Welcome in Trans-Future Wonderland
- Brainz Magazine
- Aug 11
- 5 min read
Written by Sophie Reyer, Author
Sophie Anna Reyer is an Austrian author of multiple theater pieces and publications. She was born in Vienna, Austria. Reyer discovered her various profound talents in the arts at a young age as a child prodigy.
In an age where technology, medicine, and culture increasingly blur the lines between biology and identity, the concept of gender is undergoing profound transformation. From ancient traditions honouring non-binary roles to today’s medical and virtual possibilities, “Sex in the Age of Biopower” explores how history, nature, and innovation challenge the binary and what this means for the future of human identity.
Sex in the age of biopower
As the philosopher Foucault noted, we live in the age of biopower, an era in which we can shape and optimize our own lives. If it's possible to create life, isn't it also possible to choose one's own gender? And, could it be that the capital "I" in the middle of the brain then loses its relevance? One thing is certain: hybrid forms are no longer rare; if humans can monitor their biological system through "self-tracking," they can also consciously choose their own gender. This can be a creative act in the sense of "create your own." Not only is in vitro fertilization possible today, but also choosing a body in which one feels comfortable. However, this requires a bit of explanation:
The physical base
The "masculinization" of the brain develops before birth, and even then, as experiments with rats have proven, one can theoretically intervene and manipulate it. Factors such as prenatal stress can also influence this. The psychological consequences multiply over the course of development, while social factors such as the mother's sexuality are also crucial for the change. This results in a complicated interplay between biological (sex) and social (gender) sex. In Western culture, a two-gender model is practiced, but the truth is more complex: Transgender people are, in fact, not all that rare, as research among indigenous peoples proves. According to information from the William Institute at UCLA in 2011, approximately 0.3 percent of adults in the USA defined themselves as "transgender." But this "standing between two stools" is based on a much older tradition:
Initiation and sexual identity
For example, there are the "Two Spirit" people in North America, who can be found in many indigenous peoples and tribes in the Americas. These people combine feminine and masculine traits and are recognized within the tribes. An initiation rite is usually prepared for adolescents who exhibit such traits, but without informing them. In a ceremony that features a skirt as a key element and uses a fence, the adolescent is "tested" without their knowledge and can thus unconsciously choose their own inclination. The Hijras in India, a type of caste or religious sect, also represent a gray area: They are neither male nor female and are tested and determined by a council of elders, the Jamat. Other contemporary transgender people who are rooted in an ancient tradition are the Māhū in Polynesia. But that's not all: The status of eunuch is also one with a long tradition, found not only in the Middle East but also in ancient Greece: one of the most notable professions of free eunuchs was that of priestess of the goddess Cybele, who was called the mother of the gods. But Cybele was also known in other regions: we find her as Isis in Egypt, Astrarte in Syria, and Istar in Babylonia. In Carthage, she was called Tanit, while in Greece, she was given the names Rhea and Demeter. According to ancient myths, Cybele had a male lover, Attis. And this brings us to the earliest transgender narrative, which comes from the Roman poet Catullus and tells of Attis. Priestesses who served Cybele constituted a stable and permanent transgender group for millennia. In a kind of ecstatic state, they severed their genitals. This procedure took place in public, similar to the Two-Spirit practices in America. After this operation, which was performed with clamps, the priestesses were dressed in women's garments and provided with veils and jewelry.
But even before the Roman Catholic Church, which today is very reserved when it comes to transgender inclusion, transgender people have a tradition: In the eighth chapter of the transgender story, the evangelist Philip baptizes a eunuch. At this baptism, he not only welcomes a eunuch but also a dark-skinned foreigner who was certainly also a slave. In its origins, Christianity was therefore extremely open to what capitalism today labels "human waste." Nevertheless even in the further history of Christianity we find beings that cannot be forced into a framework: For example, "Saint Sorrow," a lady who was admitted to the Roman Martyrology she was the daughter of a king who desired her as a woman because of her beauty and in desperation, she begged God for a beard, which she received for which, however, she had to die on the cross. Even today, "transgender" people are often accused of being unnatural and mentally ill. However, if we observe the diversity of species in nature, we find hermaphrodites not so rare. In fact, they are common. A flower usually contains anthers and a stigma, male and female parts in one!
And the animals?
But even the animal kingdom, which is supposedly even closer to humans, boasts a wealth of bisexual creatures: Many marine invertebrates, such as sea urchins, snails, barnacles, and corals, are hermaphroditic species. Indeed, almost half of all fish species fall into this category; the parrotfish, the wrasse, and the grouper, for example, to name just a few. Approximately six percent of all marine and terrestrial animal species have two sexes; if we ignore insects, the percentage of hermaphroditic species rises to a whopping 33 percent. When it comes to gender roles, we also find a wide variety in nature; for example, male seahorses carry their offspring. A particularly impressive creature is the anglerfish; it is characterized by two pouches, the large fish part being the male and the two appendages the female; in some species, these are even connected by a single breeding cycle!
The future
No wonder that humans also long to break free from binary gender thinking, and this has not only been the case since the age of biopower, in which life and gender can be manipulated. In times when one can choose between 60 different types of gender on Facebook, the concept of gender has long since become disembodied. With the possibility of surgical intervention, a new area has now emerged: that of transsexuality as a medical issue. Those affected speak of a gender identity that does not correspond to that of their body, and is therefore independent of it. Thus, the concept of gender, like so many things in times of biopower, becomes disembodied. Now it is merely the attribute of a virtually adapted body; indeed, the brain itself becomes a virtual object. The feasibility of gender reassignment and the ethical problems it raises are therefore dependent on a virtual context; whether gender reassignment should be criticized or condemned across the board, or whether, on the contrary, the virtual age should be celebrated, is a moot point. One thing is certain: the discourse has only just begun. However, simply abandoning gender is not a solution; in fact, in the future, we will have to seek even more creative and perhaps entirely new forms of language if we want to express our gender-specific position.
Read more from Sophie Reyer
Sophie Reyer, Author
Sophie Anna Reyer is an Austrian author of multiple theater pieces and publications. She was born in Vienna, Austria. Reyer discovered her various profound talents in the arts at a young age as a child prodigy. She is a writer of theater pieces (S. Fischer) and novels (emons) and was shortlisted for the Austrian Book Award in 2019 and 2021.
