[Feanaro]

"But of those unhappy ones who were ensnared by Melkor little is known of a certainty. For who among the living has descended into the pits of Utumno, or has explored the darkness of the counsels of Melkor? Yet it is held true by the wise of Eressea, that all those of the Quendi who came into the hands of Melkor, ere Utumno was broken, were put there into prison, and by slow arts of cruelty were corrupted and enslaved; and thus did Melkor breed the hideous race of Orcs in envy and mockery of the Elves, of whom they were afterwards the bitterest foes. For the Orcs had life and multiplied after the manner of the Children of Iluvatar; and naught that had life of its own, nor the semblence of life, could ever Melkor make since his rebellion in the Ainulindale before the Beginning: so say the wise." -The Silmarillion, Of the Coming of the Elves

Sorry about the long quote, but there it is, plain as day. If only the interpretation could be read so easily. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] I would have to say that there are female orcs, using this passage as foundation for my argument. Orcs did after all, reproduce in the manner of Humans and Elves, so I would believe it is safe to assume that there are female orcs. If I remember correctly, there was a similar tread like this awhile back, where someone said that the female orcs might've been holed away to be used specifically for breeding purposes. I'll try and dig it up if I can, but there's my opinion on orcish genders.