Bigender

'Bigender' is an identity label that originated online and refers to someone who says they experience two genders simultaneously or alternately—usually man and woman, but sometimes another combination. The term generally falls under non-binary and is often distinguished from genderfluid because it supposedly refers specifically to two identities.

What does the label mean?

According to self-descriptions, a bigender person alternates between two distinct gender experiences or experiences them simultaneously. Some adjust their presentation; others do not. In this context, 'gender' refers to an internal experience—not the body, which remains binary.

Origins and scientific status

Bigender is a relatively recent category developed primarily online. There is virtually no independent clinical or empirical research validating bigender as a distinct identity; the term is found mainly in identity communities on social media and in self-reports. That is not a condemnation of people who use the label, but it is relevant context: the academic foundation is largely lacking.

Critics point out that many experiences described as 'bigender'—alternating between masculine or feminine clothing, preferences, or moods—can just as easily fall within a single sex. A woman who is sometimes a 'tomboy' and sometimes feminine is still a woman—no separate identity category is needed for that.

Distinction from other labels

Bigender is often compared with genderfluid. The difference—bigender supposedly involves specifically two genders, while genderfluid involves a spectrum—is fluid and not clear-cut in practice. Similar labels include trigender (three genders), polygender (multiple specific genders), and pangender (all genders). All fall under the umbrella of non-binary, a broad umbrella term without a clear-cut meaning.

Social context

In the Netherlands, there is no legal category of 'bigender'. People who use the label are subject to the usual options for sex registration. Practical challenges—social expectations, pronouns, and bureaucracy—are comparable to those surrounding other non-binary identifications and are essentially a consequence of the fact that most institutions (rightly) operate on the basis of binary sex.