Agender: Difference between revisions

{{Personal story

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| age = 19

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{{infobox identity

| name = Agender

| flag = agender.png

| percentage = 23.5

| gallery_link = Pride Gallery/Agender

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Tumblr user transrants (also known as Salem X or "Ska") created the agender flag in 2014.

In 2014, agender was one of the 56 genders made available on Facebook.<ref>Eve Shapiro, ''Gender circuits: Bodies and identities in a technological age.'' Unpaged.</ref>

In 2015, Dictionary.com added an entry for "agender,"<ref>"New words added to Dictionary.com." May 6, 2015. ''Dictionary.com.'' [http://blog.dictionary.com/2015-new-words/ http://blog.dictionary.com/2015-new-words/]</ref> which it defined as "a person who does not have a specific gender identity or recognizable gender expression."<ref>"Agender." ''Dictionary.com.'' [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/agender?s=t http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/agender?s=t]</ref>

A 2018 survey of "Attitudes to Gender", ran by the Britain-based "Future of Legal Gender" project, asked people if they agree or disagree with the statement "More people will identify as agender (not having a gender) in the future." 32.4% selected "agree" and 13.7% selected "strongly agree". 20.6% selected "neither agree nor disagree" and 19.7% "don't know", compared to a mere 6.6% "disagree" and 7% "strongly disagree". (71% of nonbinary respondents agreed or strongly agreed.)<ref name="FLG">{{Cite web |title=Survey Findings |author= |work=The Future of Legal Gender |date= |access-date=9 April 2020 |url= https://futureoflegalgender.kcl.ac.uk/gender-in-everyday-life/}}</ref>

Some agender people feel that they have no gender identity, while others feel that agender is itself a gender identity. This can be similar to or overlap with the experience of being [[gender neutral]] or having a neutral gender identity.

As some agender people have no gender identity, it is important to not talk about nonbinary or transgender people's experiences ''only'' in the sense of gender identity.

There is little agreement about the difference between terms such as agender, genderless, non-gender, gender neutral, and [[Neutrois|neutrois]]. These terms are often used interchangeably, or defined differently by individual writers in ways that don't necessarily match the self-definitions of others using those terms.

It is often said that non-gender or genderlessness is the experience of having ''no'' gender identity at all, whereas gender neutral or neutrois is the experience of ''having'' a gender identity, a gender identity which is not male or female, but neutral. However, these statements don't match the experiences of everyone who has taken up these identities as their own. This is a result of a disagreement between word definitions that are ''prescriptivist'' (telling everyone how they ''should'' use a word, and saying that many people use it wrong) and ''descriptivist'' (describing how people have actually been ''using'' a word, without telling them to change).

Some activists, such as [[Christie Elan-Cane]] use '''non-gendered''' to mean all gender outside of the [[gender binary]]. This use comes from several years before the term '''nonbinary''', but is seen as problematic because it gives the idea that nonbinary gender identities don't exist, or that all nonbinary people are genderless. Nonetheless this usage is in some official organisations' documents and resources as the term to cover all nonbinary people. This is most common in the United Kingdom, for example throughout the recent [[UK Government Transgender Action Plan]].

It can be difficult to describe and name a gender identity that involves a lack of inner gender identity. In order to do so, some people see the need to make new names for that gender identity, or to distinguish between different but similar genderless identities. A list of these names, in alphabetical order:

'''anongender.''' "A gender that is unknown to you and others".<ref>[http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/92806103824/anongender http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/92806103824/anongender]</ref>

'''apogender.''' Coined by queerspike. "Greek prefix apo, meaning away from, separate, at the farthest point; a subset of agender in which you feel not only genderless but entirely removed from the concept of gender."<ref>[http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/92022599474/genders-coined-by-queerspike http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/92022599474/genders-coined-by-queerspike]</ref>

'''agenderfluid.''' Coined by pleurocarpus. Basically agender, but also [[Genderfluid|genderfluid]]. Synonym cancegender.<ref>[http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/93177924884/cancegender http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/93177924884/cancegender]</ref>

'''agenderflux.''' Coined by perfectlybrokenbones. "Where you identify as agender but have fluctuations where you feel feminine or masculine but not male or female. ".<ref>[http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/92999709954/agenderflux http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/92999709954/agenderflux]</ref>

'''cancegender.''' coined by prideful-concerto. "An individual is agender as their “base” gender but experiences fluid/fluxing gender feelings in tandem with their emotions. These gender feelings may confuse or upset the individual and cause their emotional state to go haywire, which causes more gender changes."<ref>[http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/93177924884/cancegender http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/93177924884/cancegender]</ref> Synonym agenderfluid.

