I play both male and female characters, I am male irl, and I find it suprising how many people assume im Female and are suprised when I tell them im male.
This is a super tricky topic, and I don't feel all that qualified to talk about it, but I'll chip in my two cents anyway, and hopefully not be a jerk about it in the process! I am definitely female, even though like most people I don't fit into the "typical" feminine category on a lot of things, which is good because it's a stupid, limited category anyway. Generally I prefer t-shirts and jeans over other types of clothing, but I'm not going to claim that makes me androgynous, because it's not that simple. I just wear and do things that I think are comfortable and what I enjoy, regardless of what gender role other people think they fit. When I was growing up my mom was always getting on my case about not being ladylike, and I...never really cared? I don't want to be "a lady", I want to be a Chantal, dangit. I do love skirts and cute frilly girly things! But I also like dinosaurs and dragons and other various ugly beasties with sharp pointy bits.
When it comes to characters, I do tend to have more male characters (and I have been mistaken as a dude for it), but it wasn't really an intentional plan or anything. It takes a lot more for me to come up with female characters that I actually like, and I care way more about good female characters than male ones, there's plenty of those out there already.
When it comes to characters, I do tend to have more male characters (and I have been mistaken as a dude for it), but it wasn't really an intentional plan or anything. It takes a lot more for me to come up with female characters that I actually like, and I care way more about good female characters than male ones, there's plenty of those out there already.
I don't ID as female or male on a typical basis. I tend to pull off the andro look fairly well despite having large breasts and a very feminine figure, and my actions and the way I speak are a very fluid mix. Some days I will wear dresses and wish to be addressed as 'she'. Other days, I feel like I'll throw up if I'm called such, though I rarely find anger in it.
Character-wise, I find a lot of my characters (Zaany, Neirin, Tachs in particular, that ya'll can see) are either somewhat or very ambiguous, or have a lot of mixes/traits.
Typically I'm ID'd as a male, online - though it's rare because I don't travel outside my circles much, and inside my circles people tend to call me 'she'. I'd frankly prefer they didn't, but it also doesn't 'truly' bother me. They tend to see me as IC-Masha (As in, visually, as far as I'm aware) as opposed to OOC-Masha (as in what I look like IRL) and that's fine enough.
Character-wise, I find a lot of my characters (Zaany, Neirin, Tachs in particular, that ya'll can see) are either somewhat or very ambiguous, or have a lot of mixes/traits.
Typically I'm ID'd as a male, online - though it's rare because I don't travel outside my circles much, and inside my circles people tend to call me 'she'. I'd frankly prefer they didn't, but it also doesn't 'truly' bother me. They tend to see me as IC-Masha (As in, visually, as far as I'm aware) as opposed to OOC-Masha (as in what I look like IRL) and that's fine enough.
Interesting question Lilly! Well I do have my days when I dress is something pretty, and ultimately girlish and I frequently wear make up(rarely do anything other than mascara and eyeliner) and jewelry. But for the most part I dress is what is comfortable at that moment. It could a pair of my partners shorts and one of his shirts, or a maxi dress, or jeans tank and flip flops. It's easy to say I identify as a woman. I don't believe I've ever been mistaken for a man (to my knowledge)
In rp most of my characters are women, it has only been recently that I have been playing males. The reason being its easier for me to connect to a female character, for more than obvious reasons.
In rp most of my characters are women, it has only been recently that I have been playing males. The reason being its easier for me to connect to a female character, for more than obvious reasons.
I'm quite comfortably female, as myself. Sometimes I wear skirts and makeup, sometimes jeans, I don't think too much about it, really. Online I tend to sometimes get mistaken for male, especially since I have quite a few male characters. I found that a lot of games had a decided dearth of males in them, so I would play male characters to balance the scales a bit, and it's fun! Sometimes it can get a little strange if the players of certain female characters try to carry IC into OOC, but just going "Yo, hold the phone," usually suffices. It's not a big deal when getting mistaken for a dude happens, I've never been put out by such a mistake.
