The Name of All Things (A Chorus of Dragons #2)

by Jenn Lyons

Normally, when one refers to a human as a stallion or mare, we’re discussing their gender.” Kihrin stared. “And you weren’t talking about gender before? You’re a woman. Isn’t that what you mean by mare?” Her mouth twisted. “You’re conflating gender with sex. My sex—my body—is female, yes. But that’s not my gender. I’m a stallion. And stallion is how Joratese society defines our men. So you’re wrong; I’m most certainly not a woman.” Kihrin’s eyes widened. “You just said you were female.” She sighed. “Who I am as a man is independent of”—she gestured to herself—“this. It wouldn’t matter if I were male, female, or neither; I would still be a stallion.” Kihrin stared harder. “You’re … a man.” His gaze wandered down her tunic, lingered at her legs, then hiked back up to her face. “Obviously.” Janel rolled her eyes. “Again, you’re conflating woman and female. I can’t blame you; they must be synonyms in the west. But rest assured, they’re not here.” She looked down at herself, plucked the neck of her tunic. “Normally, when one uses mare or stallion to describe a person, they’re talking about gender. And by that definition, I’m a man. But for sex, the rules change. Because then we’re talking about aesthetic preferences, in which case”—she looked down at herself—“I’m most likely to meet the standards of someone who prefers female partners. I am in fact a female man.” She smiled. “Do you see the trap now?” He shook his head. If someone looked like a woman to him—Janel, for example—h...

That's because it is. SO lovely to see the nonsense has made its way into the books I read now. =/