Play whatever you like.
If someone judges you for playing a character you pay a subscription for then that is a them problem that you don’t need to give a solitary damn about.
If I recall, there has been some people in the past who’d try and skype with you, to confirm if you was actually a female playing a female toon.
It’s generally never an issue on what gender your play as. It’s up to you, those that do get weird about it are most likely not worth your time.
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I often thought about this too. There’s been times where I’ve wanted to roleplay as the opposite gender but was worried what people might think and that they might react negatively towards it, even though I know plenty of men who play female characters and I never thought anything of it. Reading that the mass majority don’t actually care and are okay with it is good to see, especially since we’re all here to roleplay a character and not ourselves.
Out of curiosity, are people of the same opinion when it comes to roleplaying a different sexuality to our own? I’ve had a situation or scenario before that links in to this so just wondered.
Should be fine.
Most my characters are straight and I’m not.
EDIT: Just don’t fall into the same pitfall Loras mentioned of;
Except sexuality obv.
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Much like with the gender thing, this is completely fine, too. I’ve an assortment of OCs who aren’t of the same sexuality as my own. As long as it’s done mindfully then I cannot see an issue with it!
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Don’t see why not. As long as it’s not done out of disrespect or anything. If you want to play as a gay character, go on, if you want to play Sir Gaylahad the Fruity, maybe consider reconsidering.
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Some say he serves his brothers well
A true trooper to the cause
@Valteryl
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Most people I’ve seen who made a big deal out of the character’s gender being different to the player’s were not RPers.
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Belive it or not, I’m not a female archeologist whose mind was shattered by the forbidden relics and became bitter and insane follower of N’Zoth and the Void, running around in the wild, almost naked with bloody sigils painted on her body, wielding a quasi-organic sacrifical dagger, trying to “save” others from the Light either
Go wild!
Roleplay is about RP
And if anyone frowns, just point it out, even in Shakespeare’s days, female parts were played by male actors (well it is a bit older tradiciton and not limited to shakespearean times, but the common knowledge is usually just this)
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That’s good to know, thanks guys!
If you write a character’s non-straight preferences into your RPing, you inevitably run into the factory standard weirdo who insists you went and made things sexual in a kid’s game. To such people, you choose to be either normal or a pervert.
The answer to that gordian knot is self evident.
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Reminds me of the time I had one person, whilst I was roleplaying with a friend, say in /e to me in a public space “that feeling when it’s so obvious you’re a girl playing a gay man LMAO” and I was trying to make the mental connection of how either are relevant. So I wasn’t sure if it’s actually frowned down upon, because it wasn’t even mentioned in my TRP or anything like that.
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I can somewhat understand their sentiment, but their method of expressing that sentiment I can’t condone because frankly that was incredibly rude of them.
Sometimes it is a little telling when a certain sexuality is represented. When straight guys play lesbian characters it’s all about exagerrating and drawing attention to the feminine parts of the body. When straight women play gay male characters, there can be a tendency towards making their character something of a wanna be Louis Spence, Alan Carr or Gok Wan with the main focal point of the character being garish flamboyance, such as when I saw art of two blood elves in heels, glittery clothing, basically looking like they’re about to walk down a runway.
Those sorts of characters tend to be played by people fetishizing same-sex relationships, but it’s not impossible for a gay or lesbian person to go to such character concepts themselves - just less likely IMO.
But to be honest, now that I’ve typed out all of this I realise I’m probably putting more thought into it than the one who sent you that message, and they’re probably the sort of person to be incredibly insecure because “t-the woman character is played by a man!!”
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That is actually what I got from reading it.
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I’ve dodged most of that, but people who spend time RPing with me end up assuming I’m this, that or the other and I’m not going to correct them. 
I’mma just stop ya there, buddy. Ladies can be really, really, really, really exuberantly enthusiastic about this sort of thing too.
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Yeah, I did mean to address that in that paragraph, instead I kind of relegated it to this bit here:
Maybe I’m wrong on the likelihood front, but yeah - can defo be both ways. I think I (and perhaps others) just assume male by default due to gaming often being a male-dominated space historically.
long and short of it is; “women are people too” from GRRM.
but this can be extended to playing a sexuality that you’re not. Write the character like a person and not just about their sexuality/gender.
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While I do broadly agree with the sentiment already stated that playing a character with a different sexuality shouldn’t be a problem at its core, I do believe that it’s something to be handled carefully.
I’ll set aside obvious examples like cishet dudes playing highly sexualised lesbians, or the few (but distinct) instances of cishet women playing unpleasantly overt caricatures of gay men. I think we can all agree that these are bad and shouldn’t be taken as the rule - rather as its gross exception.
But even the most well-meaning player needs to be careful. While queer identities and sexualities aren’t the subjects of discrimination or prejudice on Azeroth, queer players behind the screen are very often subject to that - both in-game from other players and in their real lives. It needs to be handled with the due tact it deserves.
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I’m too cynical to see it as the exception. People are just way too thirsty on main sometimes sadly.
It certianly shouldn’t be the norm though.