Gender and sexuality in Gylias

Gylian society is known in Tyran for its progressive norms of gender and sexuality, created through the Golden Revolution. The country has a generally high rate of gender equality, significant protections for women's rights and LGBT rights, and historically strong feminist and LGBT movements that have contributed to shaping popular attitudes towards gender.

History

Liúshai League

The Liúshai League societies were broadly egalitarian. They recognised three gender roles: man, woman, and mixed. The latter category encompassed androgyny and non-binary identities, which are historically attested. Some of the League states had societies that were more inclined towards matrifocality and matrilocality. In general, the League's small population, ethnic diversity, and proximity and influence from Cacertian and Kirisakian civilisations served as powerful factors that prevented the development of patriarchal socities.

Women had an equal and free status to men in the League. They were recognised as persons under the law, worked alongside men as artisans and merchants. Certain roles specific to women were available, such as religious figures, cult initiators and mystery school founders, educators, and lawspeakers. Women made notable contributions to Gylic cultural and public life, ranging from the philosopher and scientist Hypatia to elected monarch Elizabeth the Learned. The Gylic societies also showed broad acceptance of homosexuality, with homosexual and third gender people having reserved social and spiritual roles. The earliest known erotic depictions date to the 5th century BCE. Prostitution in the League was practiced without gender discrimination, and evolved under Hellene influence towards a hierarchical system based on price and exclusivity. Unusual sexual practices documented among ancient Gylians include experimentation with penile adornments, early sex toys, and different means of contraception.

Gender and sexuality also had a certain influence on religious life. The more restrictive teachings of the Abrahamic religions served as an area of conflict with Concordianism and other traditional polytheisms.

Xevden

The imposition of Xevdenite rule after the Colonisation War had a profoundly negative effect on Gylic peoples. Xevdenite laws denied womens' rights and status, and authorities were more hostile towards mixed gender people. The marginalisation of Gylic and non-Gylic peoples fueled a strong, at times violent resistance, with notable events including the Rebellion of 1749 and the 12-year Glorious Rebellion. Even after a relative stabilisation under Senalta, Xevdenite rule remained precarious.

The adoption of christianity as a state religion and a 19th century shift towards social spencerism to justify Xevdenite rule only affected conventional public life. The systematic marginalisation and discrimination of Gylics and non-Gylics kept them on the margins of Xevdenite society, where they defiantly held on to their religions and traditions. The Gylian ascendancy of the 19th century was accompanied and intertwined with the spread of radical ideologies such as anarchism, feminism, socialism, and communism. Women and minorities had significant roles in the ascendancy, and were both receptive audiences and messengers for radical ideas.

The Cacerta-Xevden War ended in 1908 with the incorporation of Alscia as a province of the Cacertian Empire. Alscia benefited considerably from annexation: it experienced rapid economic and social development, and open manifestation of sexuality became once again visible, and was extended under Cacertian influence. The province developed a vibrant LGBT culture, social liberalism aided a growth in erotic depictions in art, and scientific sex education and prostitution regulations were introduced.

Free Territories and independence

The disintegration of Xevden culminated in the Liberation War, during which the Free Territories came into existence. The Free Territories carried out widespread experimentation in terms of governance and socioeconomic organisation, which were complimented by a revolutionary effort to overthrow oppressive old norms. Anarcha-feminism was a significant part of the Free Territories' cultural revolution, and women and LGBT people had prominent roles throughout public life. Their laws restored the equality of the sexes and recognition of third genders, while the promotion of free love, sex education, and equality between women and men were significant innovations, reflecting the impact of modernity and contemporary developments.

The length of the war paradoxically had positive results in the long run: a generation of Gylians grew up with lived experience of anarchism, and the anarchist organisation was sufficiently flexible to accommodate various experiments and ideologies. The second phase of the Liberation War, starting in 1948, saw the formation of a popular front with all anti-Xevdenite factions uniting behind the Free Territories' banner. The resulting stark contrast between the two sides contributed to popular acceptance of social revolution as an ideal, and the pursuit of radical means to achieve emancipation and autonomy.

The end of the Liberation War in 1958 brought a transition from the Free Territories to Gylias, which largely preserved the important traits of the Free Territories. The social reorganisation of the Free Territories became the foundation for the Golden Revolution, a period of intense and all-encompassing transformation of Gylian society. The Golden Revolution saw the consolidation of the anarchist and feminist currents into a sexual revolution that created a radically permissive society. A legal and political foundation of gender neutrality was complemented by social and cultural efforts to promote sexual diversity, which included the Gylian languages reform of 1958-1959, the creation of an anarchist public education system, and a push for rapid entrance and promotion of women and minorities in politics, civil society, and professional associations. The emergence of a thriving Gylian popular culture further helped promote drastic liberalisation and emancipation, which became associated with Gylias due to its pop culture's regional success, in turn further attracting the settlement of other nations' radicals, dissidents, and artists.

Gender

Gylian conceptions of identity are generally inclusive and overlapping. As a result, both gender and sexual orientation are perceived as a continuous spectrum, on which the individual determines their position. Most surveys show that Gylians identify as broadly genderqueer or non-gendered.

Sex and gender are understood to be distinct. Sex assignment is only done in the case of children with distinctive genitalia, and with a recognition of ambiguity. Birth certificates use the abbreviations AMAB/SMAN (assumed male at birth, supposé mâle à naissance) and AFAB/SFAN (assumed female at birth, supposé femelle à naissance) to denote babies with a distinct sex. Intersex or atypical children are recorded as UD/DPC (unclear designation, désignation peu claire). Intersex medical interventions are legally prohibited as a violation of the constitutional right to personal identity.