As far as other people go (in real life as well as online), just tell me what you want me to call you/what pronouns you prefer so I don't look like a jerk and everything is well!
As far as other people go (in real life as well as online), just tell me what you want me to call you/what pronouns you prefer so I don't look like a jerk and everything is well!
I get mistaken as male from time to time. It doesn't bother me, so I don't bother correcting anyone. I've been told that I look distinctly male from behind, although whether this is entirely credible is questionable since the person who told me so is the type of person who enjoys calling me "Auntie Fru Fru" and thinking up gender-based insults. It's all good fun.
I've never worn makeup and probably won't until I'm out of high school. My "comfort clothes" consist of boys' mesh shorts and a loose-fitting tee. I don't like jeans or denim unless I'm going out somewhere- girls' clothes typically have the most shallow pockets, and I like pockets a lot. There are times that I like to dress in fancier clothes, but the pocket issue reverts me. Don't ask me why I won't wear a purse, because I don't know. I don't like heels either.
I play males mostly. My females tend to be a bit on the shallow end, and though I should work on that, I typically find them too far out of my confort zone to play and ignore them completely.
I've never worn makeup and probably won't until I'm out of high school. My "comfort clothes" consist of boys' mesh shorts and a loose-fitting tee. I don't like jeans or denim unless I'm going out somewhere- girls' clothes typically have the most shallow pockets, and I like pockets a lot. There are times that I like to dress in fancier clothes, but the pocket issue reverts me. Don't ask me why I won't wear a purse, because I don't know. I don't like heels either.
I play males mostly. My females tend to be a bit on the shallow end, and though I should work on that, I typically find them too far out of my confort zone to play and ignore them completely.
Tailbone wrote:
Goregoat wrote:
...jewelry, good speech and manners...dressing well (though not necessarily in dresses or skirts)...smoke cigars and pipes and other sorts of things that are considered traditionally male activities and interests. I am often perceived as being dominant, masculine or assertive and can be very intimidating whether I mean it or not.
I find characters of very traditional female gender roles either very difficult or very boring to play.
I find characters of very traditional female gender roles either very difficult or very boring to play.
^^^
boop.
I'm definitely considered female in real life. I dress feminine in form-fitting clothes, skirts and dresses, wear makeup, heels and carry a handbag around. I act feminine for as far as I know, and I'm fine with that.
I really dislike being considered masculine because it's physically impossible for me to be 'cute, short and petite'. I'm a 6'1" tall woman so I'll never be small and adorable. I have a strong feminine personality and desires, most of which are unlikely to be fulfilled because I am who I am physically. Being considered masculine doesn't sit well with me because I don't feel like it, but people just tend to disagree every now and then.
Online it depends where I am. Sanne is a feminine sounding name even to people who don't know how to pronounce it/never saw it before, but when I go for a gender neutral name some people easily label me a guy. I don't mind that as much because they usually can't know any better, and I make that mistake often myself.
In roleplay, most of my characters are female. I just play them better because I'm more in touch with feminine things than masculine things, although I enjoy RPing males too. I also have a herm character with bisexual, homosexual, pansexual and other sexuality variations in the mix.
I really couldn't care less what someone is. Man, woman, genderless, tranny, drag queen -- I can be best friends with anyone. I can fall in love with anyone. It's their personality and the things we have in common that matter to me, the rest is unimportant. That's not to say I don't find people attractive for their body. I do. I just don't care what gender that body is.
I really dislike being considered masculine because it's physically impossible for me to be 'cute, short and petite'. I'm a 6'1" tall woman so I'll never be small and adorable. I have a strong feminine personality and desires, most of which are unlikely to be fulfilled because I am who I am physically. Being considered masculine doesn't sit well with me because I don't feel like it, but people just tend to disagree every now and then.
