As we are entering pride month, I suppose there’s no better time to talk about my experience with gender and being cybertronian. Firstly and foremost, we cybertronians didn’t have such a concept. Variance between others from mech to mech were complex and held each to their own individuality, but nothing was held to something so interlaced in human society. Males, females, anywhere in between was not something natural to us. That being said, in our very language their was an absence of what most human cultures call ‘pronouns’. This does not mean we went by notions of ‘they’ or ‘it’, but merely as a sentient being or ‘person’, with no discretion between anyone otherwise. This of course did not transcend to frame type. While I would not voraciously compare what determined our caste to the gender roles of human cultures, I can not deny the similarity to an extant. One might more commonly consider frame type rather towards ones race, yet that as well is incomparable. We are one race:cybertronian. From Iacon to the sea of rust, we are no different coming from the same metal, the same grit, and the same source of life: the spark. Strip us bare from our frames and you’ll see, we are, we were, all the same. At least that’s how it was bio-mechanically. Throw in aspects of functionalism, the predatory system that catered towards one group above others, and some religious fantasy to drive the message of a ‘higher power’, then we are suddenly not so equal as we should be. Society is not so simple when things like control are slipped through stained servos. But I digress, this is where differences came about for what our culture bred. The frame type you were either forged or constructed with, was what determined your place amongst society. Before I get too off topic, as I’d like to remain the focus on what is perceived as somewhat similar to gender, I’ll continue along with frame types in that context. When I go on about there have not being gender, that does not entail that I do not believe there were not the concept of ‘femmes’. They were very much part of cybertronian society, but this designation did not conclude to a gender than rather an expression of frame type. That being said, being femme could be found in any frame, from flyer to vehicle, to non-conventional. Femme vs Mech is probably the most significant gender-like concept you can find in cybertronian society, yet we do not segregate anything between the two. There is no set roles for either, as this is determined by ones frame type and so then their caste. If you come into being with a heavy equipment form of alt mode you are designated a lower caste with a determined purpose in something like construction or mining. If you come into being with a stream-line hover vehicle alt mode you are designated with a higher caste in luxury racing or art or design. Or so what we we call functionalism, whereas you did not have the freedom to choose your own destiny. I was cold constructed, built a flyer for the purpose of deep space exploration. An expendable unit which would be made in the purpose of searching for energon. This was in the bottom caste, not quite as low as some others, but low enough to be in a position of no respect and to the treatment of pure casteism towards your frame type. Flyers were not prized is what I am saying, but I was still proud of who I was, and I made it my goal to prove it. So that is my thoughts this month for Pride, when thinking of identity and gender from a society lost to the cosmos. I figured there was no better time to express my feelings and memories of such, so there it is. -Starscream
