Agender, also known as genderless,[1][2][3] is a gender identity that has been defined multiple ways, including:[2]
- Without gender (literal meaning);[2] not having a gender;[4][5] the feeling of a gender is absent.[1]
- Having a gender and that gender is neither "man" nor "woman";[4] being gender neutral in relation to the gender binary of male/female, man/woman, masculine/feminine.[2]
- Not identifying with any gender;[3][5] finding the concept of "gender" to be personally irrelevant or rejecting it for one's self.[2]
- Rejecting the concept of gender entirely, not just personally.[2]
Agender can be one of the A terms in the acronym LGBTQIA+, along with asexual and aromantic.[1][3] While the term agender is categorized under the transgender and/or non-binary umbrellas,[4] agender individuals may or may not consider themselves non-binary, transgender,[1][4] or any other term that implies having a gender rather than being without gender or being separate from the concept of gender.
Those who are agender do not need to transition physically, legally, or socially to be agender.[1][4] Agender individuals can have any type of gender expression and use any set of pronouns (including no pronouns),[6] and the term is not specific to any assigned gender at birth.[7] Some agender people are genderfluid, meaning their gender identity is not static and changes from being agender some of the time to being another gender at other times.[1] The concept of a person who has no gender may challenge the notion of sexuality as a spectrum of "same" and "opposite" gender attraction.[1]
Etymology[]
The term "agender" is comprised of the prefix "a-", which comes from the Ancient Greek ἀ-, meaning "not" or "without",[8] and "gender". The literal meaning of the term agender is thus "genderless" or "without gender".[2]
While agender as an identity is not new, the word describing the gender experience, or lack thereof, only surfaced on the internet in 2000 on a forum called UseNet during a religious discussion with someone referring to God as being agender.[9] According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term was used again on the same forum 5 years later, this time to refer to people,[10] and from then on, the term started to gain traction. It was used in a profile done by the New York Times of "Generation LGBTQIA".[11]
Community[]
Agender Pride Day has been observed each year on May 19 since 2017. As such, it is one of the newer LGBTQIA+ awareness days.[12]
Identities under the umbrella[]
Agender can be used as an umbrella term for various microlabels related to feelings of genderlessness.[13][14][15] These can include identities such as the following:
- Agenderfluid: Feeling both agender and genderfluid to some degree.[13]
- Agenderflux: One's gender fluctuates between agender and either feminine or masculine.[13]
- Genderblank: Gender that is so indescribable "that the only thought when trying to describe it is a blank space".[13]
- Genderfree: An ambiguous gender that is still described as "definitely queer".[13]
- Polyagender: Experiencing multiple identities under the agender umbrella at once.[13]
History[]
On March 10, 2017, the Multnomah County Court of Oregon granted Patch a "General Judgment of Name and Sex Change"; Patch thus became the first legally agender person in the United States. The same judgment also allowed them to change names and become mononymous—meaning only having one name instead of a given name and a surname.[16]
Flag[]
This flag was created to increase visibility for agender people, as well as a way for the artist to reclaim their own identity.
The agender flag was created on February 18, 2014 by Salem, who is agender.[17] An artist from New York, they created the flag at a time when Tumblr was seeing an influx of identity expressions, making it hard for people to distinguish the valid identities from the "online fads". Capitalizing on the momentum, Salem created the agender flag (among others)[18] to increase visibility for agender identities and reclaim their own identity.[17] The transgender flag served as a primary influence as Salem wanted to have a similar stripe pattern and symmetry.[18]
The flag design features 7 horizontal stripes, from top to bottom: black, gray, white, green, white, gray, and black again. The black and white stripes represent the agender experience, the gray the demi-agender experience, and the green refers to agender being part of the wider non-binary community as those who identify outside of the gender binary.[19] While the monochrome on the flag is representative of a spectrum of internal identities, ranging from people with a strong feeling of gender to those without, the green in the middle was deliberately chosen for being the invert of the shade of purple on the non-binary flag that refers to those who relate to the gender binary, as purple is a combination of pink and blue, the traditional female and male colors, thus highlighting that agender does not fall between the binary spectrum at all.[18]
An homage to the original flag was created in 2021.
While Salem's design remains the most widespread, more agender flags were created. In 2021, Mars created a four-striped homage to the original, using similar colors and meanings, though with a deliberately higher-contrast design and fewer stripes to emphasize the solidarity of agender people who may also be lesbian, gay, bisexual, non-binary, trans, ace, or any other sexual, romantic, and gender identities. By reducing the repetition of the colors, Mars sent out the message that "No matter what else we are, all agender people are wholly equally agender."[20]
Distinction[]
Gender apathy[]
Gender apathy is different from agender in that the individual could be cisgender or non-binary, but they do not care or think about it. People who are gender apathetic are not fazed by gendered comments and do not feel discriminated against for being their gender, even when they are.[21]
Gender neutral[]
- Main article: Gender neutral
Gender neutral means "not gendered", which places it within the literal meaning of agender ("without a gender"). However, some sources like PFLAG state that gender neutral is a term that is not used to describe people. Gender neutral refers to language (such as pronouns or neutral greeting or job titles), locations (like bathrooms), or other aspects of society.[5]
Gender non-conforming[]
- Main article: Gender non-conforming
The difference between agender and gender non-conforming people lies in the fact that agender people generally experience a lack of gender whereas a gender non-conforming person is someone who does not fully conform to the expectations around their gender that their society enforces. While some gender non-conforming people may identify as agender, many do not, and they simply do not follow the expected gender norms. This can out itself in the way they express themselves, the roles they assume, or any other aspect of their gender.[7]
Genderless[]
Genderless and agender are sometimes considered synonyms, but other definitions see them as overlapping yet separate. In those definitions, genderless has a stronger emphasis on completely lacking a gender.[22]
Gendervoid[]
Although agender and gendervoid are similar and can be used interchangeably, gendervoid puts more emphasis on feeling like one's gender is literally a void.[23]
Neutrois[]
- Main article: Neutrois
Neutrois is a non-binary gender identity with a stronger emphasis on gender neutrality when compared to agender.[24] Some people identify as both agender and neutrois.[2][3]
Non-binary[]
- Main article: Non-binary
Non-binary is an umbrella term for all genders falling outside of the gender binary. Since agender is also outside of the gender binary, it is often placed under the non-binary umbrella. However, this similar outside-the-binary description does not mean that all non-binary people are agender or that all agender people identify themselves as non-binary.[1][4]
Sometimes the terms are defined separately and distinguish agender people as not experiencing gender and non-binary people as experiencing gender.[7][5]
Media[]
- Angel Haze - American rapper and singer who identifies as pansexual and agender.[25][26]
- Testament, a character from the fighting game series Guilty Gear, as confirmed by commentary from a marketing representative during the ARCREVO America 2021 Finals.[27][28][29]
Resources[]
- Neutrois - a resource for anyone who is or thinks they may be neutrois, agender, or genderless.