'''genderblank.''' As described by Damloz: Having no gender.<ref>[http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/92539003104/agender http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/92539003104/agender]</ref> Also, as described by anonymous: "a gender so indescribable that the only thought one gets when trying to describe it is a blank space"<ref>[http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/94743909934/genderblank http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/94743909934/genderblank]</ref>

'''genderfree.''' As described by polyamaesthetic, "someone whose gender is not present; someone who feels their gender is insignificant or irrelevant; someone whose gender is kind of ambiguous, but definitely queer; someone whose gender feels blurry, cloudy, whimsical, and free"<ref>https://polyamaesthetic.tumblr.com/post/183876471860/genderfree-flowers-genderfree-someone-whose</ref> Caution: sometimes used by [[Cissexism#Transgender-exclusionary_feminists|trangender-exclusionary feminists]] to identify themself as someone who rejects the concept of [[gender identity]].<ref name="medi_CanY">{{Cite web |title=Can You Actually Be #Genderfree? |last=Williams |first=Rachel Anne |work=Medium |date=25 April 2019 |access-date=4 April 2020 |url= https://medium.com/@transphilosophr/can-you-actually-be-genderfree-b38fe95a0cd7}}</ref><ref>https://terflies.tumblr.com/post/184414453101/heads-upgenderfree-is-the-new-gender-critical</ref>

'''gendernull.''' As described by Baaphomett, "A gender like gendervoid but without the void."<ref>[http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/91736136744/masterpost-of-genders-coined-by-baaphomett http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/91736136744/masterpost-of-genders-coined-by-baaphomett]</ref>

'''gendervoid.''' As described by Baaphomett, "A gender consisting of the void (also/originally used to mean the same thing as genderless)."<ref>[http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/91736136744/masterpost-of-genders-coined-by-baaphomett http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/91736136744/masterpost-of-genders-coined-by-baaphomett]</ref>

'''librafluid.''' Coined by otterlyradical and pride-flags-for-us. "Mostly agender, but has a strong connection that fluctuates between masculinity and femininity."<ref>[http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/91929667279/librafluid http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/91929667279/librafluid]</ref>

'''null gender.''' Coined by dieselwolfe. "Undefinable, intangible, the uncreation of gender. Its taking everything everyone throws at you, saying male, female, pick one, pick this, pick that, and taking it in, only to expel it, poisonous crystals erupting from your skin, armor against those who don’t listen. A 'I don’t want a label because labels don’t fit but they help shut people up sometimes, so here have a label' gender label. A fall-back plan, a red herring to give people who can’t conceptualize the absence, void, nullification of gender. It is, and is not. All and none. Nonexistant but present."<ref>[http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/91779169274/null-gender http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/91779169274/null-gender]</ref>

'''oneirogender.''' Coined by anonymous. "Being agender, but having recurring fantasies or dreams  of being a certain gender without the actual dysphoria or desire to actually be that gender day-to-day. e.g. oneiroboy, oneirogirl, oneirononbinary, etc."<ref>[http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/92479134354/oneirogender http://mogai-archive.tumblr.com/post/92479134354/oneirogender]</ref>

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There are many more [[notable nonbinary people|notable people who have a gender identity outside of the binary]]. The following are only some of those notable people who specifically use the words "agender," "genderblank," "genderfree," "genderless," "gendervoid," "non-gendered," or "null gender" for themselves.  

