by Sayuri Ueda
“I don’t think I quite understand.”
“That’s all right. You don’t have to. In any case, the words minority and majority were soon deemed discriminatory, and such semantic distinctions ceased to exist. At last, people came to realize that such reductionist thinking was meaningless. That there was no exact delineation between the majority and minority. That the majority can always become a minority. That possibility was the essence of what it means to be human.
“And so intersexuality isn’t so much a peculiar goal of people with peculiar ideas as it is a challenge we must face in order for human culture to mature. Although whether governments recognize the lifestyle is a different matter.”
The world’s progressives began to fight for the right for people to have both sexes. The conservative majority protested. To the conservatives, bioengineering hermaphrodites was nothing more than a vulgar hobby of freaks.
Although there was a storm of debate, in the end, society simply couldn’t accept the idea of intersexuality. The media chased after the story for a while but soon stopped once the controversy died down.
But the progressives had not completely given up.
At the time, space medicine research was already being conducted on Jupiter-I—research that had continued since humanity established its first city on the Moon.
The path to the Jovian system was fraught with bigger obstacles than the paths to the Moon or Mars: the cosmic radiation, far greater than on the way to Mars, plus the gas giant’s intense magnetic field. Humanity was faced with the challenge of increasing its ability to adapt to the space environment. Medication to restore the cell structure and DNA damaged by the radiation, a new model of molecular machine, overcoming the circulatory disturbance resulting from the zero-gravity environment, etc.
At some point, the data gathered from animal testing eventually had to be tested on humans.
That was what the progressives had put their finger on. They asked scientists to create a special community on Jupiter-I in exchange for offering up their bodies for experiments.
They requested approval for the creation of an exclusive dwelling for the bigender—the special district.
“The notion of body modification, which arose from the sexuality issue, presented us with the new challenge of figuring out how the sexual functions of both sexes could coexist in the same body. The only answer was to manipulate the sex chromosomes, but no one dared take on the risk on Earth. The strong opposition of the conservative majority was one reason. The issue of ethics was another. Once we recognize anyone having chromosomes other than X or Y as human, we begin to entertain the possibility of modifying the entire body. For example, improving the functionality of our arms and legs, improving our audio-visual faculties, being able to subsist on water, minerals, and light like plants. If we make radical alterations to the body in this way, how far can we go and still call ourselves human? Where do we stop in order to remain human? It was obvious that no one would be able to draw that line, which is why even researchers hesitated,” Kline said. “Nevertheless, the people seeking to become bigender tried to overcome those hurdles. Humanity has to change—no, humanity must actively seek out change, they said. Through the issue of sexual diversity, they came to the conclusion that the human body must be and should be reinvented. If people’s ways of thinking change along with the times, then it’s only natural that the body do the same, they said. These people were an appealing opportunity to scientists. They had offered their bodies for experimentation just when scientists were in need of subjects.”
“But on the condition that they would be made intersexuals and promised refuge in the special district,” Shirosaki concluded.
“The International Space Probe Agency based on Earth, the Planetary Bioethics Association, and scientists on Jupiter-I came together to negotiate the terms of the experiments. And establish boundaries for what types of body alterations were allowed and not allowed to avoid any reckless behavior.”
“How so?”
“First, the special district was officially designated as a sovereign state. The people of the special district are residents of a new country who acquired a family register upon moving to or being born in the special district. In other words, they were not to be treated like lab animals we can have our way with. The Rounds have the individual right to refuse to take part in any experiment. The medical experiments can only proceed with the consent of the Rounds and the station staff; we can’t force them to take part in any experiment they don’t agree to.”
“But you can try to convince them.”
“Of course,” Kline said. “The operating cost of the special district comes out of the International Space Probe Agency’s budget. The grant element is set at zero percent, but since the agency profits from the data collected from the experiments, the Rounds aren’t in the position to refuse every experiment. The district will stand to lose its operating budget. Rounds who simply can’t participate in the experiments have no choice but to leave the district and live among Monaurals.”
“Is that even possible?”
“It’s rare, but some Rounds who are unable to adapt to the district’s policies do leave. Since the Rounds aren’t allowed to travel outside the Jovian system, however, they have no way of earning a living other than to become part of the station staff.”
“I mean, are the Rounds capable of living in the space station among Monaurals outside of the special district?” Shirosaki asked.
“It requires considerable physical and psychological effort on their part, but it’s not entirely impossible.”
Kline went on to explain that the medical experiments adhered to specific guidelines. “The biggest rule is that the Rounds’ appearance cannot deviate from the way Monaurals look. Their familiar appearance will reduce the psychological resistance others might feel toward the genetically different.”
“On the other hand, prejudicial feelings may arise because they do look like us.”
