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Genderqueer or intergender is a catchall term for gender identities other than male or female. People who identify as genderqueer may think of themselves as being both male and female, as being neither male nor female, as having a combination of male and female personality characteristics, or as falling completely outside the gender binary. Some genderqueer people see their identity as one of many possible genders other than male or female, while others see "genderqueer" as an umbrella term that encompasses all of those possible genders. Still others see "genderqueer" as a third gender to complement the traditional two, while others identify as genderless or a-gender. Genderqueer people are united by their rejection of the notion that there are only two genders. The term "genderqueer" can also be used an adjective to refer to any people who transgress gender, regardless of their self-defined gender identity (see Alternate Meanings, below).

Related gender terminology

People who identify outside the usual binary genders may use any or all of the following terms to describe themselves:

• Androgyne
• Intergender
• Bigender
• Multigender
• Third gender
• Neuter/Neutrois/Agender
• Gender-fluid

Genderqueer and transgender

Some genderqueer people identify as transgender, using the word "transgender" as an umbrella term for a broad range of people who identify as a gender other than the expected gender for their assigned sex, and some do not. (This usage is only one of multiple conflicting definitions of the term "transgender" in use.) The terms "transgender" and "genderqueer" are not synonymous, but there is some overlap between people who identify as transgender and people who identify as genderqueer. Like transgender people, genderqueer people may transition physically with surgery, hormones, electrolysis, and other practices, or they may not choose to alter their bodies by these means. They may also transition socially, or they may continue to dress and go by the pronouns of their assigned gender.

History of the term

The term genderqueer originated as an identity utilized mainly by white, middle and upper-class Americans who were born female or are otherwise on the FtM (female-to-male) or transmasculine spectrum, but today there are many self-identified genderqueer people who are from different racial, ethnic, class, gender, and national backgrounds. However, people who identify as genderqueer are still disproportionately from that group.

Gender and pronouns

How genderqueer people view gender as a whole and its relationship to themselves varies. Some genderqueer people view gender as a continuum between man and woman, with the two traditional genders at the two poles and their own genderqueer place as somewhere within the continuum. Others believe there are as many genders as there are people. Still others believe that binary gender is a social construct, and choose not to adhere to that construct. Some genderqueers do fit into the stereotypical gender roles expected of their sex, but still identify outside of that and reject a two-pole gendered system. Some genderqueers experience their gender as fluid, varying from day to day or year to year. Some genderqueer people reject any gender system as a valid method of classifying individuals. Some genderqueers prefer to go by the conventional binary pronouns "he" or "she," while others prefer gender-neutral pronouns such as "ze", "per", "zir", "sie" and "hir", "zhe", "hir", "zes" or singular "they" instead of her/his. Some genderqueer people prefer to have people alternate between he and she (and/or gender neutral pronouns) in reference to them, and some prefer to use only their name and not use pronouns at all. The terms pansexual, omnisexual, polysexual and multisexual exist specifically in reference to the understanding of there being many genders, rather than "bisexual," which implies only two genders and sexes. Pansexuality means being attracted to or open to attraction to people of all different gender identities, and reflects a non-binary understanding of gender and its interplay with sexuality. Note: Some people see "genderqueer" as a more consciously politicized version of the term androgyne, popularized by Androgyne Online, which is linked below. Androgynes are also people who identify as both man and woman, or as neither. "Androgyne" is synonymous to the more cumbersome "non-binary gender variant."

Alternate meanings

The term genderqueer is also sometimes used in a broader context as an adjective to refer to any person who challenges gender roles and binary notions of gender. This is similar to the way homosexual, bisexual, and other people may identify as queer as a broader, umbrella term. However, because genderqueer also refers to a more specific gender identity, the terms gender variant, gender transgressive, or gender non-conforming are applied more broadly to refer to the wide range of people whose gender identity or expression transgress societal expectations.

References

• Gender Queer. Voices From Beyond the Sexual Binary, Joan Nestle, Clare Howell, Riki Wilchins (2002) Alyson Books, New York.
• The Transgender Studies Reader Susan Stryker, Stephen White (2006) Routledge, New York.

See also

• butch and femme
• queer
• genderfuck
• intergender
• third gender
• androgyne
• drag queen
• drag king
• two-spirit
• list of transgender-related topics

External links

• Official Site of GenderQueer Revolution
• United Genders of the Universe a genderqueer organization
• Androgyne Online: non-binary gender variants/variance
• Yahoo Androgynes Group:A Yahoo Group for androgynes and their supporters.

Copyrights

Genderqueer from Wíkipedia. ©2006 by Wíkipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. View a list of authors or edit this article.