Otherkin

Otherkin are real individuals who think of themselves as other than human. For example, an individual who says, "I am an elf." Usually, they mean that they are an elf in spirit, or identify as an elf in some other way. Each individual comes up with their own reasoning for how and why they are otherkin, and what kind of being they are.

Kingender pride flag, for individuals whose gender identity is closely related to their otherkin type. Term and flag created by aroacehawkeye. The two symbols represent otherkin (seven-pointed star) and therianthropes (theta-delta symbol), respectively. The stripe color meanings follow the conventions of other pride flags: yellow for non-female/non-male nonbinary genders (agender, etc), blue for male, purple for mixed female/male nonbinary gender identities (androgyne, etc), and pink for female.

Otherkin is an identity, but not a gender identity. That said, some otherkin do think of their gender identity as part of, influenced, or best described with their otherkin identity. For example, a nonbinary gender person who has decided that the best way to describe their gender identity is to say, "My gender is elf." (There are also people outside of the otherkin community who use similarly non-gender-related concepts and archetypes to describe their nonbinary genders; see xenogender.) Much of the otherkin community is made up of folks who are transgender, genderqueer, or nonbinary. This has always been so, ever since the 1960s. For this reason, the otherkin community has a tendency to be accepting of anyone who is transgender, genderqueer, or nonbinary. See the article nonbinary gender outside of the transgender community for other communities that are similarly welcoming.

History

The otherkin community has origins that go back to the 1960s, in Pagan spirituality groups of those who called themselves elves. The word "otherkin" was created by a group of these folks during 1990, to include people who identify as beings other than elves. The Internet makes it possible for everyone to reach out to others about personal matters that they have in common, while still keeping a kind of anonymity. As a result, the otherkin community is one of many that has recently become more visible to the public eye.

In 2013 or 2014, a community of nonbinary gender people on the social blogging site Tumblr.com came up with a kind of gender-neutral pronouns called "nounself pronouns." By adapting any noun of one's choosing into a pronoun, one can create a wide variety of very personal and descriptive pronouns. The sets can be themed around concepts that have nothing to do with gender, such as nature, technology, or abstract concepts. For example, the fairy themed set "fae, fae, faer, faers, faeself." Some call nounself pronouns by the name "otherkin pronouns." However, few otherkin use nounself pronouns, and many folks using them aren't otherkin.

Genders for otherkin

Some folks have made names for specific kinds of genders experienced from a non-human perspective, for people who identify as otherkin, fictionkin (otherkin who identify as characters or creatures from fiction), or therianthropes (individuals who identify as real kinds of animals). A list, in alphabetical order:

adeptogender. Coined by Mercurykid. "When your state of gender was obtained through your realization of your kinself [otherkin self]. as in, your kin [otherkin] realization spurred your gender realization. (note: the gender and kin type [the kind of being that you identify as] do not necessarily have to correlate with each other)."

aliengender. Coined by genderghoul. "A gender that is an interpretation of a gender or genders, from a nonhuman perspective. may or may not like to fit into a gender and adopt a gender, but in a sort of ‘alien trying out foreign species’s gender’ way. alienboy, aliengirl, aliennonbinary etc."

fictigender. Coined by anonymous. 1. "When your gender is connected to the fictional character(s) or species you identify as." 2. "when you feel like genders in the real world don’t apply to you because you identify as a fictional character or species. note: this gender is only for the use of fictionkin."

genderglitch. coined by: queercodedkid "genderglitch is similar to genderfluidity, however while genderfluidity is normally described as your genders changing smoothly, genderglitch is more sudden and confusing. note: created by a techkin [technology otherkin] with kin [otherkin] in mind, but available to use by nonkin [people who don't identify as otherkin]."

gendersea. Coined by anonymous. "like gendervoid, but related to the ocean. your gender is a vast sea of caverns and depths yet to be discovered. free for all to use but made with otherkin related to the ocean or sea creatures in mind."

kingender. Coined by aroacehawkeye. "A catch-all term for individuals whose gender is closely related to their kintype(s) [the kinds of beings that they identify as]. note: this gender is only for the use of otherkin." The pride flag for this gender is shown on this page.

multigender. 1. One person who has several gender identities; see multigender. 2. As coined by theboxwitch, "a gender identity for those with multiple kintypes [kinds of beings they identify as] who each have their own gender identity. note: only for use of otherkin."

See also

• Xenogender
• Gender variance in spirituality

External links

• A Simple Introduction to Otherkin and Therianthropes, by Orion Scribner.
• AnOtherWiki, a free encyclopedia written by, for, and about the Otherkin community.
• Otherkin.net, created in 2000, with content from the 1990s.
• Otherkin News - QUILTBAG. News articles that are both about otherkin as well as transgender subject matter.