Are futas female?

[thymoit]

I just thought I would ask because I thought futas were non-binary, but I have run into more than one request thread in the “Roleplay Requests by Females” section where the poster is only offering to play a futa as their character.

 

[Caramel Cooper]

I've always thought of Futa as a type of body, not a gender. It's not really even clear what type of body it refers to because the original word means "hermaphrodite" (as far as I know) but it's also used to refer to the fantasy body type that's biologically female except for cock and balls instead of vagina. But in any case I wouldn't use it to describe gender. You can be female with a futa body, nonbinary with a futa body, or male with a futa body.

 

[Lord DreamCrusher]

In terms of where to put a request thread, the official staff stance is that users can place their request threads wherever they feel like as they prefer this over trying to impose authority or will upon other's interpretations.

Personal opinions will differ wildly and while I'd generally agree that non-binary makes the most sense for them you are going to find all different kinds of characters in all the different sections. It doesn't help that "Futa", short for "Futanari", is simply the Japanese word for hermaphrodite so there is no consensus over what the term means on the internet because everyone uses it in different context.

 

[Staine]

I've personally always considered futa to be non-binary but there isn't a set label to put them under. For sure, most I have seen use the she/her pronouns in their RP's and would likely prefer to be known as female so I think ultimately it's fine for them to post there, though if I were playing a futa myself I would put it in the non-binary section because that is where I'd expect people to be looking for that kind of character.

 

[Murdergurl]

Futanaris are just fantasy hermaphrodites. Literally the Japanese word for it. Though it is a gross misrepresentation of true hermaphroditism as it normally occurs in a natural species (like the Banana Slug or Earthworm). Hermaphroditism, in irl documentation as a normality in a species, is when a creature chooses between one or the other (usually only for purposes of mating). It is never both at the same time.
But as I said, it's fantasy, so... realism is out the window.

Edit: This obviously does not address the existence of Hermaphroditism as a genetic fluke/defect. That is a wholly other instance, and in my personal opinion, a complete misnomer of the terminology.

 

[Silvered Sutures]

TL;DR: Yeah, Futa = Herm, but gender identity isn't the same as sex so technically they can fit in both NB and Female.

Hermaphroditism comes in a plethora of forms in real life (see "intersex") and while it is not impossible for a hermaphrodite to fit the standards of futanari, it is uncommon. Bits of information about hermaphroditism.

Additionally, since gender identity is not determined by what kind of genitals someone has in modern understanding, a person with a female gender identity might well have a penis. In other words, yes, some women do have penises. It is also entirely possible to make oneself a "futanari" by undergoing partial gender reassignment, for example. Like by having only top or only bottom surgery, depending on what arrangement you start off with. Given the number of gender identities in existence its not surprising at all that some may CHOOSE to identify as non-binary, intersex, or hermaphrodites.

More broadly, it is one of the many possible layers of being intersex to have non-standard primary and secondary sexual characteristics. If you want to look at it from that lens of intersexuality (which affects 1-2% of the world population), it's technically more common than having natural red hair, or having a twin.

Futanari as a term in general is more fantastical and not really helpful because it seldom has a clear definition most agree upon. Generally, they are women with a penis. But whether they have a scrotum, or a vulva, or both, or neither, is entirely up in the air and up to interpretation since "Futanari" just means "of two kinds", is synonymous with hermaphroditism in general, and could cover technically any individual that fits into the very broad intersex spectrum.

Arguably, it's just as logical to see futanari in the female section as it is to see pre-op trans women in there, or pre-op trans men in the male section.

As someone who prefers playing hermaphroditic characters with female features but male genitalia, my RTs are in the Non-Binary section because I personally felt that's where I belong and where I'm more likely to find partners, but frankly; with their increasing prevalence in the Female section, I've been thinking of just copy pasting them there myself if ever I want more hits. I really wish we had many many, many, more labels we could use for our RTs, especially for the purpose of sorting to find what you're interested in. Given the type of character I prefer to play and my preference for feminine partners for example; I have the most success when looking through "FxM or NB" and "FxAny" labeled RTs. But I still have to sift through a lot because it's not everyone's cup of tea, and not what everyone means by it when using that specific tag. "FxNB" tends to just land me in the "people looking for specifically trans partners" boat, and there's a lot of people who have the expectation that all "chicks with dicks" will be 7'2" amazonian uber doms with a bitch-breaker the size of their femur who think of women and men alike as cum dumpsters and go insane if they don't climax seven times a day. ...which sounds INCREDIBLY specific but trust me; I've met SO MANY RPers with this exact expectation its a specific category in my mind. Then there's femboys and butches that are just men and women adopting behaviors and aesthetic from the other group, which get conflated under the whole non-binary/intersex umbrella making everything even more bloody confusing... ...and that's just the world we live in now.