Online it depends where I am. Sanne is a feminine sounding name even to people who don't know how to pronounce it/never saw it before, but when I go for a gender neutral name some people easily label me a guy. I don't mind that as much because they usually can't know any better, and I make that mistake often myself.
In roleplay, most of my characters are female. I just play them better because I'm more in touch with feminine things than masculine things, although I enjoy RPing males too. I also have a herm character with bisexual, homosexual, pansexual and other sexuality variations in the mix.
I really couldn't care less what someone is. Man, woman, genderless, tranny, drag queen -- I can be best friends with anyone. I can fall in love with anyone. It's their personality and the things we have in common that matter to me, the rest is unimportant. That's not to say I don't find people attractive for their body. I do. I just don't care what gender that body is.
Interesting questions! I'm female but I consider my gender about as important as other people consider their hair colour. When I realized how much people's gender usually affects their life I was very surprised. So I guess my gender identity is somewhat neutral. I dress for comfort and practicality, which means sometimes wearing dresses and skirts and sometimes jeans and trousers, I wear make-up when I'm in the mood - putting it on is fun, keeping it intact during the day is annoying, so it's not very often. I have long hair because I like how it looks on me and it's easy to style.
Funnily enough I play only female characters because I have this worry that if I play a male I won't be able to make him manly enough. Or rather stereotypically manly - football, nights out having beer with friends and so on. My female charaters aren't stereotypically female, but that doesn't bother me. I don't usually RP non-human characters or in sci-fi settings, so I've never played a hermaphrodite, although it would probably be easy for me. But under normal circumstances I don't have fun playing with the concept of gender since it's so irrelevant in my life that I never even noticed I have a gender role
BTW, my native language doesn't have a word for gender, just physical sex which is usually determined at birth.
Funnily enough I play only female characters because I have this worry that if I play a male I won't be able to make him manly enough. Or rather stereotypically manly - football, nights out having beer with friends and so on. My female charaters aren't stereotypically female, but that doesn't bother me. I don't usually RP non-human characters or in sci-fi settings, so I've never played a hermaphrodite, although it would probably be easy for me. But under normal circumstances I don't have fun playing with the concept of gender since it's so irrelevant in my life that I never even noticed I have a gender role
BTW, my native language doesn't have a word for gender, just physical sex which is usually determined at birth.
TheLily wrote:
So, I'm just wondering is: What do you play and how does that compare to your real life gender identity?
Wow, this is a great topic! I've never put any thought into this before, so to me, I feel as though I'm "learning" about myself as I answer. Now that I look at them, I think my characters reflect me more than I'd initially intended when creating them. For the most part they're females {which I am IRL}, but my women tend to be "fighters"- they definitely have a more masculine attitude, even if their physical appearance doesn't reflect it. The male characters I play are also masculine.
I grew up on a ranch, so my attitude, dress, & mannerisms have always leaned more towards practicality & comfort. I never really had time for "boys" or subjecting myself to the expectations of my gender. There was always too much work to be done! I got used to being mistaken for a little boy when I was younger. The first person I dated was a girl that I met around age 15. I didn't necessarily feel attracted to women, just her- I've been pansexual since I was old enough to have that sort of affection for someone. Since then I've dated three men. No other women- it ended on an odd note & I just haven't been able to look at another female with the same feelings, like it would "betray" what we'd had {but enough of that}.
Immediately after I graduated high school I joined the military. As you can imagine, "masculine" behavior in the typical sense is more "practical". Again, not much time to worry about your hair/nails/etc., as long as you're in regs! I dress for comfort, but I still like to look presentable at the same time. I try to keep my look "neat" & am generally well-groomed. I love the style of boot-cut jeans {they make my legs look longer & I'm awfully short}, leather boots {my current favorite pair have thick/short heels, so they're a little more on the feminine side} & wifebeaters. I always wear eyeliner {but that's it as far as makeup goes except on VERY rare occasion}. I enjoy straightening my hair every once in awhile. Not to look "lady like", moreso because otherwise it's wild & frizzy. I LOVE physical fitness, but don't demand it in my partners- I enjoy it because it makes me feel good. I'm OBVIOUSLY female- being pregnant & all- & have a more feminine attitude when alone with my fiance. Around everyone else, though, I have an assertive personality that I think comes off as unintentionally dominant & potentially masculine.
