Gender identities

Overview of the most common gender identities and what they entail.

Under the heading "gender identity" falls a rapidly growing set of self-descriptions. In addition to the older terms transgender and cisgender, countless labels have been added recently — non-binary, genderfluid, agender, bigender, demi-gender, pangender and many others. An important caveat up front: these categories are identity labels, not biological groups. Biological sex is stable and binary; intersex conditions (rare medical variations) are no exception to that.

The labels on this page are used in self-description, in online communities and in activist language. Some have a long medical history (transgender, intersex); others are recent, arose online and have no clinical or empirical underpinning as a defined category. With each term, therefore, there is not only a description but also a critical consideration of the scientific status, the practical consequences and the discussions surrounding the label.

This section provides an explanation for each identity with attention to origin, meaning, practical context and critical perspectives. For medical care needs that arise from identity considerations: hormones and surgery are major and partly irreversible interventions. The page on detransition describes the experiences of people who reversed their steps and is essential context for any consideration of medical transition.