Gylian laws are all written in gender-neutral language. Various legally recognised arrangements exist that accommodate the diversity of gender identities and sexual orientation, including marriage, civil union, official cohabitation, and consensual group marriage. The official census makes self-reporting of sex or gender entirely optional.

Child rearing is largely communal in character; extended families and other family and child rearing arrangements dominate. Child integration is widespread. Abortion is legal, only civil marriages are recognised, and divorce is done on a no-fault basis. Parental leave is a minimum of 15 weeks with equivalent pay, child care is publically funded, and social security includes family allowance payments. Parents additionally receive free parenting classes and a parental package, popularly known as the "baby box" (boîte à bébé).

Anti-discrimination laws include provisions for sex, gender, sexual orientation, and parental status. The Law on Industrial Organisation of 1958 protects parents from workplace discrimination and mandates equal pay for equal work. Economic indicators consistently show only minor average differences in pay between men and women.

Education is similarly gender-neutral. The concept of gender as a spectrum is fundamental to teaching in kindergartens and primary schools. An enduring legacy of the Golden Revolution is strong emphasis on and promotion of the contributions of women and minorities to society, particularly in history classes. Several historical female figures have been lionised to counterbalance their previous exclusion from history, such as Émilie du Châtelet for her contribution to physics and the Encyclopédie, and Ada Lovelace's popular recognition as the "mother of computers".

Gender-neutrality and fluidity are strongly represented throughout Gylian popular culture; children's literature in particular is characterised by messages of acceptance and diversity, and many youth centres and organisations such as the Revolutionary Youth Union or scouting groups are integrated. Sports teams are entirely gender-integrated.

The Gylian languages reform of 1958-1959 had as one of its main goals the abolition of grammatical gender, making all languages spoken in Gylias genderless languages. Gylians customarily ask someone they first meet how they would prefer to be addressed. The media refer to people using gender-neutral pronouns as standard; profiles feature a disclaimer first if the subject gave permission for gendered pronouns to be used.

The National Health System covers sex reassignment therapy, hormone replacement therapy, and sex reassignment surgery for free. An emphasis on early detection of gender dysphoria means that transitioning generally starts at an early age. Transgender persons have the right to change their legal gender, if previously included in identity documents, and names freely.

Sexuality

Sexuality in Gylias has been influenced by historical ethnic diversity, contact with liberal Cacertian and Miranian societies, and the sexual revolution begun in the Free Territories, which continues to an extent today.

Sexuality in Gylias is considered separate from reproduction and romance; it is possible for the three to intertwine but not necessary. Sexual practices thus emphasise pleasure and consent, being seen as a fundamentally collaborative activity if done with other persons.

Sex education is taught universally from an early age; it is comprehensive, explicit, and tailored to the needs of students. Gylian sex education is done in a positive, relaxed atmosphere, and emphasises the diversity of human sexual activity and the importance of consent and respect for partners.

Birth control is freely available through the National Health System, along with family planning services. The strong emphasis on safe sex and sex education have contributed to a low rate of sexually transmitted diseases.

Sexual diversity is widely accepted, and in surveys a plurality of Gylians identify as pansexual. The fluid perspective of sexuality extends to relationships, which are similarly based on constant communication and negotiation between partners.

Gylias' humanistic legal system and sexual revolution have produced a flourishing sex industry. Prostitution is legal and closely regulated, organised as a public monopoly and dominated by worker cooperatives. Sex workers are unionised. Notable among Gylian sex workers are hétaïres, the descendants of the high-class hetairai. Hétaïres have a distinctive appearance, etiquette, and cultivation, and provide companionship and intellectual stimulation as well as sex. They have an esteemed status within society and are often the pillars of local communities, having important roles in community building and as salonnières.

The public ownership and cooperativisation of the sex industry have also contributed to eradicating procurement and forced prostitution, making Gylias one of the safest places in Tyran for sex workers.

Pornography caters to a wide spectrum of interests, encompassing sexual activities and fetishes as well as Gylian-specific fetishes such as clothing. Gylian pornography is characterised by a joyous atmosphere and playful approach. Through its specific depictions, pornography complements the more general Gylian pop culture, which is similarly suffused with playful depictions of eroticism and sexuality — with the erotic literature of Anaïs Nin and the films of Rauna Næsve and Chikageki serving as prominent examples. The exploration of eroticising elements not usually considered sexually arousing is a well-known niche of Gylian pornography; famously, it made the operatic singer Kaida Rapkodi something of a sex symbol.

Sex tourism is a significant component of tourism in Gylias due to the country's sexual revolution. Whether sex tourism is desirable and how it should be controlled have been subjects of significant discussion in Gylian society and politics.

Similarly resulting from the revolutionary changes to sexuality, Gylias is a noted centre of sexology in Tyran, and has a very high proportion of sex museums.

Nudity

Nudity is seen by Gylias as a natural thing, a fact of life. Gylias has no taboos against nudity, and a significant naturist movement.

Casual nudity is encouraged by the country's tropical climate, and serves as a notable counterpart to Gylians' enduring fascination with clothing. The NHS and other administrative agencies provide specific programs of information and prevention to nudists to avoid sunburn.