So, BW apologized for throwaway transgender stuff. Can we make them reconsider "gender pronouns" par

Technically, they wouldn't be bi.  Because again "male" and "female" are meaningless terms to a race that has no sexual dimorphism.  As a species, they would likely be pansexual, if anything.  The gender of their partner would be meaningless

Liara in me 1 established they were monogendered species and that carried over the series until now when the special snowflake bregade got offended.

Preferences aren't quite the same as orientation, though.  An individual Asari might well prefer Turian males or Salarian women (or indeed both), but it couldn't be something inborn, genetically based, because Asari haven't been in contact with aliens for sufficient generations for that sort of thing to develop.

edit:  I guess I could see there being Asari who were specifically, uh, Asari-sexual - if they lacked the strong exogamous instinct that led to Asari being attracted to aliens.  And of course asexual Asari might well be a thing

Well, yes, orientation as we understand it is not equivalent to preferences.  It isn't easy to keep language clarity regarding biological sex versus gender, and when we're talking about different species, it becomes even more difficult.

I've never been entirely sure whether that exogamous instinct occurred naturally or was somehow inculcated culturally.  Pureblood is an insult to asari, though there are still quite a few who partner with their own species.

ETA: In any case, I'm pretty hesitant to draw any conclusions about any of this.  Given just how much our understanding (and beliefs about) sex and gender have changed so much in the last couple hundred years, I would expect it to change a lot more in the next couple hundred years.  Dunno how well I succeed, but I do try to view sci-fi and fantasy worlds in their own terms rather than my own.

It would be, as Kaidan put it "art appreciation"

To OP: No, because it makes sense. Choice of preferred pronoun is not the exact same as a significant gender orientation.

Some prefer to be called 'he' when the translator happens. That's it. Binary gender is not alien to the asari even if they consider themselves to not follow it as a species. As a society, there certainly can be a minority that likes hearing 'he' come through the translator from the other species to their ears.


Its... god, its really NOT complicated. Asari likely have an equal to 'they' (as opposed to 'he'/'she') when speaking to each other but they DO know that binary gender exists and so they have a preferred word sometimes. It very likely isn't core to identity, at least for almost all (we should remember these are individuals).

Almost all asari we meet will still either go along with 'she' (and they'll hear it from us because its not like its an incomprehensible term to asari), or prefer 'she'. Its a totally understandable thing to me if a minority openly prefer 'he' and that at some point when dealing with asari there will be a polite reminder to consider that.

This files under lore expansion to me, not retcon.

But that's just it, asari don't have "gender roles" because they are all the same gender.

I'm 100% sure they translate because the concept will not be translated otherwise.

I'm 100% sure asari got used to binary genders millennia ago and hearing 'he' and 'she' is not confusing to them. What bothers them is when others confuse *asari*.

Has there been since Mass Effect 2? 

Really? How is this different from old Bioware? Remember when Juhani was revealed to be gay back in KotoR and no one cared, but when J.J Abrams was asked if there are gay characters in the Star Wars universe and he said "yes" people threw a hissy fit. People are just so sensitive now, and that goes for both sides. I can't believe anyone really cares about this, like at all. Think i'll just play Andromeda instead.

It's not that, it's not about people being gay or transgender, it's how they behave, how all characters behave, gay / straight / NPC's / Ryder. The lines they say their intonations, their worldview it comes through as one of an SJW.