Bigender
Not to be confused with Bisexualgender.
Bigender is a gender identity for individuals that identify as two distinct genders, the prefix bi- meaning two or twice.[1][2]
Bigender individuals may feel both genders at the same time or be fluid between them, in which case they may also identify as genderfluid. They may experience both genders equally, or at varying ratios. They can also experience any two genders, including binary and non-binary genders. For example, a bigender individual could be a man and neutral, or they could be mostly a woman and a little non-binary.[2]
History
One of the first recorded instances of bigender being used comes from a trans organization called the Human Outreach and Achievement Institute in the 1980s which defined bigenderist as a type of androgyne, with the latter being defined as "a individual who can comfortably express either alternative gender role in a variety of socially acceptable environments".[3][4]
The more modern definition of bigender comes from Gary Bowen who, in his 1995 publication Dictionary of Words for Masculine Women, defined being bigender as "having two genders, exihibiting[sic] cultural characteristics of male and female roles".[5]
A 1997 paper concerning the gender continuum in International Journal of Transgenderism noted that "a individual who feels or acts as both a woman and a man may identify as bi-gendered".[6] A 1999 survey conducted by the San Francisco Department of Public Health observed that among the transgender community, less than 3% of those who were assigned male at birth and less than 8% of those who were assigned female at birth identified as bigender.[7]
According to a 2012 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), bigender individuals are more likely to have bipolar disorder.[8]
Related Terms
| Label | Relationship | Description | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Androgyne | Similar | Simultaneously or in between man/masculine and woman/feminine. | The two genders of bigender can be both man and woman, but it is not always the case. |
| Monogender | Similar | One distinct gender. | Bigender only consists of two genders. |
| Quadgender | Similar | Four distinct genders. | Bigender only consists of two genders. |
| Trigender | Similar | Three distinct genders. | Bigender only consists of two genders. |
Prefixes and Suffixes
Note: For the sake of a more succinct set of explanations, the below table uses A to refer to one gender, with B referring to a second gender.
| Label | Prefix / Suffix | Flag | Description | Creator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bigenderadd | -add |  [9]
|
Either A or B, or both A and B, but never mixed together. | Wire / CasualChaos |
| Bigenderblend | -blend |  [10]
|
A mix of A and B, and one will always outweigh the other in ratio. | Wire / CasualChaos |
| Bigenderboth | -both |  [11]
|
A mix of A and B, or both A and B, but never A or B separately. | Wire / CasualChaos |
| Bigenderchange | -change |  [12]
|
Fluid between A and B, sometimes both A and B, or mixed. | Wire / CasualChaos |
| Bigenderflux | -flux |  [13]
|
A and B fluctuate in intensity. | Beau-is-Gai |
| Bigenderfluid | -fluid |  [14] [15]
|
A and B are fluid between different distinct genders. | Pride-Flags |
| Bigenderlean | -lean |  [16]
|
A mix of A and B, or just completely A, but never completely B, nor ever fully both A and B. | Wire / CasualChaos |
| Bigendermeld | -meld |  [17]
|
An unchanging mix of A and B. | Wire / CasualChaos |
| Bigendermix | -mix |  [18]
|
A fluid mix of A and B. | Wire / CasualChaos |
| Bigenderpair | -pair |  [19]
|
A mix of A and B, or both A and B, but never A or B separately, and one will always outweigh the other in ratio. | Wire / CasualChaos |
| Bigenderratio | -ratio |  [20]
|
An unchanging mix of A and B, and one outweighs the other in ratio. | Wire / CasualChaos |
| Bigenderscale | -scale |  [21]
|
Either A or B, or a mix of A and B, but never both A and B. | Wire / CasualChaos |
| Bigendershift | -shift |  [22]
|
Either A or B, a mix of A and B, or both A and B. | Wire / CasualChaos |
| Bigenderside | -side |  [23]
|
A mix of A and B, both A and B, or just A by itself, but never B by itself. | Wire / CasualChaos |
| Bigendersize | -size |  [24]
|
Both A and B, but never mixed, and one outweighs the other in ratio. | Wire / CasualChaos |
| Bigendersplit | -split |  [25]
|
Both A and B, but never mixed. | Wire / CasualChaos |
| Bigenderstatic | -static |  [26]
|
An unchanging mix of A and B, or both A and B distinctly and unchanging. | Wire / CasualChaos |
| Bigendersum | -sum |  [27]
|
Both A and B, or just A by itself, but never mixed, and never B by itself. | Wire / CasualChaos |
| Bigenderswap | -swap |  [28]
|
Either A or B, but never mixed, and never both A and B. | Wire / CasualChaos |
Subgenders
| Label | Suffix | Flag | Description | Creator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abigender/Bxgender/
Biagender |
A- / -x- / -Agender |  [29]
|
A gender that is both agender and bigender.[29][30] | neopronouns, beyond-mogai-pride-flags |
Flags and Symbols
The original bigender flag was created by no-bucks-for-this-doe. The date of creation is unknown but it existed before the 30th of July, 2014.[2] The meaning of the original colours are unknown, but most presume that blue represents masculinity/manhood, pink represents femininity/womanhood, purple represents androgyne or a mix of genders, and white represents the non-binary nature of bigender. Although widely used, the flag is controversial due to potentially false allegations of the creator being abusive and transphobic.[31]
The most popular alternate bigender flag was created by an unknown individual and was created on or before the 23rd of August, 2015. It also has unconfirmed color meanings.[32] The colors likely mean the same as the original flag, but with a yellow stripe likely representing non-binary genders.
