In the hypermasculinized, asexual world of 40k, the feminine seems to lack a place except as a mode of masculinity that adds a pair of breasts. Human factions such as the Sisters of Battle are exceptions that prove the rule. The presence of the feminine, however, can act as a defining thematic trait for inhumanity.
The Eldar’s decadent fallen empire, the Tau’s de-gendering approximation of communism, and the reproductive horror of the Tyranid all represent modes of traditional literary placements of ‘the female’ that situate their species as culturally as well as biologically ‘alien’.
Using gameplay texts from Warhammer 40k: Third Edition and onwards, this presentation seeks to explore how the ‘filthy xenos’ of the grimdark future use their gendered philosophies to explore science-fiction anxieties around reproduction and cultural degeneracy.
Author bio
MJ Naylor is a queer postgraduate researcher affiliated with the Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic in Glasgow who specializes in TTRPGs as literature, neurodivergency, folklore, and faith. They play Harlequins.
