This story is the first part of a dystopian story that came out of a story prompt that I read a long time ago about a world without women. The themes will largely be gay and trans. There are several more parts that I have in mind, but first I wanted to see if people like this kind of story at all. Feedback is appreciated. :)
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Gender Assignment Protocol
Our story begins in the year 2332, nearly three centuries after the outbreak of a catastrophic disease that affects those with XX chromosomes and turns others into carriers. Several attempts were made to stop it, but within 3 years the last known female had died, leaving a world with only males. This threw humanity into chaos, as it meant the end of humanity. This dark fate was single-handedly averted by Dr. Alexander Hartwin, who found a way to combine the DNA from two sperm donors into viable embryos. Combined with existing artificial womb technology, this discovery allowed for the large-scale production of children by a duo of male parents. His company soon began producing humans at rates high enough to sustain the human population, setting the stage for today's all-male society.
Hartwin became an international hero, but at the same time became a controversial figure, as his method pushed for homosexual relationships, which despite everything was still something the world had issues with. Some adapted well to this new world, found same-sex partners, and led happy lives. Others transitioned into women and found acceptance far beyond that of current-day transitioners. However, a large part of the population still clung to their pride, masculinity, and the idea of a gender binary. Of course, such ideas are prime real estate for loud-mouthed politicians who like forcing others to do things. They kept talking about the absence of women, and how it wasn't just about reproduction. It impacted social, emotional, and cultural dynamics! Many solutions have been suggested and introduced in the years since then, but it is the "Gender Assignment Protocol" or GAP for short that became the dominant system in most countries.
First proposed and implemented by the Brazilian government, the GAP was a radical solution to the absence of women, in the sense that it would create them from the male population. Places that rolled-out this program would conduct a comprehensive assessment of the adult population by evaluating a wide range of factors including psychological, physical, and emotional traits. Based on this evaluation, the population was divided into two categories: 'men' and 'femen'. After a region went through the GAP program, the process would be scaled back, assessing only those who have turned 20 that year, or unassessed people who moved in.
Those labeled as 'men' were allowed to continue with their normal lives, simply attending a few unintrusive classes on leadership and masculine traits. In contrast, the 'femen' underwent an intensive process of re-education as well as several medical procedures, transforming them into objectified portrayals of a traditional woman. This program quickly gained worldwide popularity, as it produced a reliable supply of caregivers, homemakers, and partners. Of course, not everybody labeled as a feman wanted to become one, and force was often needed to help such individuals complete their training. Our story revolves around just such a person, a 20-year-old named Ethan is about to begin his journey toward adulthood, starting with the GAP test.
