Xenogender
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Note to editors: In order to keep the wiki accurate to the lived experiences of nonbinary people, identities should only be listed here if they cite from at least two separate external sources, showing both:
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Xenogender (coined in 2014 by Tumblr user Baaphomett in a submission to the MOGAI-Archive blog, from xeno alien + "gender")[1] is a nonbinary gender identity "that cannot be contained by human understandings of gender; more concerned with crafting other methods of gender categorization and hierarchy such as those relating to animals, plants, or other creatures/things."[1] Xenogender isn't defined in relation to "female" or "male" (the binary genders), but by other kinds of ideas that most people don't think of as having to do with gender. When people talk about nonbinary gender, they often find that there aren't any words for their experiences. This is called a lexical gap. In order to fill a lexical gap, this wiki takes up "xenogender" as an umbrella term for an entire category of nonbinary genders that are defined by characteristics with no relation whatsoever to "female" or "male." The adjective "xenine" means "of or pertaining to xenogenders". The noun form of xenine is xenity.[2]
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| Under the umbrella term | Nonbinary |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1.75% |
Because a gender binary society doesn't give much in the way of roles or descriptions for nonbinary genders, some transgender and nonbinary people address the challenge of describing their unusual gender identities by creative methods, referring to concepts that aren't usually seen as related to gender. This has been observed in very young nonbinary people:
"Not all children fit neatly into a male or female gender identity, trans or otherwise. For some children, the sense of being 'both' or 'neither' best describes their reality. [...] Children who see themselves as 'neither' will often speak of how regardless of whether they're with a group of boys or girls, they feel like they don't fit. This is not necessarily a sad feeling. They just see the kids around them and know that they are not 'that.' Kids in this category often appear androgynous, and will frequently answer the question 'are you a boy or a girl' by saying their name ('I'm Devon') or by identifying themselves as animals. When asked to draw self portraits, they will portray themselves as rainbows, or unicorns, or another symbol of their choosing."
- "Frequently Asked Questions," GenderSpectrum.org [3]
These creative methods of describing nonbinary genders come naturally to many nonbinary people. As such, these are an emerging part of nonbinary culture, worthy of exploration and examination. Some common themes of these concepts:
Nouns and archetypes: Some nonbinary people find it easier to perceive or describe their inner sense of their gender identity by evoking familiar archetypes. Instead of giving references to how their gender relates to maleness and femaleness, they say their gender is-- or is like-- a kind of animal, an imaginary being, a part of nature, an abstract concept, or a symbol. Some nonbinary people describing their gender this way do so because they feel a sense of gender euphoria or some other connection when thinking about an object. Some people have made names for some of these kinds of noungenders, such as astralgender, described below.
Aesthetic and synaesthetic perceptions: Synaesthesia is an uncommon condition in which people have their senses linked together, so that, say, sounds and words bring up specific colors in their minds. Some nonbinary people find it feels more natural to perceive or describe their inner sense of their gender identity in terms of synaesthesia-like perceptions. For example, texture, size, shape, time, light, sound, or other sensory characteristics that most people don't attribute to gender at all. Some people have made names for some of these kinds of "aesthetgenders", such as dryagender, described below.
Neurodiversity: Some nonbinary people have mental variations (mental illnesses, neurological conditions, or neurodivergence). Some who have mental variations see these as an influence on-- or an inseparable part of-- their gender identity. These are called neurogenders, and most of them are not described on this page, but on the neurogender page.
In the 2020 Worldwide Gender Census, 85 of the responses (0.35%) called themselves "xenogender."[4] Far more in the census called themselves by specific genders under the xenogender umbrella, though that is hard to quantify or differentiate. Individually, any given xenogender is rare, and many seem to have only been proposed, but never used by anybody.