TL;DR: I think my passiveness towards gender makes it easy for me to play as either. When I'm playing a male character, I don't go out of my way to think "Okay, what would a MAN do," just... "as a person, how would this character react?"
In real life I identify myself as a female. I am a female. I say female because I am not a lady, I am not a girl... woman yes because that is physically describing me as me. To me a Lady is respectable, like I think older women, grandmothers perhaps who hold their head high, back straight, walk with purpose type deal and can command a room, the very air around them demands respect no matter who or what you are. That is a Lady. A girl just for age- I may be young but don't call me girl- girls to me I think of being 5 again.
I say Female because in my mind and this is a social stigma most women who are around here I can respect out of being a decent human being. However I can't say they are a Lady- again another social stigma perhaps- because they may dress a bit smutty, or work as an exotic dancer, or are ghetto fabulous, etc etc. They don't present themselves as a respectable adult.
Anywho- I consider myself a woman, and am a female. I do not think I have the years and wisdom to be called a Lady and don't call me Miss or Ma'am because I do not portray the visage of somebody who is a pillar of the community respectable and lady like. Yes, I like cute things, frilly thing, but I also like male things to like male shorts because of the pockets and they have awesome plaid designs or toys- I love transformer toys- I played with them instead of barbies as a little girl. I preferred male toys because they held more interest to me- what isn't to like- a transformer is a 3D puzzle in a way. A Barbie? What is this? And yet I like very female items- clothing, dresses, stuff you wear for your significant other- I love it all. Video games? Hell yeah! Camping? Hell yeah! You don't have to be male/female to enjoy these activities- its personality, its whims and desires.
Today how do I present myself? I feel like a female- even if I just throw on a shirt and pants because its comfortable, even if I forgo a bra because those damned things don't really do much for me because I'm a twig, even if I wear jeans or guy shorts because I can't stand showing off butt cheek because the only shorts they seem to make for females are booty shorts. No, I am a woman; I am not some sex object walking down the street. I may wear skinny jeans because yes they show of my curves but they don't show skin, they cover me, my skin, I'm not advertizing skin. I want a person to look at me not because I'm showing skin but because I'm a person- because ME. Not for male. Not for female [even if I love womanly curves] yet I'm not a feminist. I am perfectly fine being a 'sub' so to speak- I would love to be a housewife yet I'm okay if I end up working a lot. I am not a motherly type, hell I met guys who are more into children and kittens than I am- nothing wrong with them. And usually online if I guess your gender correctly its not your character, its how you talk to me OOC, treat me OOC. Yes sometimes it is characters- especially if you are a guy playing a female who is pregnant- I can usually peg you with OOC talk as a guy or a girl because as a guy roleplaying a pregnancy it'll be harder for ya'll. Period. Not sorry if you disagree.
RP wise I play woman, men, and neutral. My neutral characters are the least played yet to me are the most fascinating because of social stigmas placed on them in dreams on Furc. For instance my character Ystlumnesta will materialize from a spirit being into a female body because women are considered the weaker of the two sexes just so they don't- they being the people in the dream- are either not startled at a spirit, don't harm it because it appears weaker, or because it's comfortable. Yst's description is a poem, it has no 'he' or 'she' and refers to itself as 'This one'. To me its fascinating. It's like a social experiment because in the end I play a character to broaden myself from interactions and because in the end I love story.
