Gender diversity now includes a much larger range of identities.
Masculinity and femininity are two points on the gender spectrum, and people can exist anywhere along that spectrum, or even outside of it.
People who are not gender diverse are called cisgender people. Cisgender and transgender are two points on a spectrum, and people can exist or move anywhere along that spectrum, or even outside of it. While separatists in the trans community believe some of these people are not transgender, everyone, including transgender people, are gender diverse.
Most gender diverse people take social steps to express their gender identities.
Some gender diverse people also take legal or medical steps that overlap with transgender options. For instance, you can make a gender transition without taking hormones, or you can take hormones without making a gender transition. It is your body, and you can choose which things you want to do and do not want to do.
Identities
Possible identities include:
Androgynous
- Both masculine and feminine in appearance and/or behavior
Genderqueer (GQ)
- Reject expected gender roles
Non-binary (NB or enby)
- Nonbinary people reject a strict male-female binary
Genderfluid
- Identify as masculine, feminine, or gender diverse at different times
Neutrois
- Neutral on gender
Amalgagender
- Gender affected by people with differences of sex development
Demigender
- A partial connection to a gender (like demigirl or demiboy)
Bigender
- Having two gender identities either simultaneously or switching between the two
Third gender
- Many cultures have a name for this, like mahu in Native Hawai’ian, hijra in India or two-spirit in some Native American cultures
Pangender
- Identifying with most or all genders
Agender
- Lacking gender, genderless, or not caring about gender identity.
- Related terms include:
- Beyond the binary
- Gender-neutral
- Ungenderable
- Void of gender
Drag
- Performance of gender expression, often for money
Eunuch
- Eunuchs remove their testicles for personal or cultural reasons
- Related terms include
- Male to eunuch (MtE, M2E)
- Castrato
Cross-dresser
- Crossdressers wear items of clothing not often associated with one’s assigned sex
- Related controversial terms include
- “Transvestite”
Transsexual
- “Transsexual” is a controversial term now mainly associated with medical transition and disease models like “gender dysphoria”
- Related controversial terms include
- “Transmedicalist
- “Truscum”
- “HBSer” (“Harry Benjamin Syndrome”)
Tomboy
- “Tomboy” is a controversial term for a masculine girl
Sissy
- “Sissy” is a controversial term for a feminine boy
- It is also an erotic identity involving interest in feminization
- Related controversial terms include
- “Femboy”
- “Ladyboy”
- “Shemale”
- “Trap”
- Otokonoko
Fujoshi / fudanshi
- “Fujoshi “and “fudanshi” are erotic identities involving interest in masculinization
- Related controversial terms include
- “Yaoi”
- “Boy’s love” / “BL”
Salmacian
- Salmacians desire a nonconforming genital configuration, usually achieved through surgery or other body altering procedures
Pronouns
MyPronouns.org (mypronouns.org)
- A great overview of issues around personal pronouns.
Books
Genderqueer and Non-Binary Genders
- Great overview.
Resources
Genderqueer and Non-Binary Identities (genderqueerid.com)
- Maintained by Marilyn Roxie. The best genderqueer resource online.
Transgender Law Center (transgenderlawcenter.org)
- Published Beyond the Binary (PDF)
Gender Wiki (gender.wikia.org)
- Collaborative gender-based reference work.
genderqueer (genderqueer.tumblr.com)
Neutrois (neutrois.com)
Genderfork (genderfork.com)
Exobinary (exobinary.info)
- Maintained by Cory Dostie. Includes a section on vocab links.
Agender.info (agender.info)
Genderqueer.me (genderqueer.me)