gender-nonconforming
Outside traditional categories
Gender-nonconforming describes people whose gender expression—clothing, mannerisms, interests—differs from conventional expectations for their sex.
A boy who wears dresses or a woman with a buzz cut and masculine bearing might be called gender-nonconforming.
The term is neutral and descriptive, encompassing everything from minor departures to complete rejection of gender norms: Their gender-nonconforming child preferred trucks to dolls.
Outside the two-category system
- nonbinaryOutside male-female categories
- genderfluidVariable gender identity
- agenderHaving no gender identity
- bigenderTwo-gender identity
transgender · androgyny · two-spirit · intersex · queer · pronouns · neopronouns · self-identification
Neither distinctly male nor female
- presentationFormal display to viewers
- genderbendingTransgressing conventional sex categories
- cross-dressingWearing another gender's clothing
- dragResistance through fluid
fashion · style · masculine · feminine · unisex · tomboy · masc · femme
State of flowing freely
- continuumUninterrupted, gradual sequence
- heteronormativityAssumed universal straightness
- ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
- multiplicityState of being many
cisgender · complexity · variance · diversity · range · gradation
Range of clear sight
- representationDepiction or likeness
- acceptanceConsent to receive
- prideSatisfaction from one's achievements
- communityCollective of connected people
activism · advocacy · allyship · inclusivity · LGBTQ · ballroom · voguing · solidarity
Unjust differential treatment
- misgenderingIncorrectly identifying someone's gender
- deadnamingUsing pre-transition name
- stigmaMark of dishonor
- harassmentAggressive, unwanted targeting
dysphoria · marginalization · exclusion · prejudice · bias · erasure · invisibility · microaggressions
genderqueer
Outside the two-category system
- nonbinaryOutside male-female categories
- genderfluidVariable gender identity
- agenderHaving no gender identity
bigender · transgender · androgyny · two-spirit · intersex · queer · pronouns · neopronouns · self-identification · coming-out
androgynous
Neither distinctly male nor female
- presentationFormal display to viewers
- genderbendingTransgressing conventional sex categories
- cross-dressingWearing another gender's clothing
drag · fashion · style · masculine · feminine · unisex · tomboy · masc · femme · binding
fluidity
State of flowing freely
- continuumUninterrupted, gradual sequence
- heteronormativityAssumed universal straightness
- ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
multiplicity · cisgender · complexity · variance · diversity · range · gradation
visibility
Range of clear sight
- representationDepiction or likeness
- acceptanceConsent to receive
- prideSatisfaction from one's achievements
community · activism · advocacy · allyship · inclusivity · LGBTQ · ballroom · voguing · solidarity · liberation
discrimination
Unjust differential treatment
- misgenderingIncorrectly identifying someone's gender
- deadnamingUsing pre-transition name
- stigmaMark of dishonor
harassment · dysphoria · marginalization · exclusion · prejudice · bias · erasure · invisibility · microaggressions · resilience
gender, nonconforming, genders, gendered, gendering, genderless, conform, conforming, conforms