“But people may also find it easier to empathize with the Rounds. We can also avoid giving the false impression that we’re conducting unnatural experiments. In addition, we clearly defined two purposes for creating bigenders,” Kline said. “Officially, the Rounds are staff working on the frontier of space exploration. Only a small staff is dispatched to the frontier at first, limiting the choices of sexual partners. Under those circumstances, it simply isn’t efficient to halve the gene pool by restricting the partnerships to between a man and a woman. The best method is to expand the choices by making everyone a possible sexual partner.”
“The expectation to bear children seems to be an anachronism, wouldn’t you say?”
“For the record, of course—it’s a pretext to create bigenders.”
“What if you take frozen eggs and sperm to the frontier? With a diverse supply, the staff can have as many children as they like from outside their gene pool,” Shirosaki said.
“Of course, we’re pursuing that avenue as we speak. Unfortunately, the success rate has been disappointing. Some technologies that prove effective on Earth oftentimes fail in the Jovian system. As the research continues, I do believe that method will eventually take root. But the human ability to propagate the species can’t be undervalued. Our ability to bear and raise children in places without the aid of an artificial womb or incubation system is a tremendous advantage.”
“And the second purpose?”
“To resolve the issues raised by gender differences. Our society has not been able to overcome gender discrimination with our laws and ethics alone. We’re incapable of eliminating the conflicts stemming from the differences in sexes. And that’s only natural. Our physiology is different. So are our hormonal cycles. There’s no way to understand the other completely. That’s fine, I suppose. You might say that such issues are what make humanity so fascinating and profound. But now as we’ve left the tiny confines of the solar system and are attempting to embark on a journey into the dark expanse, we can’t afford to quibb
le over such trifling matters. Which is why we should dispense with the problems that can be resolved by reinventing the body. A society where we are equals, where only individual differences exist. That was the ideal scientists proposed, and it was largely because of these two goals that the creation of the Rounds was approved. And so strictly speaking, the term Round isn’t the name of a new race but a word to describe a certain condition.”
“How was that name derived?”
“It stands for roundtrip gender—a being constantly moving between masculinity and femininity. It was a word coined here on Jupiter-I.”
“While we may be able to overcome gender differences, as long as individual differences continue to exist, I doubt we can eliminate interpersonal conflicts altogether,” Shirosaki said.
“We certainly don’t believe we can resolve all conflicts by ridding society of sexual distinctions alone,” Kline responded. “But at the very least, eliminating physiological differences will free us from the because he’s a man or because she’s a woman mode of thinking. Are you familiar with the myth of the hermaphrodite from Plato’s Symposium?”
“I’m afraid I’m not.”
“According to Aristophanes, humans were once hermaphrodites with four arms and four legs. Wary of humanity’s hubris and might, the gods tore the humans in two. This was the origin of men and women, each sex searching and desiring the other half ever since. I can’t say that I believe in the myth, but the story has resonance, wouldn’t you say?”
“And were the progressives satisfied by the creation of the Rounds?”
“Hardly. They mounted quite a protest. In a way, maybe the progressives had a better understanding of the implications of these experiments. The emergence of a society where one person has two sexes becomes commonplace. They realized that alone could jolt our values from their foundation. Perhaps the progressives intuited that changing just one aspect of our social universe could change our universe entirely.”
“So how do they contain such a threat?”
“None of the data from the experiments can leave the Jovian system,” Kline said. “The Rounds can only be created on the Jovian system. Rounds cannot travel to Earth or Mars. In short, they’re absolutely forbidden to enter our society. Those were the terms of the agreement. Not a problem since the people who’d volunteered to be subjects had abandoned their homes on Earth and Mars. Thus, the special district was established. The first generation, called the pre-generation, acquired their bigender surgically. Though pre-gens weren’t absolute hermaphrodites and thus couldn’t procreate, a bigender society was born in the special district. Every one of its residents is both male and female. And every one of them is psychologically male and female. Their feelings develop not for the opposite sex but for the individual. During the experiments, they also began bearing children through artificial insemination. The fertilized eggs were injected with a synthetic gene called double-I instead of the sex chromosomes Monaurals possess. Those children were born as absolute hermaphrodites from the start. They represent the first generation of Rounds. Since then, a second and third generation have been born through traditional procreation methods.”
“What became of the pre-generation?”
“They work and live among the station staff outside the special district. The pre-generation and first generation have completely different ways of thinking. As different as their physiology is, they might as well be different species. All the scientists did was eliminate sexual distinctions. But that change alone can transform human society—our lifestyles, value systems, our sense of humanity. What do you think?” Kline asked. “About our creating a race of bigenders?”
“I haven’t had occasion to give it much thought.”
“You’re not the least bit interested?”
“I don’t quite know what to think, as I’m perfectly satisfied being a man and a Monaural. I can appreciate the concept of a gender-free society. But a society that is free of sexual distinctions by changing the human physiology goes beyond what I’d consider ordinary.”
“You’ll get used to it. We all need time to adapt to a new value system.”
