The Transgender Dictionary

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Xenogender

Table of Contents

Introduction

There are numerous nonbinary gender identities that people can identify as.

General Information

Xenogender(s) is umbrella term used to refer to when someone uses a concept other than male or female; such as plants, planets, or animals; to describe their gender identity. On its own, xenogender can also be used as gender identity. Many people who identify as xenogenders use personal metaphors to explain their experience to others, as genders not based on masculinity, femininity, or neutrality can be difficult to explain.

The concept of a xenogender is frequently misunderstood as the individual literally identifying as an animal or an object, rather than simply using the aesthetic to define a gender. It is rare that anyone who identifies as a xenogender literally believes themself to be that object/animal/whatever is being used to define the person's gender. The presentation of those who identify as xenogenders vary wildly.

The prefix "xen" can be defined as the following meanings; a guest, strange, or foreign. When combined with the word "gender" you get "strange gender". Xenogenders are heavily associated with those who are neurodivergent, however not everyone who identifies as a xenogender is neurodivergent.

The word xenogender was coined in June of 2014 by tumblr user "lamb777" who defined the term as "a gender 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".

Xenogender Flag

The original xenogender flag was originally posted on Deviant Art in January of 2017. The flag was designed by Deviant Art user "pastelmemer". The flag contains seven horizontal stripes with the astronomical sign for the asteroid Iris at the center. The meaning of this xenogender flag is unconventional, so I will be quoting directly from the original explanation provided on Deviant Art.

"Central symbol is the astronomical sign for the asteroid Iris, named after the deity with the same name, who is associated with rainbows. Colors chosen are various common shades present in iris flowers. The central stripe is yellow, as yellow is a common nonbinary color- and, as opposed to purple, which usually stands for androgynous nonbinary genders with some combination of male and female identities (hence red/blue mixed), yellow is often used to symbolize genders which have nothing to do with the binary in any way- including xenogenders."

Gendervoid/Voidgender

Being gendervoid is when one has an absence or void where a gender would be. Someone who is gendervoid lacks the experience of having a gender. The experience of being gendervoid is often accompanied by a feeling of detatchment or emptiness from the concept of gender. Being gendervoid is less of a rejection of gender, and more like an inability to connect with or experience it. The feeling of this void can vary from person to person.

Gendervoid is similar to agender, however the experience of being agender is often accompanied by gender neutrality. There is no gender neutrality when it comes to being gendervoid, only a genderless experience. Gendervoid is sometimes considered to be a xenogender, due to the connection to the void.

For those who may be struggling to conceptualize this, allow me to provide a metaphor. Gender is like soup. Someone who has a gender would therefore have a bowl full of soup. The contents of the soup make up that person's gender. Someone who is genderless has a bowl without any soup.

In July of 2014, the tumblr user known as "mogai-archive-deactivated201503" posted a list of gender identity terms and definitions derived from posts made by tumblr user "baaphomett" (who has since changed username and appears to have deleted most of these older coining posts).

In July of 2015, the DeviantArt user "Pride-Flags" posted the original gendervoid flag. There is no official meaning for this flag, and there is no credited creator, so it can be assumed to have been created by the user who posted it.

Click to jump to external resources regarding the gender identity known as gendervoid.

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