For the Most part IC and me in real life don't really compare. I have woman characters who are dominating, who are fighters, who are submissive- I have characters for just about anything. Why? Because I develop that part of me into see 'what if' and then boom I make it happen. If I ask myself 'what if I was super frilly, gaudy etc girly girl' I can make a character and become an actress and see if it works out or not. If I like it cool I can put it into my memory bank, if I don't fine I got my answer questioned. If I want to play a womanizer I do so, an asexual being I do so. To me Gender has nothing to do with my characters- its more of 'what is new, fascinating, unheard of, challenges the norm.' As Libertine said- I am learning about myself through the answer and through the respected RPs.
I say Female because in my mind and this is a social stigma most women who are around here I can respect out of being a decent human being. However I can't say they are a Lady- again another social stigma perhaps- because they may dress a bit smutty, or work as an exotic dancer, or are ghetto fabulous, etc etc. They don't present themselves as a respectable adult.
Anywho- I consider myself a woman, and am a female. I do not think I have the years and wisdom to be called a Lady and don't call me Miss or Ma'am because I do not portray the visage of somebody who is a pillar of the community respectable and lady like. Yes, I like cute things, frilly thing, but I also like male things to like male shorts because of the pockets and they have awesome plaid designs or toys- I love transformer toys- I played with them instead of barbies as a little girl. I preferred male toys because they held more interest to me- what isn't to like- a transformer is a 3D puzzle in a way. A Barbie? What is this? And yet I like very female items- clothing, dresses, stuff you wear for your significant other- I love it all. Video games? Hell yeah! Camping? Hell yeah! You don't have to be male/female to enjoy these activities- its personality, its whims and desires.
Today how do I present myself? I feel like a female- even if I just throw on a shirt and pants because its comfortable, even if I forgo a bra because those damned things don't really do much for me because I'm a twig, even if I wear jeans or guy shorts because I can't stand showing off butt cheek because the only shorts they seem to make for females are booty shorts. No, I am a woman; I am not some sex object walking down the street. I may wear skinny jeans because yes they show of my curves but they don't show skin, they cover me, my skin, I'm not advertizing skin. I want a person to look at me not because I'm showing skin but because I'm a person- because ME. Not for male. Not for female [even if I love womanly curves] yet I'm not a feminist. I am perfectly fine being a 'sub' so to speak- I would love to be a housewife yet I'm okay if I end up working a lot. I am not a motherly type, hell I met guys who are more into children and kittens than I am- nothing wrong with them. And usually online if I guess your gender correctly its not your character, its how you talk to me OOC, treat me OOC. Yes sometimes it is characters- especially if you are a guy playing a female who is pregnant- I can usually peg you with OOC talk as a guy or a girl because as a guy roleplaying a pregnancy it'll be harder for ya'll. Period. Not sorry if you disagree.
RP wise I play woman, men, and neutral. My neutral characters are the least played yet to me are the most fascinating because of social stigmas placed on them in dreams on Furc. For instance my character Ystlumnesta will materialize from a spirit being into a female body because women are considered the weaker of the two sexes just so they don't- they being the people in the dream- are either not startled at a spirit, don't harm it because it appears weaker, or because it's comfortable. Yst's description is a poem, it has no 'he' or 'she' and refers to itself as 'This one'. To me its fascinating. It's like a social experiment because in the end I play a character to broaden myself from interactions and because in the end I love story.
For the Most part IC and me in real life don't really compare. I have woman characters who are dominating, who are fighters, who are submissive- I have characters for just about anything. Why? Because I develop that part of me into see 'what if' and then boom I make it happen. If I ask myself 'what if I was super frilly, gaudy etc girly girl' I can make a character and become an actress and see if it works out or not. If I like it cool I can put it into my memory bank, if I don't fine I got my answer questioned. If I want to play a womanizer I do so, an asexual being I do so. To me Gender has nothing to do with my characters- its more of 'what is new, fascinating, unheard of, challenges the norm.' As Libertine said- I am learning about myself through the answer and through the respected RPs.