Adapt to what? Shirosaki thought. To the fact that humans are becoming absolute hermaphrodites? Or to the idea that I would grow accustomed to a society without sexual differences? “Harding brought up the subject of language discrimination earlier. I understand there are words we shouldn’t use in reference to the Rounds.”
“There’s no need to be overly sensitive. The Rounds are fully aware of their differences and they won’t fault us for a slip or two. But there are some things you’re better off not saying out of consideration for the Rounds. ‘You look feminine for a Round’ or ‘You look masculine for a Round,’ for example. Surely you must have assumed Dr. Tei to be a woman when you first saw em.”
“Yes, I did,” Shirosaki admitted.
“When we Monaurals see a Round, we tend to recognize traits of one gender over the other. Which is why we say a ‘feminine Round’ and a ‘masculine Round.’ For those of us accustomed to having gender differences, we can’t help seeing the Rounds in those terms as well. And maybe we’re projecting our desires upon them too. ‘I hope that Round is feminine.’ Or, ‘That Round has to be masculine.’ Nothing more than an illusion on our part. The Rounds have no awareness of being more one sex than the other. What exactly did you feel was feminine about the doctor? Eir slender proportions? Or eir features?”
“I suppose it was the voice,” Shirosaki answered. “Ey looks like a woman, of course, but I detected a kindness in eir manner of speaking and timbre of eir voice that I perceived as distinctly feminine.”
“That’s all strictly according to your own definition. In your mind, you have some standards by which you distinguish the sexes. But those standards won’t work with the Rounds.”
“This is all so very confusing.”
“There’s no need to feel bad about yourself. Few of us have ever been in contact with the Rounds. It’s natural to feel uncomfortable. Your thinking will change while you’re here. By the time your assignment here is done, I promise you your views about sexuality will be completely transformed. Oh, and another thing—please don’t call the Rounds ‘sea hares’ or ‘snails.’ The Rounds hate it when Harding calls them that.”
Shirosaki and Kline exited the observatory and boarded the high-velocity elevator, which took them to the special district in mere seconds. Kline stood in front of the entrance where a biometric scanner worked its way up and down her entire body.
After the system finished reading her personal information, the door opened.
Shirosaki’s eyes grew wide.
Lush greenery filled his field of vision. It was like an entrance to a botanical garden.
The special district lacked the subdivisions and corridors of the station staff’s residential district. The entire space lay open like a magnificent garden. Not so much a garden but closer to a small cityscape. The ceiling was thirty feet high. The garden appeared to slope up into a sharp incline at both ends. Because the area was free of obstructions, unlike the Monaurals’ residential district, Shirosaki could see the curvilinear shape of the cylindrical station.
A wide path snaked along the shape of the central axis, branching off into various areas of the district along the way.
Kline gestured toward the path, and they began to walk. Shirosaki felt as if he were being led through a garden made for pleasing tourists.
Suddenly the image that had triggered his wakefulness in the hibernation chamber came flooding back to life. The oppressive smell of greenery. The memory of the Summer Dome. A prophetic dream? Or coincidence?
Shirosaki asked Kline, “Is the entire district a plantation of some sort?”
“There’s a separate garden elsewhere. These plants have been bioengineered. They constantly release oxygen and absorb CO2 gases regardless of the availability of light energy. They take in the air and release just the oxygen back into the environment.”
&nbs
p; “Water and nutrients?”
“They don’t require as much of either as normal plants.”
“I see they bear fruit.”
“Not edible, I’m afraid,” Kline said. “They absorb just the carbon from the CO2 gases. When they mature, they’re harvested and processed for carbon fiber at the recycling plant.”
Kline picked one of the fruit and handed it to Shirosaki. It had none of the fleshy elasticity of edible fruit. Shirosaki squeezed it and the fruit crumbled, leaving a powdery residue in his hand like pumice.
Shirosaki and Kline passed by several Rounds as they walked.
The Rounds wore flat shoes and long tunics, which resembled quarter-sleeved Chinese dresses with stand-up collars. The front of the lightweight cloth was decorated with embroidery from collar to chest. Since the tunics were identical, the embroidered designs alone seemed to reflect individual tastes. The children, scampering around the garden in sandals, were dressed more simply. All of the Rounds wore portable comm devices on their arms or chests.
“I feel as if I’ve wandered into an ancient civilization.”
“When we considered the proper attire for a society without sexual distinctions, this was the design we came up with.”
“It seems a bit more classical-looking than unisex. It’s enough to make you forget this is a space station.”
“Would you have preferred a different design? Such domestic matters tend to take a back seat here.”
“Are the Rounds happy with it?” Shirosaki asked.
“They don’t say either way. Although the embroidery was their idea.”
None of the Rounds registered any emotion upon seeing Kline and Shirosaki.
Their oddly tranquil gaze as they walked past without so much as a smile reminded Shirosaki of Dr. Tei’s light brown eyes.
“I have a feeling we’re not welcome here.”
“Don’t let it bother you. It’s a kind of etiquette here.”