Genderqueer can also refer to a person who identifies outside of how society defines gender or someone who identifies with a combination of genders. GenderqueerĪ person who identifies as genderqueer has a gender identity or expression that is not the same as society’s expectations for their assigned sex or assumed gender. Gender outlawĪ person who identifies as a gender outlaw refuses to allow society’s definition of “male” or “female” to define them. GenderfluidĪ person who identifies as genderfluid has a gender identity and presentation that shifts between, or shifts outside of, society’s expectations of gender. Those who are gender expansive include people who are transgender and people whose gender broadens the surrounding society’s notion of what gender is. The LGBTQIA Resource Center define gender expansive as an “umbrella term used for individuals who broaden their own culture’s commonly held definitions of gender, including expectations for its expression, identities, roles, and/or other perceived gender norms.” CisgenderĪ cisgender person identifies with the sex that they were assigned at birth.įor example, a cisgender woman is someone who still identifies with the sex - female, in this case - a doctor assigned them at birth. However, the LGBTQIA Resource Center state that “butch” can also be a gender identity in itself. Women, especially lesbians, tend to use this term to describe the way they express masculinity, or what society defines as masculinity. People who are bigender often display cultural masculine and feminine roles. BigenderĪ person who identifies as bigender has two genders. AgenderĪ person who is agender does not identify with any particular gender, or they may have no gender at all.Ī person who identifies as androgyne has a gender that is either both masculine and feminine or between masculine and feminine. The following are some gender identities and their definitions. What are some different gender identities?

As people come to perceive their gender identity in new ways, they may find that no single term defines it. Labels may help a person understand their identify, but gender identities are not always classifiable in these ways. It is also important to note that gender identify may not fit into a category. It can be acceptable in some circumstances but offensive if people use it inappropriately. The term “queer,” for example, was historically used as a slur against people who did not conform to expectations about gender expression or identity. Other language has changed in terms of acceptability. The meaning of this term has since broadened to include people moving toward or having a gender identity that is different from the one assigned to them at birth. In the past, this term referred only to people who had undergone certain medical procedures, such as a mastectomy or phalloplasty. Some terms, such as “transsexual,” have also changed meaning over time. It refers to a person’s own sense of their gender, regardless of the sex a doctor assigned to them at birth. In time, the term came to include people who identify in other ways. It referred to a person’s inner sense of belonging to the category of male or female. The term “gender identity” first appeared in the 1960s. The concepts and terms that refer to gender identity continually change, as our perceptions evolve. Learn more about the difference between sex and gender here. People typically use the terms “male,” “female,” or “intersex” to refer to a person’s sex. People may also refer to differences in sex development as intersex. This is called differences in sex development. A person may have the genes that people may associate with being male or female, but their reproductive organs, genitals, or both may look different. However, gender is not neatly divided along the binary lines of “man” and “woman.” SexĪ person’s sex is typically based on certain biological factors, such as their reproductive organs, genes, and hormones.

In Western cultures, people associate femininity with women and masculinity with men, but this social construction varies across cultures. The World Health Organization (WHO) note that gender is a social construction that people typically describe in terms of femininity and masculinity. People may use clothing, appearances, and behaviors to express the gender that they identify with.

GenderĪ person’s gender is how they identify internally and how they express this externally. The term gender identity refers to the personal sense of an individual’s own gender.īecause a person’s sex and gender identity do not have to be the same, it is important to know the difference between them.

Non binary vs gender fluid