I am female IRL and my gender identity is primarily feminine, but I do not mind in the slightest bit being addressed as male online, or playing male characters. It is something that I simply do not get offended over even in the slightest.
It's pretty reassuring just how many people feel the way they do. I don't really like having to stick to my gender - it feels so limited. I like being girly and I like being boyish, but overall I think I like identifying as what I am. I mainly just chuckle if someone identifies me as a man because, well... my voice is kinda high-pitched and I'd be pretty short for a guy. The way I talk is pretty girly too, so I feel like people aren't being very attentive.
And it's amusing to me.
Basically I'm whatever I feel like at that time. I'm really super glad to not be the only one. It's kinda cool learning all this.
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And it's amusing to me.
Basically I'm whatever I feel like at that time. I'm really super glad to not be the only one. It's kinda cool learning all this.
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I am female, and I identify mentally as my physical gender and I have no issues with that. That being said, I can't for the life of me play female characters. All my characters are male, always have and probably always will. It's not that I'm butch or manly, but I think it's the aspect of exploring the experience of momentarily becoming the opposite gender that I find most interesting about playing male characters.
I'm male RL, and mostly masculine I suppose I've not really thought about it... hm... I guess masculine but with a severe lack of assertieness and self-esteem and a near total lack of interest in sports would probably come close I guess, though I don't go out of the way to look masculine or act masculine, I just wear what's comfy and act like myself.
As for characters, the vast majority of them are male, with only one or two females and in general I try to make sure that other RPers know I'm male if I'm doing female characters, since I wouldn't want to mislead anyone into making assumptions. I don't mind being mistaken for female if I'm doing a female character, after all I've done the same thing on several occassions.
As for sexuality, I'm traight and I play straight characters since I don't think I'd be able to quite do other sexualities quite as well, though I am toying with the idea of making one of my females bisexual just to test how well I could do a sexuality different from my own.
As for characters, the vast majority of them are male, with only one or two females and in general I try to make sure that other RPers know I'm male if I'm doing female characters, since I wouldn't want to mislead anyone into making assumptions. I don't mind being mistaken for female if I'm doing a female character, after all I've done the same thing on several occassions.
As for sexuality, I'm traight and I play straight characters since I don't think I'd be able to quite do other sexualities quite as well, though I am toying with the idea of making one of my females bisexual just to test how well I could do a sexuality different from my own.
I'm female, though the characters I play are predominantly male. I would say that I am cisgendered, as I dress and identify as female, though in some aspects I can be more 'male-minded' and I don't really give much further consideration for my own ~gender identity~. I don't look in the mirror and think 'girl'/'woman'/'female', I think 'me'-- and that's all that really matters in my mind. I like to dress up, put on makeup, fix up my hair and face the world in heels if I so choose, but when it comes down to me sitting at home, I pull my hair back, put on an oversized t-shirt and don't think twice about it.
Where roleplay is concerned, I enjoy playing characters on any range of the spectrum. I have both non-binary characters and characters that are completely defined by their masculinity or femininity. I have had people make the assumption that I am male, but where I roleplay (Furcadia), it's usually safe to assume that most of the male characters are not played by cisgendered males, so most people know better than to make that assumption. I don't believe that the characters I play, in terms of gender, says much about me beyond a natural curiosity and willingness to experience roles and situations that I would not otherwise encounter in my daily life.
In giving it a little more consideration, I would also say that I am more drawn to playing males due to the fact that I'm roleplaying within historical timelines.
Where roleplay is concerned, I enjoy playing characters on any range of the spectrum. I have both non-binary characters and characters that are completely defined by their masculinity or femininity. I have had people make the assumption that I am male, but where I roleplay (Furcadia), it's usually safe to assume that most of the male characters are not played by cisgendered males, so most people know better than to make that assumption. I don't believe that the characters I play, in terms of gender, says much about me beyond a natural curiosity and willingness to experience roles and situations that I would not otherwise encounter in my daily life.
