Neutrois

'Neutrois' is an identity label for people who experience themselves as sex-neutral and — unlike with agender — often have a pronounced preference for a 'neutral' physical presentation. The term was coined by H.A. Burnham in 1995 and has circulated in non-binary circles since the 2000s.

What does it mean?

Those who identify as neutrois describe an inner experience without a male or female gender, often linked to the desire to be seen as neither a man nor a woman. In English-language literature, neutrois people are sometimes described as considering medical steps toward an 'androgynous' or sexless bodily presentation — for example, mastectomy for AFAB people — without continuing with a transition toward the other sex.

Distinction and overlap

Neutrois is closely related to agender, but the emphasis differs: agender primarily describes the absence of an inner sense of gender, while neutrois emphasizes the desire for a neutral outward presentation. In practice, some people use the terms interchangeably.

Social and practical context

The term is uncommon in the Netherlands and does not appear in formal systems. Medical pathways aimed at a 'neutral' bodily presentation — without a full transition — are controversial within transgender healthcare because they do not fit guidelines based on transition toward the other sex.

Critical perspectives

A 'neutral' human body does not exist biologically: every body is male or female. Pursuing bodily neutrality through extensive, partly irreversible surgery is therefore a major step with a questionable outcome. See also detransition figures: a significant proportion of people who take non-binary transition steps later reconsider them. What is meant by detransition and regret is explained in definitions of detransition and regret. For those who are questioning a non-binary identity and its medical consequences, transkompas.nl offers a dedicated pathway.