Martha’s answer to “I just finished re-reading the Murderbot books. While reading, I noticed that Murderbot's character…” > Likes and Comments
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I'm also agender and it's also one of the many reasons I love Murderbot :) It never really occurred to me to think about whether Murderbot "identifies" this way, but maybe that's because being agender seems almost like a lack of identity to me, rather than something I actively am. (That is, neither of the binary identities fit, I also don't feel I'm something else, so I must be nothing in the gender department, oh well! That's definitely not the only way of being agender but that's how it feels to me.) And it just seemed natural for an android to have no gender. But I also get what WittySofa is saying about having more characters that actively identify as agender or ace. In this world where binary genders are forced on us, those of us who are non-binary have to actively practice our gender identity, even if it feels more like a non-thing. One could say that in a small way, Murderbot asserted its lack of gender or sexuality when it refused to get sex parts in Artificial Condition. I kind of think, though, that actively being non-binary or ace would mostly be a thing for humans, who live in a society where they have to forge these identities against the somewhat-biology-based dictates of society.
(On a side note, I love how so many of the side characters in these books are female - often unexpectedly, yet presented so matter-of-factly - and you even threw in a third-gender character!)
That's something else I really loved about the Murderbot Diaries- there is just so much diversity in the story, from all of the female characters, to the third-gender character, and the different spectrum of sexual orientations. There's something there for everyone, and it was just this amazing feeling to come away from a novella (not even a book, mind you, a small novella!) feeling like I had connected with the main character more than in any other story thus far.
I definitely get what you're saying though. Thinking about what Martha Wells said, and your comment about how we as humans really have to forge our identities as ace/gay/agender/intersex/etc. made me realize that this world is not only diverse, but also incredibly accepting. Third genders an agenders are present often enough that their pronouns and existence is seen as normal. No one "cares," in a sense, how you identify, because it's so prevalent. And that really gives me hope that we'll be able to reach that point someday, where people can be themselves, whether that's gender identity, sexual orientation, romantic orientation, ethnicity, religious identity, just anything in general.
(I just love this series so much, thank you Martha Wells, your story gives me so much hope.)
(also, glad to find another agender person out there!)
There's something telling about the fact that Murderbot, despite being militantly non-human, is easily one of the most relatable characters in fiction for me (probably since it's asexual and has some form of persistent anxiety).
Well, when you are a talented author, you can create a character that people relate to, even if it's a SecUnit named Murderbot. :)
I'd love for Murderbot to meet up with a human asexual character, so it can realize it's lack of interest is not necessarily something that sets it apart from humanity. I love that Murderbot is asexual, but sometimes it felt alienating to realize that Murderbot considered it's own asexuality as a large part of why it wasn't human.
As someone else who is asexual and gender neutral, I'm also loving Murderbot for that reason. lol. That, and also I'm introverted, and feel the same way about many, if not most, humans, as Murderbot. And I love Murderbot's sense of humor. lol.
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I'm also agender and it's also one of the many reasons I love Murderbot :) It never really occurred to me to think about whether Murderbot "identifies" this way, but maybe that's because being agender seems almost like a lack of identity to me, rather than something I actively am. (That is, neither of the binary identities fit, I also don't feel I'm something else, so I must be nothing in the gender department, oh well! That's definitely not the only way of being agender but that's how it feels to me.) And it just seemed natural for an android to have no gender. But I also get what WittySofa is saying about having more characters that actively identify as agender or ace. In this world where binary genders are forced on us, those of us who are non-binary have to actively practice our gender identity, even if it feels more like a non-thing. One could say that in a small way, Murderbot asserted its lack of gender or sexuality when it refused to get sex parts in Artificial Condition. I kind of think, though, that actively being non-binary or ace would mostly be a thing for humans, who live in a society where they have to forge these identities against the somewhat-biology-based dictates of society.(On a side note, I love how so many of the side characters in these books are female - often unexpectedly, yet presented so matter-of-factly - and you even threw in a third-gender character!)
That's something else I really loved about the Murderbot Diaries- there is just so much diversity in the story, from all of the female characters, to the third-gender character, and the different spectrum of sexual orientations. There's something there for everyone, and it was just this amazing feeling to come away from a novella (not even a book, mind you, a small novella!) feeling like I had connected with the main character more than in any other story thus far. I definitely get what you're saying though. Thinking about what Martha Wells said, and your comment about how we as humans really have to forge our identities as ace/gay/agender/intersex/etc. made me realize that this world is not only diverse, but also incredibly accepting. Third genders an agenders are present often enough that their pronouns and existence is seen as normal. No one "cares," in a sense, how you identify, because it's so prevalent. And that really gives me hope that we'll be able to reach that point someday, where people can be themselves, whether that's gender identity, sexual orientation, romantic orientation, ethnicity, religious identity, just anything in general.
(I just love this series so much, thank you Martha Wells, your story gives me so much hope.)
(also, glad to find another agender person out there!)
There's something telling about the fact that Murderbot, despite being militantly non-human, is easily one of the most relatable characters in fiction for me (probably since it's asexual and has some form of persistent anxiety).
Well, when you are a talented author, you can create a character that people relate to, even if it's a SecUnit named Murderbot. :)
I'd love for Murderbot to meet up with a human asexual character, so it can realize it's lack of interest is not necessarily something that sets it apart from humanity. I love that Murderbot is asexual, but sometimes it felt alienating to realize that Murderbot considered it's own asexuality as a large part of why it wasn't human.
As someone else who is asexual and gender neutral, I'm also loving Murderbot for that reason. lol. That, and also I'm introverted, and feel the same way about many, if not most, humans, as Murderbot. And I love Murderbot's sense of humor. lol.
It does make logical sense for Murderbot to be characterized as not really identifying with human genders or being interested in human sexuality. (I'm really glad that you kept it's characterization consistent- it made everything very cohesive, and it would have been very awkward reading Murderbot fall in love... :| )
Either way, the Murderbot Diaries sit proudly on my bookshelf, and they're definitely one of my favorite sci-fi stories I've read. You did an amazing job with the worldbuilding- a story that I'd love to return to when the novel comes out!
Good luck, and thank you!