> reading the older sci-fi is painful when it comes to gender portrayals A lot of old (and much new) SF is pretty terrible when in comes to any character portr

> reading the older sci-fi is painful when it comes to gender portrayals A lot of old (and much new) SF is pretty terrible when in comes to any character portrait. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan, but it’s despite the depiction of characters. Cardboard cutout characters are naturally going to be stereotypical, or wish fulfilment. And even when the characters have real depth, like in Dune, or The Left Hand of Darkness, they’re literally inhuman.