Genderfluid
Not to be confused with genderflux, or genderfluix.
Genderfluid is a term which refers to someone whose gender identity or expression changes over time.[1]
A genderfluid individual may identify as any gender identity or combination of gender identities at any given time. Their gender identity can change at random or may vary in response to different circumstances. One's gender identity may change at different rates, possibly over the course of hours, days, weeks, months, or years. For some individuals their gender identity may change on a somewhat consistent schedule, whilst for others their gender identity may change inconsistently.[2][3]
Some genderfluid individuals may be fluid between all gender identities, or a large number of gender identities. Others may be fluid between as few as two gender identities.[3][4]
Genderfluid may be a gender identity on its own or it can be used as an umbrella term to describe anyone whose gender identity changes. For example, a bigender individual who feels more strongly agender sometimes and more strongly xenic other times may broadly identify as genderfluid.
Due to the nature of genderfluid, some individuals may also identify as multigender, non-binary or transgender.[2][4]
History
In the 1990s and 2000s, it might have been more common for genderfluid individuals to call themselves bigender or genderqueer. Earlier than that, they may have called themselves cross-dressers. The word genderfluid has been in use since at least the 1990s, although with a different meaning. Transgender advocate Michael M. Hernandez wrote in 1996:
Gender-fluid means that their gender identity and/or expression encompass both masculine and feminine. Gender fluidity is becoming commonly known as transgenderness: the ability to transcend gender, whether biological, emotional, political, or otherwise; truly mixing male and female.[5]
The earliest recorded use online of genderfluid, with a definition closer to the modern definition, is in the Urban Dictionary "Gender Fluid" entry, which was added in 2007.[6]
Related Terms
| Label | Relationship | Description | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genderfae | Similar | Genderfluidity that never encompasses male or masculine genders. | Genderfluid can include any genders, including man-aligned or masculine genders. |
| Genderfaun | Similar | Genderfluidity that never encompasses female or feminine genders. | Genderfluid can include any genders, including woman-aligned or feminine genders. |
| Genderflor | Similar | Genderfluidity that never encompasses male, masculine, female, or feminine genders. | Genderfluid can include any genders, including man-aligned, woman-aligned, masculine, or feminine genders. |
| Genderflux | Similar | An individual whose gender identity or expression fluctuates in intensity. | Genderfluid indicates a shifting between different genders, whereas genderflux indicates a fluctuation in the intensity of one's gender(s). |
| Genderfluix | Similar | An individual whose gender identity or expression changes and fluctuates in intensity over time. | Genderfluix encompasses both genderfluid and genderflux. |
Prefixes and Suffixes
| Label | Prefix / Suffix | Flag | Description | Creator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bigenderfluid | Bi- |  [7]  [8]
|
Two distinctly separate and fluid genders. | Unknown |
Flag and Symbols
The genderfluid flag was created by JJ Poole or lostinthoughtspaceandfantasies, on the 2nd of August, 2012.[9] Pink represents femininity, blue represents masculinity, purple represents both femininity and masculinity, black represents a lack of gender, and white represents all genders.[10]
An alternate genderfluid flag was created by Marijn Florence, and published on the 2nd of March, 2019. The pink, purple, and blue represent femininity, androgyny, and masculinity respectively, the white represents identities outside of the strict male to female spectrum (binary), the faded colors represent the various states in between those four points, and the waves are a visual pun on genderfluidity.[11]
The genderfluid symbol was created by Cari-Rez-Lobo on the 3rd of October, 2014.[12]
Genderfluid (Marijn Florence)
GenderfluidSymbol (Cari-Rez-Lobo)
Resources
- ↑ Sabra L. Katz-Wise, PhD. "Gender fluidity: What it means and why support matters". Harvard Health Publishing, 3 Dec, 2020, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/gender-fluidity-what-it-means-and-why-support-matters-2020120321544.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sissons, Beth. "What does it mean to be genderfluid?". Medical News Today, Medically reviewed by Francis Kuehnle, MSN, RN-BC, 19 Dec, 2023, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/genderfluid#overview.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gould, Wendy R.. "What Does It Mean to Be Gender Fluid?". Very Well Mind, Medically reviewed by Rachel Goldman, PhD, FTOS, 14 Feb, 2023, https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-gender-fluid-5075600.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 genderfluidity. "FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) AND TAGS". Tumblr, https://genderfluidity.tumblr.com/faq. Accessed on 11 Oct, 2024.
- ↑ Hernandez, Michael M. (1996). "Boundaries: Gender and Transgenderism". The Second Coming: A Leatherdyke Reader.
- ↑ SonicJMC. "gender fluid". Urban Dictionary, 21 Jan, 2007, http://web.archive.org/web/20161018191041/http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gender+fluid.
- ↑ Pride-Flags. "Bigenderfluid (1)". DeviantArt, 5 Sep, 2015, https://www.deviantart.com/pride-flags/art/Bigenderfluid-1-558308978?ga_submit_new=10%3A1468625644&ga_type=edit&ga_changes=1.
- ↑ Pride-Flags. "Bigenderfluid (3)". DeviantArt, 5 Sep, 2015, https://www.deviantart.com/pride-flags/art/Bigenderfluid-3-558308965?q=sort%3Atime%20((bigenderfluid)%20AND%20(by%3APride-Flags))&qo=5.
- ↑ "Flags and Symbols". Amherst College, https://www.amherst.edu/system/files/Flags%2520and%2520Symbols.pdf. Accessed on 11 Oct, 2024.
- ↑ genderfluidity. "We are Genderfluid!". Tumblr, 3 Aug, 2012, https://genderfluidity.tumblr.com/post/28614422659/so-i-couldnt-find-a-flag-that.
- ↑ MarijnFlorence. "File:Alternative genderfluid flag.png". Wikimedia Commons, 2 Mar, 2019, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alternative_genderfluid_flag.png.
- ↑ Cari-Rez-Lobo. "Gender Symbols". DeviantArt, 3 Oct, 2014, https://www.deviantart.com/cari-rez-lobo/art/Gender-Symbols-486052086.
