Gender and Romance

Use this forum to discuss the December 2022 Book of the Month, "Terms of Service: Subject to change without notice" by Craig W. Stanfill
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Chinazo Anozie
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Re: Gender and Romance

Post by Chinazo Anozie »

Hannah Hampton wrote: 18 Dec 2022, 15:40 What did everyone think about gender in Terms of Service? I thought it was a really interesting conversation-starter on individual identity. I found myself labeling some characters as male or female even though they were all referred to as "she," did anyone else imagine characters like this? I felt absolutely heartbroken during Kim's revelation about her sexuality. I was curious what everybody's thoughts were on these things!
I actually got frustrated at some point when reading about genders because I couldn't quite connect with this story arc or even Kim and Shan's romance. I wished the author had given a side note to the readers to explain why gender had been expunged in the book's society and what gender the characters belonged to based on the readers'understanding.
Medina Fedrick
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Post by Medina Fedrick »

I did the same thing, I identified them as male or female based on their names despite the fact that everyone was referred to as she.
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Post by Not available anymore »

I agree with you that I felt heartbroken on Kim's sexuality revolution, she could have still found love with a man, but the author chose that she found love in another gender and that is what I'm against.
Friederic Schröder
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Post by Friederic Schröder »

Hannah Hampton wrote: 18 Dec 2022, 15:40 What did everyone think about gender in Terms of Service? I thought it was a really interesting conversation-starter on individual identity. I found myself labeling some characters as male or female even though they were all referred to as "she," did anyone else imagine characters like this? I felt absolutely heartbroken during Kim's revelation about her sexuality. I was curious what everybody's thoughts were on these things!
Likewise, I felt shattered hearing about Kim's sexual revelation. I tried to see every character as a "she" in this novel but in my mind, I labeled them based on the actual gender they possess.
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Post by CrossK »

I must admit that the presentation of gender in this book added a bit of mystery and intrigue to my reading as I found myself constantly wondering about the gender of the different characters in dialogue and how they possibly fit into my preconceived stereotypes and boxes.
Claire Twy
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Post by Claire Twy »

Hannah Hampton wrote: 18 Dec 2022, 15:40 What did everyone think about gender in Terms of Service? I thought it was a really interesting conversation-starter on individual identity. I found myself labeling some characters as male or female even though they were all referred to as "she," did anyone else imagine characters like this? I felt absolutely heartbroken during Kim's revelation about her sexuality. I was curious what everybody's thoughts were on these things!
I did! I thought that Jo and Keli were a heterosexual couple until their genders were specified. Although all of the characters are referred to as 'she', most of their names, like Kim, Shan, Em, Quinn etc. are gender-neutral and it seems the only thing that separates them are their sexual organs. I find it interesting how even in a society full of females, Kim can still have a crisis about her sexuality, but I think it was a great character development as she figures out her identity. I am curious though, do they have periods in this society? Or since all humans are female, what happened to the males?
Ohanele Chinonyerem
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Post by Ohanele Chinonyerem »

I believe that her personality has nothing to do with her sexuality. I saw Kim as a unique lady because she was diverse and didn’t limit herself. I believe that her major challenge started at her birth maybe because of her caregiver.
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