Star Trek has always been trans

Klingons were legit less fucked up than contemporary society as we know it today, and they were still fucked up.
- It gets even more depressing when thinking about the real world. In the Futurama universe, everyone is respectful of others' pronouns. Even Richard Nixon is careful about them.

Star Trek is a huge exception, but It's strange how absent the concept of gender normally is from scifi. Things that are perfectly normal in scifi include cybernetic enhancements, genetic engineering, etc., but god forbid anyone use technology to change their gender. And if technology really existed to instantly and effortlessly change gender, I suspect almost everyone would be doing it because that's exactly what happens in social VR apps like VRChat.

Things that are perfectly normal in scifi include cybernetic enhancements, genetic engineering, etc., but god forbid anyone use technology to change their gender.
The average "Singularity(tm)" prophet on /r/Futurology on
wants to be an immortal swarm of nanobots that is colonizing the galaxy but is weirded out and scared of trans people.
- All the worst nerds on earth terrified that my bedicked cockspider body was not amab because I forgot that was a requirement on nanotech 3d printer machine.
The Culture series is another big exception, combining both readily accessible and extremely fast transitioning tech with the understanding that people still have their own identity and preferred presentation (that can also get complicated).
- God. Dammit. Day ruined. Has he not read his own books?
There's a documentary on DS9 called What You Leave Behind that touches on some of the behind the scenes of the LGBT aspects of he show. Apparently they had a hell of a time getting some of the Dax stuff past the studio execs and show runners. The writers and actors also wanted Bashir and Garak to have an explicitly gay relationship but that was also forbidden.
I forget the fallout of it but in Ghost in the Shell SAC Bato confronts Kusanagi on why she doesn't switch to a male cyborg for it's greater physical prowess and I think he gets put in his place. Iirc I think the conversation could have been handled better but at least it exists!
There's also the implication of her merging with the purely digital entity at the end of the original movie.
There's also theories that the Major's original meat space is so wrapped in mystery but some clues suggest AMAB.
All that to say, a lot, but not all, Ghost in the Shell series are worth some time!
- There's also theories that the Major's original meat space is so wrapped in mystery but some clues suggest AMAB.
  Isn't it known from 2nd Gig episode 11 that she was born a girl?

I love the show and in some ways it is easily the best of Trek, but it shouldn't go unmentioned that shit like Profit and Lace exists which is extremely frustrating, like trying to beat the "haha man in a girl costume haha" joke into the ground so much even the actor(who is a real good guy too) spoke out against hating it, and it is even more disappointing because the top of DS9 talent worked on that too written by Ira and with a nod of approval from Piller? Yep nope.

Its a black spot on an otherwise amazing show though, always remember don't hold hollywood libs as heroes and don't expect to get burned at some point.

It also shouldn't go unmentioned that the producers on the show prevented a lot of queer stuff from happening. There's the episode of TNG where Frakes falls in love with a non-binary alien (who I believe was supposed to be played by a man, but was ultimately played by a woman) and then there's all of Garak and Bashir, which only has a queer subtext due to the actors.
I love the shows, but like you said they were made by a lot of people and some of those people weren't great.
- Frakes is a mensch. He'd been talking about how he wanted a male actor in that guest role for decades. Who would have guessed in the mid 1980s that the man brought on for the Kirk Womanizer 2.0 role would have turned out to be among the best LGBT+ allies in the franchise, playing a character who had a basically flawless record for wanting extremely clear consent from partners?
  Sometimes I wonder what TNG would have been like if Stewart had left the show after season 3 with Frakes taking on top billing. We might have even been spared the awful TNG movies where Stewart's ego took over the writing room.
"haha man in a girl costume haha"
My wife's been showing me Arrested Development so I know where all those memes came from, and while parts of the show are clever, "gay lol" "man in a girl costume lol" and even "creeping on children lol" are all recurring punchlines and it's like a minefield of decades expired edginess to get to the good parts.
"It was the 90s" only goes so far tbh
- Especially given the instances in the show where the actors wanted things to be more queer, but weren't allowed. Frakes with the non-binary alien and Bashir/Garak come to mind. "It was the 90s" doesn't work when several people on the show wanted more queer stuff and (as said above) didn't approve of the homophobic shit that made it in.
The only good thing about Profit and Lace is that it shows that any type of gender transformation is a single day out-patient procedure in the Federation, which implies that pretty much anyone in the Trek universe could be trans.

wusband. hife.

EDIT: I just realized that was-band is probably a term for ex-husband

It’s been years since I watched DS9. Can someone remind me what her deal was again as it relates to this meme?

They're an alien creature that lives many lifetimes, takes over hosts (with their consent) and in return extends the host's lifetime. As a result the creature often changes gender (and species) when switching hosts. Canonically it's established that they have the host's consent but the series never really expands on that, it definitely seems murky as the creature seems to have complete control over the host's body, though it's hinted the host changes the creature's thoughts and behaviors to an extent.
- You mean a wise and powerful little friend wants to use my body and fix my life?
- Ohhh right, it's all coming back to me.
  That's hilarious about Dax claiming it's consensual but never explaining it. It's a "slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit" vibe.
- complete control
  I feel like it's sorta the other way around- when Dax moves to Ezri she has a completely different personality. She's not a great leader, very lacking in confidence etc. I'd say the symbiont has a substantial effect on personality but otherwise acts like a store of memories for the humanoid host.