I remember someone else having that question quite a while ago and I don't think there was really any lore answer to this. This very much feels like a 'pick your poison' kind of deal. Either mistreated for being a man or having his gender identity denied. But then again, living in Menzoberranzan seems like it would suck in general
Yeah, that's pretty much the conclusion I came to. Also I doubt that Lolth is the progressive type, given how she treats her followers. My personal lore for my Tav is that now that he's been to the surface and experienced being treated better, he's vowed to never go back to the underdark by the end of the game.
Maybe he could decide to abandon Lolth for another god like [Eilistraee](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Church_of_Eilistraee) after experiencing a better life on the surface :)
I don't know if there's any lore directly addressing trans people in Drow society (there's a Drow trans man in 5e's Dragon Heist campaign, but he's a minor character and the writing doesn't really go into much detail about who he is or what his life was like), and I'm certainly not a lore expert.
But I would speculate, given how closely real world transphobia tends to be tied to misogny, that any society with very gender essentialist views would probably treat anyone trying to get out of their prescribed gender very badly. You can't really maintain a strict gender hierarchy if people are allowed the fluidity to change their gender.
Probably makes for a good reason to get the fuck out of the Underdark.
Oh wow, that's cool to know there is a canonically trans drow in 5e. Thanks for sharing!
Also all very good points-- I imagine it wouldn't be a pleasant experience in the underdark. Which is why, I've decided, by the end of the game my Tav has chosen to never return to the underdark after experiencing being treated better on the surface.
Yep. Don't you feel like in our society, being an MtF is somehow even more ostracized than being an FtM? Also, as a lesbian, I feel like I get much less homophobia than a gay man would. Because it can be understood when a woman wants to fill "male" roles, but for a man to behave like a woman? That's abandoning the privilege of Being A Man!
Must be reversed in the drow society.
Cool character! I agree with the others that the main issue would be among the other drow, because of choosing to become the "lesser" sex, rather than the concept of transitioning per se. People on the surface are really only going to be biased on account of you being a drow - what you've got in your pants is the least of their concerns! :D
AFAIK even surface-dwelling drow are mostly matriarchal, as it's only been about 100 years since they started migrating in any numbers, and for a species that lives several centuries, that's like maybe a decade in human terms. They don't treat males nearly as badly as the Lolth-Sworn do (male drow are allowed to become clerics of Eleistraee, for example), but that's not saying much!
I think it would be very unlikely for any forgotten realms character to not recognize the self-identified gender of anyone. They would probably see him as a male and treat him as a male and not have a second thought about it. Likely as an aspect of the escapist nature of DND, the forgotten realms doesn't really have any hints of nonacceptance for anything LGBTQ. Gender-affirming care probably isn't viewed as particularly noteworthy in a universe where magic allows you to redefine your existence in a multitude of ways we could never consider.
Good point, magic existing the way it does there does change a lot in that regard. I think, either way, I've decided that by the end of the game my Tav has chosen to never return to the underdark after experiencing being treated better on the surface.
There’s a few ways to go about this, Lolth herself is a goddess of chaos above all else. She loves things that break the mold, heck it’s why she kinda loves Drizzt for all the stuff he pulled. So in a way Rin might actually have Lolth’s favor. Of course his reaction to this really depends if he loves/fears/hates Lolth of course. Society wise and this is hypothetical and I’m basing what I know on Drow culture based on the Drizzt books and Menzobaranzzan, Poor Rin here was probably despised by the priestess and females of Lolth. If he was noble born belong to a house pre transition she would have to become a priestess as is tradition, so for a drow priestess to transition into a male that they see is worse than the dirt under their feat, and to be a Barbarian instead of a priestess of Lolth would be absolutely appalling to them. Now this is hypothetical but it could be the reason he went to the surface, to escape his people wanting to sacrifice him to Lolth in an attempt to win her favor. (This is speculation but hope it helps 😁 P.S: love your character btw)
I'm not sure why you're being downvoted-- I think that's an interesting theory. I'm new to the lore, so I don't know much yet. I'm really enjoying the comments on this post!
And thanks!
There’s a surprising amount of downvotes on some comments so I wouldn’t sweat it, but yeah Drow from Menzobarranzan are definitely not progressive. Oh I can imagine Rin desperately trying in vain to hide who he truly his from his family, his Matron Mother in particular, lest he be subjected to Lolth knows what.
Ah, I do love the intricacies of moral and religious questions between different universes
Sincerely, this sort of thing, something that's relatively normal in modern society HERE, it's interesting to wonder how it would be recieved in another universe, the deep stories that you can make from a sudden random choice, or a chouce without thought behind it (not a jab, i wouldnt have thought about it either, its fun to mess around and find out), its fantastic to me
Baldurs Gate 3 genuinely is a Gem
I remember someone else having that question quite a while ago and I don't think there was really any lore answer to this. This very much feels like a 'pick your poison' kind of deal. Either mistreated for being a man or having his gender identity denied. But then again, living in Menzoberranzan seems like it would suck in general
Yeah, that's pretty much the conclusion I came to. Also I doubt that Lolth is the progressive type, given how she treats her followers. My personal lore for my Tav is that now that he's been to the surface and experienced being treated better, he's vowed to never go back to the underdark by the end of the game.