 

[Murdergurl]

...and there's a lot of people who have the expectation that all "chicks with dicks" will be 7'2" amazonian uber doms with a bitch-breaker the size of their femur who think of women and men alike as cum dumpsters and go insane if they don't climax seven times a day. ...which sounds INCREDIBLY specific but trust me; I've met SO MANY RPers with this exact expectation its a specific category in my mind. Then there's femboys and butches that are just men and women adopting behaviors and aesthetic from the other group, which get conflated under the whole non-binary/intersex umbrella making everything even more bloody confusing... ...and that's just the world we live in now.

And this is why I stopped trying to ERP on Discord. The servers there are chock full of these kinds of RTs... to the point where its just a wave of indistinguishable posts advertising the same topic over and over rand over...

 

[Silvered Sutures]

And this is why I stopped trying to ERP on Discord. The servers there are chock full of these kinds of RTs... to the point where its just a wave of indistinguishable posts advertising the same topic over and over rand over...

True. Even on here, I THINK (I haven't actually checked, to be fair, I encourage you to contradict me if you find otherwise), I'm the only person who has an RT stating an interest for playing a futanari-type character that doesn't specify a desire to be the dominant in a given pairing.

 

[Murdergurl]

True. Even on here, I THINK (I haven't actually checked, to be fair, I encourage you to contradict me if you find otherwise), I'm the only person who has an RT stating an interest for playing a futanari-type character that doesn't specify a desire to be the dominant in a given pairing.

I wouldn't know, tbh. Futas aren't an element I ever really seek out for roleplaying. Not my cup of tea.
Call me old-fashioned, but my sought-out pairing is the traditional cis-het male x cis-het female. Of course, there is a great variety in the ways that can manifest

 

[KittKatt]

I'm not going to hijack this conversation with my soapbox again, since it's still public even if the thread had to be locked, but I do want to touch on this briefly: there are people, primarily trans people, who will not engage with someone who uses words that reduce them to a fetish; my list is shemale, futa, and tranny. (Clarification, this is my choice and opinion, I'm not really asking for what others think about my choices. Don't make this thread into that one.). Just something to consider for everyone when making a thread!

But I will say that the concept of a futanari character varies wildly from person to person, even on this site. As other people have mentioned, it's their gender determination that matters.

 

[Murdergurl]

I'm not going to hijack this conversation with my soapbox again, since it's still public even if the thread had to be locked, but I do want to touch on this briefly: there are people, primarily trans people, who will not engage with someone who uses words that reduce them to a fetish; my list is shemale, futa, and tranny. (Clarification, this is my choice and opinion, I'm not really asking for what others think about my choices. Don't make this thread into that one.). Just something to consider for everyone when making a thread!

But I will say that the concept of a futanari character varies wildly from person to person, even on this site. As other people have mentioned, it's their gender determination that matters.

Personally, I don't equate Futas to irl Trans people. To me, Futas are a fantastical derivative of online hentai/porn and ERP (which is EXACTLY why their definition is so nebulous). I don't measure them up against real people in the slightest. Honestly, I would find it quite strange if someone told me they identified as a Futanari. It would be on much the same level if they told me they identified as a Tiefling.

 

[Zephyra]

I would easily consider them either one. Futas aren't "real" anyhow -- intersex people are, but futanaris are pretty much just a fantasy anime trope that aren't really supposed to be equated to anything in real life. For this reason, I think a futa could theoretically identify as any gender they want. The way that the character identifies is, I think, the sole defining factor in deciding which board it should be posted to, not their body type or genitalia.

Personally, I don't equate Futas to irl Trans people. To me, Futas are a fantastical derivative of online hentai/porn and ERP. I don't measure them up against real people in the slightest.

Agreed, I don't see futas and trans people as the same thing at all. Trans people have real struggles they have to deal with because of their gender identity, futas tend to just be plot devices for hentai and are essentially viewed no differently than a cis person. A request thread for people looking to play transwomen (pre or post-op) would belong in the female section for sure, futa could really go either way.