What does it mean to be “genderfluid”?
Many people get confused when I tell them I’m genderfluid.
So this Trans Day of Visibility, I’m sharing a little bit about the history and meaning of genderfluid, as well as my personal experiences, to help spread awareness. Share this article to your network, too!
A brief history of genderfluidity
The term “gender fluidity” was coined by gender theorist Katherine Bornstein (they/she) in the 1994 book Gender Outlaw: Men, Women and the Rest of Us. “Genderfluid” was later popularized within the LGBTQ+ community in the late-1990s and 2000s, and continues to rise in popularity and usage in present day. However, the concept of gender fluidity has existed for millennia.
In ancient Greece, Roman emperors like Hadrian (117–138 A.D.) deified their effeminate male lovers for their ability to embody both masculine and feminine characteristics. Hundreds of statues of Antinous, Hadrian’s lover, line the halls of modern Greek museums. Antinous’ masculine body and effeminate facial features are preserved in Hadrian’s commissioned depictions of Antinous, despite traditional masculinity being prized above all in ancient times.
In ancient China, opposing sex and gender presentation garnered attention as well. Nánfēng (南风 / 南風), or “Southern Wind,” were effeminate men whose homosexual passions were opposed to that of masculine (heterosexual) northern men.
Also, the ability to outwardly shift one’s sex was likened to achieving Buddhist Enlightenment in ancient China. In one famous example in the Lotus Sūtra, the daughter of the Nāga King transforms herself into a man to show the respected but doubtful bodhisattva Śāriputra that she has indeed achieved Enlightenment, despite being a woman. Bodhisattva statues often present genderfluid or ambiguous qualities, possessing soft, round, and womanly features while lacking breasts, or altogether lacking designated sex or gender — even statues of the historical Buddha, Śākyamuni, who was male.
Finally, in the 1950s and 60s, before Black women were allowed to earn a living wage alongside their white female counterparts, the term “stud” was coined for Black women who dressed as men to gain employment. In the present day, this term has now come to represent Black masculine or “butch” lesbians, because of how these women took on masculine qualities to financially support themselves, their partners and families. “Studs” were seen as a threat to white patriarchal society for their independence and ability to change their outward gender presentation, “fooling” white male powers.
In these examples, men with feminine qualities and women with masculine qualities are the apogee of cultural tension for their ability to shift between their chosen gender presentation and their assigned sex at birth. This has led gender fluidity to be feared.
Similar to transmisogyny and other forms of transphobia, gender fluidity is often rejected as dangerous and a myth, because it means that what gender someone presents themself as on the outside (i.e., by wearing feminine clothing) could “deceive” what someone’s true sex is underneath. As a result, genderfluidity both as an identity and a concept has been debunked, vilified, and deemed blasphemous since the middle ages.
There are doubtless other examples of gender fluidity in cultures across the world that I have not mentioned here. I am always discovering new examples and would love to hear them if you have any. Feel free to comment below!
Preconceived notions of genderfluidity
Most people think of genderfluidity in only a very literal and binary sense: The ability to shift between the two biological sexes, or “pass,” as both male and female. This view of genderfluidity is narrow and heavily influenced by Western ideas of biological sex, where male and female, or “cisman” and “ciswoman,” are the only two options.
Early 20th century literature contributed to this minimalist understanding of genderfluid. In the 1928 novel Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf, the main character Orlando mysteriously changes sex at age 30 (from male to female). Though Orlando continues to present outwardly as male throughout the story, their sex (genitals) are the opposite of what they now present in their clothing.
Many have analyzed Orlando’s situation as genderfluidity for the way they shift between the two sexual extremes while questioning their attraction. Subsequent interpretations of the genderfluid identity have led most people to believe that genderfluid is solely the ability to seamlessly pass as cisgender male or cisgender female at different times. But the reality is that there is a specific term under the genderfluid umbrella for that type of genderfluidity. It’s bigender!
While genderfluidity can have this meaning for some people, it’s not true for everyone who chooses to use “genderfluid” to describe themself. In fact, this narrow view of genderfluidity can be harmful because anyone who cannot perfectly pass as both biological sexes is often excluded from transgender spaces and conversations. Their genderfluidity is often put into question and invalidated.
Many different genderfluidities
In addition to an identity, genderfluid can be an adjective. The act of being perceived or presenting as two or many genders is something that has existed across history, as described above. Therefore, some people use the term genderfluid to describe the way in which they go about their self-presentation (i.e., clothing, gendered behaviors, body shape), while identifying as something else entirely.
A transman, transwoman, nonbinary or agender person may choose to describe themself as genderfluid because they engage with feminine and/or masculine modes of clothing, feminine and/or androgynous voice inflections, or any combination of gender expression and internal identity.
Someone may also use genderfluid as a way to quickly describe their internal feeling of shifting gender identity, while simultaneously identifying most closely with one, two, or more “parts” of their gender. For example, someone may feel they are most often aligned with nonbinary modes of expression, but sometimes they identify more closely with transmasculinity or agender identity, to put it in extremely crude terms. This shift in identity is why they use genderfluid to describe themself, though they identify as nonbinary.
Not everyone likes defining their gender identity or genderfluidity with percentages, labels, or time ranges, though. This has become the norm for many on social media or in pop culture, but can be reductive and inaccurate if focused on for everybody.
With genderfluidity, the key here is the feeling that one’s gender identity and/or presentation shifts. So whether someone uses it as an adjective or an identity, it is valid and particular to each person.
