Trigender

Q: What is the difference between trigender and bigender?

Trigender adds a third gender component to the two associated with bigender, often a non-binary third gender. The three genders are usually man, woman, and a third, such as agender, demiboy, or a self-chosen label. In terms of structure, trigender falls between bigender and polygender. The boundaries are fluid and lie mainly in self-description, not in an underlying reality.

Q: Do the three genders in trigender change over time?

For some trigender people they do, while others experience them simultaneously. This is subjective and varies from person to person. Those who switch typically do so depending on the situation or mood, and sometimes their pronouns change along with the gender component they are experiencing at that moment. The experience cannot be objectively established, so only the individual can explain how it works for them.

Q: Is trigender a clinically recognized category?

No. It is a self-description from online communities, not a medical or psychological category. Whether it is meaningful to distinguish 'three genders' from 'two' or 'five' is questionable. Such micro-labels seem to serve mainly a function within specific online groups, where increasingly precise self-description is socially rewarded. The label has no role among doctors.

Q: Does trigender appear on official documents?

No. Dutch sex registration recognizes man and woman, and an X designation is only possible through the courts. A designation such as trigender does not exist. The label appears on no formal document and plays no role outside online communities. It is a self-description, not a category registered by a government or institution.

The trigender flag with pink, purple and green stripes — Image: Nikki, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

'Trigender' is an identity label for people who identify with three genders, typically varying depending on the situation or mood. The label is related to bigender but expanded with a third component, and has circulated in online non-binary communities since the 2000s.

What does it mean?

The three genders someone who identifies as 'trigender' may refer to can vary: often man, woman, and a third gender (for example agender, demiboy, or a self-chosen label). Some people experience all three genders simultaneously; others switch between them periodically. The experience is subjective and cannot be objectively established.

Distinctions and overlap

In terms of structure, trigender falls between bigender (two genders) and polygender (multiple genders). The boundaries are fluid: someone who experiences 'more than two but fewer than many' may choose trigender, polygender, or pangender — the difference lies mainly in self-description, not in an underlying reality.

Social and practical context

Trigender does not appear on official documents and plays no role outside online communities. Pronouns are generally 'they/them' or change according to the gender component being experienced at the time.

Critical perspectives

It is questionable whether distinguishing 'three genders' as a dimension of experience from 'two' or 'five' is meaningful. The finely structured micro-labels in this area seem to serve mainly a function within specific online groups, where increasingly precise self-description is socially rewarded. The overview of how many genders there are shows the result. Outside that context — with doctors, in the workplace, or with family — this detailed label quickly becomes disconnected from what others can or need to follow.

What is the difference between trigender and bigender?

Do the three genders in trigender change over time?

Is trigender a clinically recognized category?

Does trigender appear on official documents?

Sources

Richards, C. et al. (2016). "Non-binary or genderqueer genders." International Review of Psychiatry, 28(1). DOI
Vincent, B. (2020). Non-Binary Genders: Navigating Communities, Identities, and Healthcare. Policy Press.
Stock, Kathleen (2021). Material Girls. Fleet.