* [[notable nonbinary people#Raeen Roes (Angel Haze)|Raeen Roes (Angel Haze)]] (b. 1991), a well known agender rapper. They have been nominated for awards with MTV, O Music Awards, BET Awards, and GLAAD Music Awards. They announced on Twitter that they were agender.<ref name="haze">[https://twitter.com/AngelHaze/status/567432462406393856 "angxl hxze on Twitter"], February 14, 2015</ref> <ref name="hazetwo">[https://twitter.com/AngelHaze/status/566688238396375041 "angxl hxze on Twitter"], February 14, 2015</ref>

* [[notable nonbinary people#Jinkx Monsoon|Jinkx Monsoon]] (b. 1987) an American drag performer, actor, comedian and singer best known for winning the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. In a Facebook post about transphobia and the drag scene, Monsoon stated "I, myself do not identify as cis-gendered. I am genderless."<ref name="jinkxmonsoon">[https://www.facebook.com/jinkx.monsoon/posts/818079764894630], </ref>

* [[Public Universal Friend]] (1752 - 1819), an evangelist who preached against slavery in the early United States. The Friend claimed to be genderless and asked to be called by [[English neutral pronouns#No pronouns|no pronouns at all]].<ref name="Lamphier-Welch-331">Peg A. Lamphier, Rosanne Welch, ''Women in American History'' (2017), p. 331.</ref><ref name="Brekus-85">Catherine A. Brekus, ''Strangers and Pilgrims: Female Preaching in America, 1740-1845'' (2000), p. 85</ref><ref name="Juster-MacFarlane-27-28 Brekus-85 etc">Juster & MacFarlane, ''A Mighty Baptism'', pp. 27-28; Brekus, p. 85</ref>  

''See main article: [[Nonbinary gender in fiction#Nonbinary genders in fiction|Nonbinary gender in fiction]]''

There are many more [[Nonbinary gender in fiction#Nonbinary genders in fiction|nonbinary characters in fiction who have a gender identity outside of the binary]]. The following are only some of those characters who are specifically called by the words "agender," "genderblank," "genderfree," "genderless," "gendervoid," "non-gendered," "null gender," or not having a gender, either in their canon, or by their creators.

* “Ashiok” from the popular card game Magic: The Gathering is explicitly referred to as being nongendered. Though some depictions of the character include “he” as a pronoun, a lead designer from the company that makes the game has insisted on numerous occasions that the character is explicitly nongendered.<ref name=dougbeyertaggedashiok>[http://dougbeyermtg.tumblr.com/tagged/ashiok ''A Voice for Vorthos – Posts tagged with “Ashiok”''], Retrieved 29th September 2014, Doug Beyer’s Blog – A Voice for Vorthos.</ref> Even going so far as to write stories which avoid referring to Ashiok using gendered pronouns at all.<ref name=dougbeyerashiokstories>[http://dougbeyermtg.tumblr.com/post/85018556969/ok-so-when-are-we-going-to-learn-more-about-the ''A Voice for Vorthos – Ok so when are we going to learn more about the specifics about Ashiok? Ashiok is not in the first novel at all and nothing is depicted in the cards.'], 7th May 2014, Doug Beyer’s Blog – A Voice for Vorthos.</ref> Ashiok's card can be found [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=373500 here.]

* Roswell, in the podcast ''The Adventure Zone'', is an Earth Elemental made of living clay in a suit of armor, who talks via a small bird. Roswell is agender and uses they/them pronouns.<ref>[https://theadventurezone.wikia.com/wiki/Roswell The Adventure Zone Wiki: Roswell]</ref>

*''Bone Dance'' by Emma Bull. Character: the protagonist, Sparrow, is canonically described as "sexless" and "genderless." The exact details of their identity [http://practicalandrogyny.com/raq/bonedanc.shtml are a matter of debate (spoilers)].

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{{Pride flags|category=Agender pride flags|image=Agender}}

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*[[Gender Neutral]]

*[[Neutrois]]

*[http://neutrois.tumblr.com/post/8229655572/hi-there-maddox-im-writing-up-a-post-about-the Neutrois Nonsense: On the difference between agender, genderless and neutrois]

*[http://jilliancottle.com/2011/by-the-end-of-this-post-gender-may-not-look-like-a-real-word-anymore/ A Fine Line: Jillian Cottle talks about Genderless identity]

*[http://gender.wikia.com/wiki/Agender Agender on Gender Wiki]

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