If someone identifies as genderfluid, they may also identify with specific terms under the genderfluid umbrella, like:
- Bigender
- Pangender
- Polygender
- Agenderfluid
I have already quickly described bigender as the oscillation between two genders, usually male and female modes of expression. Someone may present themself as “feminine” one day, while the next they may present as “masculine.” But for some bigender people, the two genders are not feminine vs. masculine. It could be agender and feminine, masculine and nonbinary, or some other combination entirely. It all depends on someone’s personal definition, and may even include more or less than two genders or sexual identities, depending on what bigender means to them.
Pangender is the feeling that your gender identity is all-encompassing across many or all genders. Sometimes, people who are pangender define their gender as something that changes throughout time. For example, you may identify with one or a few genders during childhood, but within a few months or years, older identities have faded and you have now taken on new genders. The amount of time this happens in and the genders that you encompass are particular to each person.
This is the genderfluid term that I most identify with. Its clarification that gender changes throughout one’s lifetime based on new experiences is something I resonate with deeply. Though I usually just tell people I’m “genderfluid” or “queer” when asked, since those terms are still accurate without being too esoteric or overwhelming.
Polygender is when your gender identity encompasses a few or many genders. It is differentiated from pangender due to pangender’s focus on all genders (and possibly time frame), while polygender is more centered on the fact that there are more than two main identities under genderfluid. Someone who uses bigender or pangender to describe themself may also fit into definitions like polygender. What label someone uses depends on how they personally resonate with it, so nothing is set in stone.
Finally, agenderfluid is when someone moves within the spectrum of agender expression, which can include being nonbinary, gender nonconforming, masculine, feminine, or any other mode of expression. The crux of agenderfluidity that their main mode of expression or internal gender identity always returns to agender. How someone defines their agenderfluidity can, of course, expand from here.
There are other kinds of genderfluid apart from those I’ve mentioned here. If interested, you can check out the Gender Wiki for more information on definitions. Feel free to ask any questions below.
The difference between genderfluid & nonbinary
For myself, being genderfluid and nonbinary are two different things. For others, they might be very close to or the same thing. Since genderfluid can be both an identity and an adjective, it fits under the umbrella of “nonbinary.” Someone who is genderfluid is inherently also nonbinary, because they are challenging notions of what it means to present as one of the binary sexes, male or female.
However, I prefer the term “genderfluid” to “nonbinary” because of the stereotypes associated with those terms and how I personally experience gender. What I am about to describe is not necessarily true for every person who identifies as genderfluid, and may be similar to how a lot of nonbinary people feel.
For me, a big part of my genderfluidity is the fact that my gender identity and expression changes. It fluctuates. Some days, I feel like presenting more masculine. Some days, more feminine. Most days, I prefer gender ambiguity or nonbinary self-presentation, or even agender presentation. In general, I feel a part male, a part female, and within that, an overall ambiguity.
Depending on what I’m feeling that day, my gender presentation (clothing choice, gendered behaviors) and gender dysphoria change. I do not oscillate between masculinity and femininity, however. My presentation is hardly ever that clear-cut, and often includes nonbinary or ambiguous modes of expression and identity.
Imagine eating a huge marbled cake of rainbow colors. Depending on the day, I may take a bite that is super raspberry flavored. Other days, I predominantly taste blueberry. Some bites may be a mix of more raspberry than blueberry, or more blueberry than raspberry, with a hint of orange or lemon. Other bites may be saturated with so many flavors at once that I don’t know what to choose at all. Other bites may be blank, simple white vanilla. For me, my gender is something like this.
This makes it very confusing for me to figure out how I want to present myself in a given day. Trying to construct an outfit just to go to the grocery store can become a huge laborious task for me. On other days, I throw on whatever is in my drawers and don’t think about it too much otherwise.
Other people who identify as “genderfluid” (or any kind of transgender) may or may not relate to my experiences. A big part of my hesitation when constructing an outfit is whether I want people to question my sex assigned at birth that day, or whether I don’t. For others who identify as genderfluid, nonbinary, or transgender, this concern may be big and constant. For me, it sometimes is, it sometimes isn’t. It shifts from day-to-day.
This constant self-questioning and shifting in my gender expression is something I feel is inherent to my identity and personhood, and thus my gender. So for me, the term “nonbinary” doesn’t cut it. That is why I choose “genderfluid.” (What I’ve described is also “genderflux,” or the intensity someone feels their own gender, though perhaps I’ll describe genderflux in more detail another day.)
Transfeminine, transmasculine, nonbinary, and agender people can relate to what I’ve said and not be genderfluid, or they might use genderfluid as an adjective to describe themselves. All the forms genderfluidity can come in are valid, given the term’s versatility and the vastness of gendered experience and expression.
How to be a good ally
Like all things in life and like gender itself, genderfluidity is a spectrum. The way that someone decides to identify or not identify with the term is up to them.
Don’t be afraid to ask someone who is genderfluid what pronouns are right for them. I often tell strangers to call me “they/them” for simplicity and clarity, even though I actually identify with “he/they/she.” I do this because if I give someone the option to use “she/her,” they often will 100% of the time, which induces gender dysphoria. Another genderfluid person may feel completely opposite about their pronouns and want something fixed, or they might prefer neopronouns, so it’s better to just ask us.
If you want to be respectful to someone who is genderfluid, don’t be afraid to ask how we perceive ourselves. Often, it is not in a bigender sense, though it might be. From my perspective, anyone who identifies as genderfluid often chose this identity label because we are very aware of our relationship with our assigned sex, our outward gender presentation, and our internal gender identity. So being able to talk about it and discuss it with others in a respectful way is always welcome.
If anyone has any questions or thoughts, please feel welcome to share them in the comments below. I hope you learned something new about genderfluidity. And if you’re trans and stumbled upon this, I hope you have a wonderful Trans Day of Visibility.