An alternate flag by pastelflowers was created on or before the 9th of Jan, 2015. Purple represents those who are non-binary, the dark purplish-blue representing those who identify partially as male, light purplish-pink representing those who partially identify as female, grey representing those who partially identify as a non-binary gender, and white representing genderfluidity.[33]
An additional bigender flag was proposed by Tumblr user lestis on the 31st of Aug, 2019, with the following meanings expanded upon:
red: feminine or fem-aligned identities. the original flag had pink, as it is largely used at baby showers and other cisnormative [cis] associations. however, i chose red to express this to acknowledge the alternative expression that many bigender people experience.
red-orange: combination and fluidity. for multiple identifications of gender that may both change through time or that may coexist alongside each other.
pear: community and allyship. many bigender people identify as bigender but also identify with other genders independently. to many, the bigender term functions to express those other genders simultaneously, as well as clarifying that they both exist to other, without needing to pinpoint exactly what those genders are to them. in this way, the bigender community is defined by many (but not all) people as a means to combine other identities, so many members will also belong to other trans communities. such is the importance of community and allyship to other trans people and to each other. as repeated below, yellow is a common color in flags used to represent nonbinary communities, which reflects the community aspect as well.
white: nonbinary identities. i chose white to mimic the original bigender flag but also the overarching trans flag in its meaning. bigender people overlap with the nonbinary community due to the literal “non-binary” expression and identification of gender. it’s in the middle both like the other flags, but also because if the flag was folded in the middle, this is where it would have the overlap, expressing how nonbinary identities often overlap the identity as a whole, as well as being an overlap or spectrum between the feminine and masculine identities.
yellow-green: presentation. meant to highlight the diverse presentation of bigender people, both by clothing and pronouns used. yellow is a common color in flags used to represent nonbinary communities, and so the mix of that and the green that is associated with nature and growth, et cetera, makes the meaning presentation.
blue: masculine or masc-aligned identities. similar to the red of the feminine identities, i wanted to keep the placement and meaning, but changed it to a color that’s deeper to express the connection that many bigender people have that differs from cis identification to masculinity.[34]
Tumblr user zombifisgender posted their flag at an unknown date, and reposted it to their new blog mogaiphobic on the 12th of April, 2020. Pink was chosen to represent femininity, the dark to light-pink representing the different levels of connection to being feminine/female. Blue was chosen to represent masculinity, the dark to light-blue representing the different levels of connection to being masculine/male. Yellow represents neutrality and experiencing a non-binary gender, purple represents genders mixing/co-existing, and white represents the non-binary nature of the gender.[35]
The bigender alternate flag with a plus icon was created by Reddit user KYmicrophone on the 6th of July, 2019.[36]
The bigender alternate flag with two triangles was created by Tumblr user asteri-sympan on the 16th of April, 2015.[37]
A common bigender symbol is a combination of the female and male symbols, however this symbol may not accurately define all bigender individuals as bigender can encompass genders outside of the man and woman binaries.[38]
Bigender Original (no-bucks-for-this-doe)
Bigender Alternate (pastelflowers)
Bigender Alternate (lestis)
Bigender Alternate (lestis)
Bigender Alternate (mogaiphobic)
Bigender Alternate (KYmicrophone)
Bigender Alternate (Asteri-Sympan)
Bigender Symbol (Symbols.com)
Resources
- ↑ "Bi". Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bi. Accessed on 19 Dec. 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "What Does Bigender Mean? + Other Bigender Information To Help You Be A Better Ally!". Queer in the World, https://queerintheworld.com/what-does-bigender-mean/#Bigender_Pride_Flag_Meaning. Accessed on 29 Dec. 2022.
- ↑ The Human Outreach and Achievement Institute. The Human Outreach and Achievement Institute. 1987. https://web.archive.org/web/https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/8g84mm373
- ↑ The Human Outreach and Achievement Institute. Abstracts of a Symposium on Gender Issues for the 90s. 1988. https://web.archive.org/web/20220121214034/https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/5q47rn80n
- ↑ Bowen, Gary. "A Dictionary of Words for Masculine Women". FTM International - Writings, http://web.archive.org/web/19961105010926/http://www.ftm-intl.org/Wrtngs/ftm-words.gary.html. Archived on 5 Nov. 1996.
