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Gender terms
A sorted overview of all common terms around gender — from classic identity labels to recent online self-descriptions and cultural variants. Each term has a short explanation; click through for a detailed article with origin, meaning and critical context.
The number of gender terms has grown considerably over the past fifteen years. Many terms come from online communities and are not scientifically delineated; others stem from medical literature or from specific cultures. This page tries to make the whole field accessible, without losing sight of the difference between biological sex (binary, stable) and self-chosen identity labels. A general introduction can be found at What is gender? and Gender and biological sex.
Basic terms
Transgender
Someone whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth.
Cisgender
Someone whose gender identity matches the sex assigned at birth.
Intersex
Rare biological conditions with atypical sex characteristics.
Non-binary
Identity outside the man/woman binary.
Genderqueer
Umbrella term for identities that reject the man/woman norm.
Androgynous
Combination of masculine and feminine traits or expression.
Non-binary and related labels
Agender
Not experiencing a sense of gender or rejecting the concept of gender.
Bigender
Identification with two genders, simultaneously or alternately.
Trigender
Identification with three genders, often alternating.
Pangender
Identification with all or several genders at once.
Polygender
Identification with multiple specific genders.
Genderfluid
A sense of gender that changes over time.
Genderflux
Varying intensity of the sense of gender.
Demi-gender
Partial identification with a gender.
Demiboy
Partial identification with 'boy' or 'man'.
Demigirl
Partial identification with 'girl' or 'woman'.
Genderfae
Genderfluid within the feminine spectrum.
Maverique
A sense of gender outside the man/woman framework.
Neutrois
A strong desire for a 'neutral' sex presentation.
Xenogender
Identity described through non-human metaphors.
Aporagender
A gender separate from man, woman or anything in between.
Transition direction and birth sex
Transmasculine
Person with a female birth sex moving in a masculine direction.
Transfeminine
Person with a male birth sex moving in a feminine direction.
MTF
Male-to-female; transition from male to female.
FTM
Female-to-male; transition from female to male.
AMAB
Assigned Male at Birth — born as a boy.
AFAB
Assigned Female at Birth — born as a girl.
Cultural and historical terms
Two-spirit
Term from indigenous North American cultures.
Hijra
Third-gender group in South Asia, centuries-old tradition.
Kathoey
Thai designation for trans women and feminine men.
Fa'afafine
Samoan third-gender role; AMAB people in a feminine role.
Muxe
Third-gender role among the Zapotecs in Mexico.
X-gender
Japanese label for identities outside man/woman.
Travesti
Latin American term for feminine AMAB people.
Broad and general terms
Gender-neutral
Not explicitly designed as masculine or feminine.
Gender-diverse
Umbrella term for variation in sense of gender and expression.
Gender-variant
Deviation from the prevailing gender norms, especially in expression.
Related articles
Sources
- Coleman, E. et al. (2022). Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Version 8. WPATH. DOI
- Cass, Hilary (2024). Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People: Final Report. NHS England. Text
- Hembree, W.C. et al. (2017). "Endocrine Treatment of Gender-Dysphoric/Gender-Incongruent Persons." Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 102(11). DOI
- Aultman, B. (2014). "Cisgender." TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly, 1(1-2). DOI
- Richards, C. et al. (2016). "Non-binary or genderqueer genders." International Review of Psychiatry, 28(1). DOI
- Stock, Kathleen (2021). Material Girls: Why Reality Matters for Feminism. Fleet.
- Joyce, Helen (2021). Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality. Oneworld.
- Butler, Judith (1990). Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. Routledge.