Xenogender Visibility Day was first celebrated on the 15th of May 2021.[5][6]
List of xenogenders
Abimegender
Abimegender: From "Old French – related to 'abyss'; from Latin a- 'without' byssos 'bottom'. Having a gender which is profound, deep, and infinite."[8]
- Demographics: In the 2021 Worldwide Gender Census, three respondents said they were abimegender.[9]
Keywords: size, shape, space, synaesthesia
Abimefluid
Abimegirl
Abimeboy
Aesthetgender
- Name(s): Aesthetgender, Aesthetigender, Aestheticgender, or Videgender.[10]
- Origin: Coined by curiosityismysin.[10]
- Meaning: "A gender experience that is derived from, or the embodiment of, an aesthetic." There are many kinds of aesthetigenders,[10] and as such, aesthetigender can be considered an umbrella term within xenogender.
- Keywords: abstract concepts, aesthetic, symbols, xenogender
- Demographics: In the 2019 Worldwide Gender Census, three respondents said they were this.[11] In the 2020 Gender Census, one respondent was aestheticgender and one was aesthetigender.[12] In the 2021 Gender Census, six respondents were aesthetigender, two respondents were videgender, one was aestheticgender, and one was "aesthetic gender".[13]
Aliengender
- Name(s): Aliengender.
- Origin: Coined by genderghoul.[14]
- Meaning: "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. Can be combined with relevant genders."[14]
- Keywords: alien, species, xenogender
- Demographics: In the 2019 Worldwide Gender Census, one respondent said they were this.[15] In the 2020 Gender Census, one respondent was aliengender, one was "alien-gender", one was "gender alien", and 13 respondents wrote in "alien" as an identity.[4]
Astralgender
- Name(s): Astralgender.
- Origin: Astralgender's original coining post can no longer be found. However, the term appears on a list of definitions published on Sep 6, 2015.[17] Therefore, the term was created on or before that date.
- Meaning: A gender that feels connected to space.[16]
- Keywords: nature, space, place, xenogender
- Demographics: In the 2019 Worldwide Gender Census, one respondent said they were this.[15] In the 2020 Gender Census, no respondents.[4]
Astrumgender
- Name(s): Astrumgender.
- Origin: Coined by Tumblr user angelknivesmogai on June 21st, 2020.[18]
- Meaning: "A gender that feels deeply connected to stars and constellations, like lights in a void, or like there is a light bursting within you!!"
- Keywords: stars, space, celestial, xenogender
- Demographics: In the 2021 Worldwide Gender Census, three respondents said they were astrumgender.[9]
Boggender
- Origin: Coined by an anonymous submission to the MOGAI-archive blog on Tumblr in 2014.[19]
- Meaning: A gender that feels like, or can be compared to a bog, swamp, marsh or similar.[19]
- Keywords: nature, water, xenogender
- Demographics: In the 2019 Worldwide Gender Census, no respondents said they were this, although one did say "my gender is fluid like a bog," and another one said their gender was "bog monster."[15]
Caelgender
- Name(s): Caelgender.
- Origin: Coined by Tumblr user transmomoi in a post to the MOGAI-archive blog in 2014.[20]
- Meaning: A gender which shares qualities with outer space or has the aesthetic of space, stars, nebulae, etc.[20]
- Keywords: sky, nature, space, xenogender
- Demographics: In the 2019 Worldwide Gender Census, one respondent said they were this.[15]
Catgender
- Name(s): Catgender, Felinegender, Kittygender, Kittengender, Meowgender, Mewgender.
- Meaning: "A xenogender used by individuals who identify as/strongly connect with cats and felines."[23]
- Keywords: cats, kittens, felines
- Demographics: In the 2019 Gender Census, one respondent was catgender.[15] In the 2020 Gender Census, one respondent.[4] In the 2021 Gender Census, 80 people entered catgender as part of their identity words.[9]
The most common catgender flag, created in 2020 by twitter user hueningafton.
A catgender flag created in 2019 by deviantart user PN-TME.
Catgender flag redesign made in 2021 by twitter user scaredycatowo.
An alternate design by scaredycatowo.
_by_scaredycatowo.jpg)
For more flags, see Category:Catgender pride flags.
Contigender
- Name(s): Contigender.
- Origin: Coined by Tumblr user hardcoreshounen in a submission to the MOGAI-Archive blog in 2014.[24]
- Meaning: "1. a gender that flows through space and time and constantly changes, always moving 2. a gender of or related to space and time. this gender can be used by itself or along with another gender to describe its state of movement e.g. a conti agender or a contigender