormous and insatiable appetite, she is only sexually attracted to adolescents, never showing any interest at all in any of her thirty-five-year-old peers.
* File:Tori Newell Profile (1).jpg  **Tori Newell**: Being non-binary, they were pansexual, eccentrically justifying it as not caring about *"what lies under someone's undergarments"*. Their orientation was not unknown, as they openly loved Stanley and had a crush on Nurse Rose Johannson prior to her monstrous betrayal.
* File:JENA.jpg  **Most members of the Eeidarian species**: Most Eeidarians are not heterosexual, as they fancy other men despite being from other humanoid species, as well as other women who are Eeidarians like them, often considering interspecies relationships just as superficially frugal as same-sex ones, as many species actually did. As a prime example, Jena Kamen was in love with Elizabeth Pace for a long time, but she eventually broke up with her.

### Known asexual individuals

**Poe Ledsa**: Poe is confirmed to be asexual, presumably owing to how his cousins treated him barbarically in the past.

### Known intersex individuals

**Hethnir Heard**: Hethnir's gender has always been indeterminate.

## Alternate Universes

### The Cosmic Strangers

Stareye is confirmed to be homosexual, much to the chagrin of the Scarlet Sentinel, a fellow member of the Cosmic Strangers who had a crush on him.

### The princess near Malodidd

Dorothy, Princess of a kingdom nicknamed as "Babybottle", is transsexual, having long experienced a gender identity that is inconsistent with her femininity.

## Behind the scenes

* D. Isaac Thomas confirmed in 2014 that *S.M.S.B.: Where Are You Now?* and *S.M.S.B.: The Return of the Verasect* *"are going to some very diverse places — no pun intended. These hyper-intelligent kids are going to learn about things like sex, piracy, and discrimination in terrifying ways"*.
* Dorothy, the female protagonist of *The Princess and the Lips*, is confirmed to be transsexual by D. Isaac Thomas who was asked if she was.
* Thomas was also asked if Sebiscuits Cardarphen was gay, to which he responded that he was not, but was instead *"more interested in justice than women"*. He also heavily implied that Master Intelligence was on the asexual spectrum. However, he retconed both of the latter statements in *Agents of the S.M.S.B.: The Latest Threat*. As Cardarphen quickly returned the feelings of Master Intelligence, who was male, and it is said that he had little interest in women, this infers he is homosexual, not bisexual.
* Following the release of *Demolition One*, it was all but confirmed that Bailey Dennings was definitely on the LGBT spectrum. D. Isaac Thomas confirmed that this was just a phase and by the time she met Baby Intelligence, she was completely heterosexual.
* D. Isaac Thomas stated that homosexual relationships do not suffer as much discrimination from mutants as their non-mutated brethren, so it is possible that same-sex marriage is legal, however this has not been confirmed.
* Among the critics who viewed the DLU's diverse sexual orientations negatively, Thomas’ mother was unjustifiably outraged, citing that “[Thomas] should never include guys kissing in [his] stories. How can there be more ‘Baby Intelligences’ unless he has a real family?”. More constructively, a FANDOM user named “MaleficentFan2017” claimed that the depiction of a same-sex relationship hijacks Cardarphen's story in service of social causes to the detriment of its own creative storytelling. Thomas confirmed that at the end of the day, he simply went for the relationship that felt right to him. He also suggested that anyone who felt the relationship was not adequately foreshadowed had read his novels only expecting to see heterosexual relationships. Furthermore, most have acknowledged there is adequate chemistry to LGBT+ romances. Prior to the reveal of the romantic relationship, there was a positive reception to the friendship between Master Intelligence and Cardarphen, the two being viewed as "perfect partners" in that their personalities and abilities complemented each other. The relationship was praised for having realism, including depictions of disagreements between the two.

## Trivia

* Although Troy Zonko is non-binary, several people were still attracted to her. They included Stan, Fagin Ford, Captain Strength, and to some extent Ironside and Rose Johannson. This could imply that all of them are bisexual or queer, though apart from Johannson, none of these characters' sexual orientations are ever confirmed.
* While she is known to have conceived Thomas Meyer with her ally, Hell Burnbottom, there is evidence that Annabeth Black could be physically attracted to Boy-Team veteran Summer Petersen, being extremely flattered by her (Summer's) attraction to her. Furthermore, she once mentioned to Ronan that 'it's good to think outside the box when it comes to finding a partner, to explore all your options'. Whether any of this implies that she is pansexual is unknown. She could quite possibly be heterosexual.
* The respective positions of Master Intelligence and Sebiscuits Cardarphen as homosexual protagonists, as well as their eventual marriage have been the subject of many very positive reviews. Melissa Vaine called *Age of Innovation* one of the most powerful, subversive novels of the entire decade, saying that the novel challenged expectations and bravely explored content outside the scope of the young-adult sub-genre. Indeed, it was well-pressed to be something readers would discuss for a long time in the foreseeable future. Readers have noted that the two characters complement each other well as a couple, with Cardarphen's brashness balancing Master Intelligence's calm nature.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *The Super Babies: Revenge of Hell Burnbottom*
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *Convergence*
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 *Boys vs. Girls: The Fate of the Towers*
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 *Agents of the S.M.S.B.: Age of Innovation*
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 *Sebiscuits: Renascence*
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 *Before The SMSB: The Legacy of Mae*
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 *Boys vs. Girls 2 Prelude*
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 *Superquack: Focal Point*
9. ↑ *Band of Justice: Omniverse*
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 *Boys vs. Girls 2*
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 *League of Red Stars*
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 *S.M.S.B.: The Return of the Verasect*
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 *S.M.S.B.: Where Are You Now?*
14. ↑ *Before The SMSB: The Promises of Sheriff Baldric*
15. ↑ *Before The SMSB: The Dominion of the Dark Lord*
16. ↑ *The Super Babies: Final Clash of Brethren*
17. ↑ *Zachary Brown*
18. ↑ The following three facts are confirmed in *S.M.S.B.: The Return of the Verasect*:
Rose was extremely indifferent to the gender of the many, many minors she slept with. But she may not have done it as often, if at all, since she was more focused on power at the time. This, however, is unconfirmed.
Tori, who is non-binary, was nearly one of them. But after dating Baby Strength, who most likely wouldn't have been okay with her sleeping with other people while they were dating, she probably stopped doing it too. This too remains to be confirmed as canon.
Stanley frequently slept with the same non-binary for at least a year.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 *Agents of the S.M.S.B.: The Latest Threat*
20. ↑ The Magistrate, being Empress of the seemingly all-powerful International Alliance, and Master Intelligence, leading the celebrated S.M.S.B. and being considered one of the most superheroes of all time, were both frequently seen in historical contexts.
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 *Demolition One*
22. ↑ *The Super Babies: An Ended Generation*
23. ↑ *Before The SMSB: The Legacy of Sheriff Bladepoint*
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Mysticism Deluxe
25. ↑ *Boys vs. Girls: The Rise of the Serpent*
26. ↑ *The Marauder*
27. ↑ *Band of Justice: Omniverse*
28. ↑ *D.I.T. One-Shot: Legacy of the Light*
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 D. Isaac Thomas' Official Site