The Great Beyond:
Non-binary, xenogenders, demigenders, and more  

The number of variations of gender identity is as infinite as the number variations in humanity. As such, it would be impossible to cover them all. We can, however, define some broad categories under which the majority of variations fall. These categories are often referred to as “umbrella terms”. While cisgender covers “male” and “female”, almost everything else can be classified as falling under the transgender umbrella. As always, be respectful of each individual’s identity. There are some that identify with a non-binary gender (sometimes referred to as genderqueer) that do not identify with transgender for a variety of reasons.

Under the transgender umbrella you have your binary genders (trans men and trans women), as well as non-binary genders. Non-binary genders can be a mixture of the binary genders, a third gender (or beyond), the lack of gender (agender), fluctuating genders (genderfluid), varying intensity of gendered feelings (genderflux), or involve concepts that are typically outside of the normal conception of gender (xenogenders). Demigenders fall under both the transgender and non-binary umbrellas. If someone has a demigender that means they identify with the specific gender mentioned, though only partially (such as a demiboy or demigirl). A person who identifies with the expression related to a gender may or may not identify with the gender itself. When the person was assigned male at birth and identifies with femininity, they often identify as transfeminine, with the inverse being transmasculine.

Xenogender is another umbrella term under which many identities fall, and can be further split into more distinct segments. A noungender is a gender that relates to an object, animal, or concept outside of the normal confines of gender (such as catgender). An aesthetigender is one in which the gendered experience relates to sensations or aesthetics (such as a colorgender). For some neurodivergent individuals, the concept of gender is inextricably linked to their neurotype, forming a neurogender. These are just some examples from a huge range of gender experiences.