genderswap

English

Etymology

gender +‎ swap

Noun

genderswap (plural genderswaps)

1. (fandom slang) An instance of changing a fictional character's biological sex and/or gender identity from the canonical norm.
   • 1996 July 4, Bill Billingsley, “Re: Sci-Fi Gender Role Reversal was Re: 9th Doctor”, in rec.arts.drwho‎^[1] (Usenet):

     The problem is exactly the one you have stated: many people would not be comfortable with a sudden genderswap in the Doctor, when the possibility has not even been hinted at in the past.

   • 2001 June 20, Alara Rogers, “Re: TOS Challenge "Female Trek"”, in alt.startrek.creative‎^[2] (Usenet):

     But I liked the fact that they *were* friends and not lovers, as *the* most obvious thing to do with a genderswap of either Kirk or Spock is promptly pair them off together.

   • 2009, Emily Turner, "Scary Just Got Sexy: Transgression in Supernatural and Its Fanfiction", in In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural (ed. Supernatural.tv), BenBella Books (2009), →ISBN, page 162:

     More sober challenges to the representation of gender in mainstream media (and of course, Supernatural specifically) occur in genderswap stories where the sudden change of anatomy is one that throws the character's world into chaos.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:genderswap.

Synonyms

• genderbend
• Rule 63

Verb

genderswap (third-person singular simple present genderswaps, present participle genderswapping, simple past and past participle genderswapped)

1. (fandom slang) To change a fictional character's biological sex and/or gender identity from its canonical norm.
   • 1998 December 28, Aleph Press, “META: Fanfic writer looking for artist”, in alt.comics.fan-fiction‎^[3] (Usenet):

     I am a completely unartistic person who has found myself in charge of a fanfic shared world project to genderswap Marvel mutants. Thus, Xavier and Magneto are women and always were; Storm and Rogue are men and always were; you get the idea.

   • 2002 February 22, Alara Rogers, “Re: A JanewaySlash: "Losses", 1/1 (VOY: J/Ro Laren) PG-13”, in alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated‎^[4] (Usenet):

     In my series that genderswaps Kirk and Spock, "Jane Kirk's Enterprise", there is an implication that Jane Kirk was held back for her gender-- not *stopped*, not even running into major roadblocks, but she didn't rise as fast as James Kirk did under the same circumstances.

   • 2005 February 1, Rick M., “Re: OT: Any Sci Fi nuts Here?”, in alt.drugs.hard‎^[5] (Usenet):

     And while they've kept the original series character's *names*, they've genderswapped some of them, and added a new twist by having Cylons characters who look and think they're human.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:genderswap.

Synonyms

• genderbend

See also

• racebend