Meanings
plural genderswaps
- slanglifestyleAn instance of changing a fictional character's biological sex or gender identity from the canonical norm.
But I liked the fact that they *were* friends and not lovers, as *the* most obvious thing to do with a genderswap of either Kirk or Spock is promptly pair them off together.
2001 June 20, Alara Rogers, “Re: TOS Challenge "Female Trek"”, in alt.startrek.creative (Usenet)2 more examples
The problem is exactly the one you have stated: many people would not be comfortable with a sudden genderswap in the Doctor, when the possibility has not even been hinted at in the past.
1996 July 4, Bill Billingsley, “Re: Sci-Fi Gender Role Reversal was Re: 9th Doctor”, in rec.arts.drwho (Usenet)More sober challenges to the representation of gender in mainstream media (and of course, Supernatural specifically) occur in genderswap stories where the sudden change of anatomy is one that throws the character's world into chaos.
2009, Emily Turner, "Scary Just Got Sexy: Transgression in Supernatural and Its Fanfiction", in In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural (ed. Supernatural.tv), BenBella Books (2009), page 162Synonyms: genderbend, Rule 63
present singular third person genderswaps · participle present genderswapping · participle past genderswapped · past genderswapped
- slanglifestyleTo change a fictional character's biological sex or gender identity from its canonical norm.
And while they've kept the original series character's *names*, they've genderswapped some of them, and added a new twist by having Cylons characters who look and think they're human.
2005 February 1, Rick M., “Re: OT: Any Sci Fi nuts Here?”, in alt.drugs.hard (Usenet)2 more examples
I am a completely unartistic person who has found myself in charge of a fanfic shared world project to genderswap Marvel mutants. Thus, Xavier and Magneto are women and always were; Storm and Rogue are men and always were; you get the idea.
1998 December 28, Aleph Press, “META: Fanfic writer looking for artist”, in alt.comics.fan-fiction (Usenet)In my series that genderswaps Kirk and Spock, "Jane Kirk's Enterprise", there is an implication that Jane Kirk was held back for her gender-- not *stopped*, not even running into major roadblocks, but she didn't rise as fast as James Kirk did under the same circumstances.
2002 February 22, Alara Rogers, “Re: A JanewaySlash: "Losses", 1/1 (VOY: J/Ro Laren) PG-13”, in alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated (Usenet)Synonyms: genderbend, gender-flip
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn instance of changing a fictional character's biological sex or gender identity from the canonical norm.
verbTo change a fictional character's biological sex or gender identity from its canonical norm.
Origin
Translations
Spanish permutación de género, permutarle el género a
- permutación de géneroTranslations
- permutarle el género aTranslations
Cite this entry
genderswap. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/genderswap
“genderswap.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/genderswap. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “genderswap,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/genderswap.
Source: genderswap on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.