In giving it a little more consideration, I would also say that I am more drawn to playing males due to the fact that I'm roleplaying within historical timelines.
I'm a male IRL, and I'm masculine as hell. My diet consists of animals—some of them raw, such as ducks—but I only consume those I have bested at feats of strength. I build totem poles and antique furniture and sometimes there is grease on my hands in absurd quantities. Like, how did it get there? Was I wrestling with a greasy pig while I was asleep? I never really know.
Regardless of my fondness for discus and caber-toss (and the Ketel One that, in lieu of womanly blood, flows through my veins), I tend to channel my feminine side in roleplay. That isn't to say I play female characters, but rather I play males whose feminine behaviors tend to subvert the gender expectations of modern society. This has a largely historical basis, as most of what we consider to be 'masculine' or 'feminine' derives from standards set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On the other hand, some of my characters embody very masculine tropes, though they aren't usually complimentary—pigheaded stubbornness, braggadocio and, especially in those who are particularly dim-witted, a sort of brute assertiveness or aggression that makes it seem like they know what they're doing.
I could play a female character, and I've certainly written them in other mediums, but it's definitely a challenge for me. For me, roleplay is storytelling through immersion, and I like to identify heavily with my characters—through their flaws, or through qualities I admire. I also like to be confident that their reactions are realistic, and playing a man helps for this, because I can use myself as a barometer. That being said, getting into a character's skin is a largely individual effort and doesn't really hinge on gender. It's in the same category as physical appearance or background: an identifier that sometimes informs a character's behavior, but is by no means a limiting factor. Playing a good female character is something I'd like to do, I just worry that I might compromise her individuality, and devolve her into the pale reflection of someone else.
Regardless of my fondness for discus and caber-toss (and the Ketel One that, in lieu of womanly blood, flows through my veins), I tend to channel my feminine side in roleplay. That isn't to say I play female characters, but rather I play males whose feminine behaviors tend to subvert the gender expectations of modern society. This has a largely historical basis, as most of what we consider to be 'masculine' or 'feminine' derives from standards set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On the other hand, some of my characters embody very masculine tropes, though they aren't usually complimentary—pigheaded stubbornness, braggadocio and, especially in those who are particularly dim-witted, a sort of brute assertiveness or aggression that makes it seem like they know what they're doing.
I could play a female character, and I've certainly written them in other mediums, but it's definitely a challenge for me. For me, roleplay is storytelling through immersion, and I like to identify heavily with my characters—through their flaws, or through qualities I admire. I also like to be confident that their reactions are realistic, and playing a man helps for this, because I can use myself as a barometer. That being said, getting into a character's skin is a largely individual effort and doesn't really hinge on gender. It's in the same category as physical appearance or background: an identifier that sometimes informs a character's behavior, but is by no means a limiting factor. Playing a good female character is something I'd like to do, I just worry that I might compromise her individuality, and devolve her into the pale reflection of someone else.
I play male characters. Honestly, I wouldn't know how to go about playing a female character without them coming off as very masculine or butch. In person, I'm pretty gruff and a bit rough around the edges, and that does not translate well. Most of my characters are combat oriented as well as male, because... well... that's what I'm good at. Kudos to any male that can convincingly play a female. I have enough problems relating to the females in my life half the time, let alone playing one. 
Raymond wrote:
I play male characters. Honestly, I wouldn't know how to go about playing a female character without them coming off as very masculine or butch. In person, I'm pretty gruff and a bit rough around the edges, and that does not translate well. Most of my characters are combat oriented as well as male, because... well... that's what I'm good at. Kudos to any male that can convincingly play a female. I have enough problems relating to the females in my life half the time, let alone playing one.
What about the step before that? Playing a femme male character? Would you say there is any difference then?
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