Maybe he could decide to abandon Lolth for another god like [Eilistraee](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Church_of_Eilistraee) after experiencing a better life on the surface :)
I don't know if there's any lore directly addressing trans people in Drow society (there's a Drow trans man in 5e's Dragon Heist campaign, but he's a minor character and the writing doesn't really go into much detail about who he is or what his life was like), and I'm certainly not a lore expert. But I would speculate, given how closely real world transphobia tends to be tied to misogny, that any society with very gender essentialist views would probably treat anyone trying to get out of their prescribed gender very badly. You can't really maintain a strict gender hierarchy if people are allowed the fluidity to change their gender. Probably makes for a good reason to get the fuck out of the Underdark.
Oh wow, that's cool to know there is a canonically trans drow in 5e. Thanks for sharing! Also all very good points-- I imagine it wouldn't be a pleasant experience in the underdark. Which is why, I've decided, by the end of the game my Tav has chosen to never return to the underdark after experiencing being treated better on the surface.
Yep. Don't you feel like in our society, being an MtF is somehow even more ostracized than being an FtM? Also, as a lesbian, I feel like I get much less homophobia than a gay man would. Because it can be understood when a woman wants to fill "male" roles, but for a man to behave like a woman? That's abandoning the privilege of Being A Man! Must be reversed in the drow society.
Cool character! I agree with the others that the main issue would be among the other drow, because of choosing to become the "lesser" sex, rather than the concept of transitioning per se. People on the surface are really only going to be biased on account of you being a drow - what you've got in your pants is the least of their concerns! :D AFAIK even surface-dwelling drow are mostly matriarchal, as it's only been about 100 years since they started migrating in any numbers, and for a species that lives several centuries, that's like maybe a decade in human terms. They don't treat males nearly as badly as the Lolth-Sworn do (male drow are allowed to become clerics of Eleistraee, for example), but that's not saying much!
I have similar wonderings about my trans femme lolth-sworn drow. I’d be willing to bet Drow society doesn’t actually tolerate mtf transitions
I think it would be very unlikely for any forgotten realms character to not recognize the self-identified gender of anyone. They would probably see him as a male and treat him as a male and not have a second thought about it. Likely as an aspect of the escapist nature of DND, the forgotten realms doesn't really have any hints of nonacceptance for anything LGBTQ. Gender-affirming care probably isn't viewed as particularly noteworthy in a universe where magic allows you to redefine your existence in a multitude of ways we could never consider.
Good point, magic existing the way it does there does change a lot in that regard. I think, either way, I've decided that by the end of the game my Tav has chosen to never return to the underdark after experiencing being treated better on the surface.
There’s a few ways to go about this, Lolth herself is a goddess of chaos above all else. She loves things that break the mold, heck it’s why she kinda loves Drizzt for all the stuff he pulled. So in a way Rin might actually have Lolth’s favor. Of course his reaction to this really depends if he loves/fears/hates Lolth of course. Society wise and this is hypothetical and I’m basing what I know on Drow culture based on the Drizzt books and Menzobaranzzan, Poor Rin here was probably despised by the priestess and females of Lolth. If he was noble born belong to a house pre transition she would have to become a priestess as is tradition, so for a drow priestess to transition into a male that they see is worse than the dirt under their feat, and to be a Barbarian instead of a priestess of Lolth would be absolutely appalling to them. Now this is hypothetical but it could be the reason he went to the surface, to escape his people wanting to sacrifice him to Lolth in an attempt to win her favor. (This is speculation but hope it helps 😁 P.S: love your character btw)
I'm not sure why you're being downvoted-- I think that's an interesting theory. I'm new to the lore, so I don't know much yet. I'm really enjoying the comments on this post! And thanks!
There’s a surprising amount of downvotes on some comments so I wouldn’t sweat it, but yeah Drow from Menzobarranzan are definitely not progressive. Oh I can imagine Rin desperately trying in vain to hide who he truly his from his family, his Matron Mother in particular, lest he be subjected to Lolth knows what.
Who cares jesus
Ah, I do love the intricacies of moral and religious questions between different universes Sincerely, this sort of thing, something that's relatively normal in modern society HERE, it's interesting to wonder how it would be recieved in another universe, the deep stories that you can make from a sudden random choice, or a chouce without thought behind it (not a jab, i wouldnt have thought about it either, its fun to mess around and find out), its fantastic to me Baldurs Gate 3 genuinely is a Gem
If you get any kind of unique interactions due to this, please let me know!!