- ↑ "Gender Identification and Sexual Orientation Among Genetic Females with Gender -Blended Self-Perception in Childhood and Adolescence." The International Journal of Transgenderism, Volume 1, Number 1, Jul - Sep. 1997. https://web.archive.org/web/20210718084440/https://cdn.atria.nl/ezines/web/IJT/97-03/numbers/symposion/ijtc0102.htm
- ↑ San Francisco Department of Public Health. "The Transgender Community Health Project". HIV InSite, 18 Feb. 1999, https://web.archive.org/web/20110927094645/http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/InSite?page=cftg-02-02.
- ↑ Case, Laura. Ramachandran, Vilayanur S. "Alternating gender incongruity: a new neuropsychiatric syndrome providing insight into the dynamic plasticity of brain-sex". National Library of Medicine, May, 2012, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22364652/.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigenderadd". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 6 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigenderadd.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigenderblend". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 6 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigenderblend.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigenderboth". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 6 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigenderboth.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigenderchange". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 6 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigenderchange.
- ↑ ask-pride-color-schemes. "I noticed there was". Tumblr, 13 Jan, 2018, https://ask-pride-color-schemes.tumblr.com/post/169653267709/beau-is-gai-ask-pride-color-schemes-i-noticed.
- ↑ Pride-Flags. "Bigenderfluid (1)". DeviantArt, 5 Sep, 2015, https://www.deviantart.com/pride-flags/art/Bigenderfluid-1-558308978?ga_submit_new=10%3A1468625644&ga_type=edit&ga_changes=1.
- ↑ Pride-Flags. "Bigenderfluid (3)". DeviantArt, 5 Sep, 2015, https://www.deviantart.com/pride-flags/art/Bigenderfluid-3-558308965?q=sort%3Atime%20((bigenderfluid)%20AND%20(by%3APride-Flags))&qo=5.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigenderlean". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 6 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigenderlean.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigendermeld". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 6 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigendermeld.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigendermix". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 6 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigendermix.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigenderpair". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 6 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigenderpair.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigenderratio". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 6 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigenderratio.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigenderscale". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 6 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigenderscale.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigendershift". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 6 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigendershift.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigenderside". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 6 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigenderside.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigendersize". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 6 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigendersize.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigendersplit". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 6 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigendersplit.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigenderstatic". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 6 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigenderstatic.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigendersum". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 6 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigendersum.
- ↑ CasualChaos. "Bigenderswap". LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 5 Oct, 2021, https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bigenderswap.
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 neopronouns. "abigender:". Tumblr, 28 Jun, 2020, https://archive.md/2021.08.02-005624/https://neopronouns.tumblr.com/post/622183195955331073/abigender-a-genderness-that-is-both-agender-and. Archived on 2 Aug, 2021.
- ↑ beyond-mogai-pride-flags. "Bxgender Pride Flag". Tumblr, 30 Nov, 2019, https://archive.md/2020.03.06-035612/https://beyond-mogai-pride-flags.tumblr.com/post/189402127420/bxgender-pride-flag#selection-381.11-381.112. Archived on 6 Mar, 2020.
- ↑ Callingoutsunny. "Callout for Jewishkuvira/Sunny". Tumblr, 29 Dec. 2015, https://web.archive.org/web/20220120181529/https://detailcentral.tumblr.com/post/136214499011/callout-for-jewishkuvirasunny.
- ↑ Pride-Flags. "Bigender (2)". DeviantArt, 23 Aug. 2015, https://www.deviantart.com/pride-flags/art/Bigender-2-555613271.
- ↑ Pastelflowers. "Bigender Flag". Tumblr, 9 Jan. 2015., https://dearprivilegedgroup.tumblr.com/post/107612802654/pastelflowers-bigender-flag-purple-in.
- ↑ Lestis. "bigender flag redesign!". Tumblr, 31 Aug. 2019., https://lestis.tumblr.com/post/187407751319/bigender-flag-redesign-i-wanted-to-give-my-own.
- ↑ mogaiphobic. "Bigender Flag Redesign!". Tumblr, 12 Apr., https://mogaiphobic.tumblr.com/post/615211616742555648/bigender-flag-redesign-you-may-recognize-this.
- ↑ KYmicrophone. "Was told to post here: my bigender flag!". Reddit, 6 Jul, 2019, https://www.reddit.com/r/QueerVexillology/comments/c9qltx/was_told_to_post_here_my_bigender_flag/.
- ↑ asteri-sympan. "Haha, I did it! I made a Bigender Pride Flag!". Tumblr, 16 Apr, 2015, https://asteri-sympan.tumblr.com/post/116575637838/haha-i-did-it-i-made-a-bigender-pride-flag-im.
- ↑ McElroy, D.R. (2020). Signs & Symbols of the World: Over 1,001 Visual Signs Explained. New York, New York: Wellfleet Press. p. 198. ISBN 978-1577151869.
