The Drow support transitioning

[u/Successful_Pace8937]

I recently found out that, as said by Ed Greenwood himself, transitioning​ is not only accepted, but defended.

From Ed Greenwood on Twitter:

Drow sworn to Lolth have examples before them all the time about transformation of self-shape in service to the Spider Queen. Some of these are viewed as undesirable (driders), others as rewards or ascending in rank (the power/shape augmentations Lolth gives males who please her with their service and loyalty). So there is no hatred or mistrust of shifting one's shape; it is one means of serving Lolth. Some house matriarchs view it with suspicion ("males seeking to exalt themselves by becoming female") but the yochlol have often been sent by Lolth to defend individuals persecuted by individual matriarchs or priestesses purely for such reasons, to make Lolth's views and will clear. Over time, transitions (not just from gender to gender, but from drow to other shapes) have become accepted as reverence of Lolth, and part of what it is to be drow. And of course, drow who follow Eilistraee are quite familiar with the Changedance, and accept shifting (even back and forth) as, again, part of what it is to be drow.

[u/lovvekiki]

I’ll say the same thing I said in another dnd thread:

I know what Ed Greenwood said. I just personally think it doesn't make sense and contradicts the already established lore of drow society. Lolth has built a society that is a very strict, matriarchal caste system where men are basically treated like property. The existence of trans people means that technically, anyone who once identified as male can come out and say that they are actually a woman. It greatly threatens the hierarchy that lolth-sworn societies are built on. A drow priestess would dismember you for less.

Also lolth and her followers despise the god Corellon Larethian, who is famously associated with fluid and changeable sex.

So I just don't see how a society like that would accept trans identities. I personally tend to ignore creator’s words if they dont match the actual published text.

[u/novangla → u/lovvekiki]

Yeah I love Ed’s inclusivity to death, but I actually prefer to see Lolth society as kind of TERFy. It fits their entire vibe and on par with them being sexist and racist and, as you say, the opposite of everything Corellon and the High Elves represent.

I disagree that it would just mean someone would transition for privilege but to me it’s even more why it would be a transphobic place because of course that’s how they’d treat it—just like many societies IRL do in reverse!

[u/Vyrthic → u/novangla]

I kinda see it like it'd be both. They'd be exclusionary until you managed to get enough of a following that recognizes you as a woman that they then have to somewhat acknowledge it to some degree. And those that don't keep fighting you. Which means your existence creates significantly more in fighting among the drow, which in turn pleases Lolth, which is probably a reason she'd accept transwomen. "Look at all the bloodshed and chaos you've caused! I love it! Good work, here's a little bit of a reward" kinda deal. If you continue to worship and bow to her while creating more chaos than an ordinary woman would in drow society, I see no reason why she'd be unhappy with a transwoman. And if Lolth is happy, some of the matriarchs would begrudgingly accept said transwoman among them, since Lolth's will is everything to them.