Gender fluidity

Genderfluidity is a non-fixed gender identity that shifts over time or depending on the situation. These fluctuations can occur at the level of gender identity or gender expression. A genderfluid person may fluctuate among different gender expressions over their lifetime, or express multiple aspects of various gender markers simultaneously. Genderfluid individuals may identify as non-binary or transgender, or cisgender, which means they identify with the gender(s) associated with their sex assigned at birth.

Genderfluidity is different from gender-questioning, a process in which people explore their gender(s) in order to find their true gender identity and adjust their gender expression accordingly. Genderfluidity continues throughout lives of genderfluid people.

History

Transgender people (including non-binary and third gender people) have existed in cultures worldwide since ancient times. The modern terms and meanings of "transgender", "gender", "gender identity", and "gender role" only emerged in the 1950s and 1960s. As a result, opinions vary on how to categorize historical accounts of gender-variant people and identities, including genderfluid individuals.

The 1928 novel Virginia Woolf novel Orlando: A Biography features a main character who changes gender several times, and considers gender fluidity:

In every human being, a vacillation from one sex to the other takes place, and often it is only the clothes that keep the male or female likeness, while underneath the sex is the very opposite of what it is above.

The first known mention of the term gender fluidity was in gender theorist Kate Bornstein's 1994 book Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us. It was later used again in the 1996 book The Second Coming: A Leatherdyke Reader.

In February 2014, Facebook included "Gender Fluid" as one of the 50 identity options available.

In May 2015, Dictionary.com added an entry for genderfluid.

Symbols

The genderfluid pride flag was designed by JJ Poole in 2012. The pink stripe of the flag represents femininity, the white represents lack of gender, purple represents androgyny, black represents all other genders, and blue represents masculinity.

See also

• Gender identity
• Gender questioning
• Non-binary gender
• Transgender

References

Further reading

Bibliography

• Booker, Lauren (2021-04-21). "What it means to be gender-fluid". CNN.

1. Sexual fluidity
2. Gender roles and fluidity in indigenous Nigerian cultures
3. Gender
4. Non-binary gender
5. Gender-affirming surgery
6. Pansexuality
7. Cisgender
8. Transgender
9. LGBT
10. Yoruba culture
11. Gender transition
12. Questioning (sexuality and gender)
13. Nanabozho
14. Gender dysphoria
15. Wear it Purple Day
16. List of gender identities
17. Gender variance
18. Queer
19. Femboy
20. Jesse Rutherford (singer)