Bigender is a gender identity in which a person has or experiences two genders. The genders may be any combination of two genders, and those genders can be binary ("man" or "woman") or non-binary. They may be experienced simultaneously or may alternate, and they may not be experienced equally or in the same way. For example, a bigender person may be both a woman and a man, agender and neutrois, or non-binary and a woman.[1] Bigender is an identity under the transgender umbrella.[2]
Etymology
Early examples of the term 'bigender' appear as early as the late 1980s,[3] though at this time it was grouped under the "androgyne" label as "bigenderist". Definitions were rooted in the expression of "either gender role" or as "having two genders".[4]
Bigender comes from the prefix bi-, meaning two, and gender. It literally means two genders.
Community
Some, but not all, of bigender people experience gender dysphoria, especially if the two genders have markedly different gender expressions.[5] As such, people might not relate to their sex assigned at birth, or find discomfort when others make assumptions regarding their gender or assigned pronouns.[6]
They can use any form of pronouns or neopronouns they like, even switching between pronouns (she/her, xe/xem) if desired.[5] Some bigender people are not specific about their pronouns due to the duality of their gender. However, some bigender individuals express their gender through the use of drag, as it allows them to express both the genders they relate to.[6] They may also feel or express a mixture of being masculine and feminine at the same time.[7]
Bigender Pride Day is held on June 17.[7][8]
History
The term bigender came into use in the 1980s, but rose in popularity and use through the online website Tumblr. The social media app Facebook has an option for users to select "bigender" when joining the app.[9]
Flag
The most known bigender flag was created by Tumblr user no-bucks-for-this-doe. The flag consists of two different pink stripes, a deep pink followed by the traditional depiction of pink. From there, a lilac stripe, a white stripe, and another lilac stripe. The last two stripes are baby blue followed by a deep blue. The exact meanings of each color were not specified when coined, though some assumptions have been made. One theory is that the pink stripes represent femininity, blue represents masculinity, purple represents a combination of male and female or androgyny, and the center white stripe represents non-binary.[10]
Another theory on the flag's meaning proposes that the white stripe represents "the possible shift to any gender, although with bigenders, this only means shifting to up to two genders at a given moment".[11] Yet another theory is that the purple stripes instead represent nonbinary genders as a whole, while the white stripe represents "neutral genders, such as agender". In addition, having the pink and blue stripes at the very top and bottom of the flag respectively is meant to “represent a sense of separation, yet coexistence between masculinity and femininity”.[12]
The alternative bigender flag.
However, at some point the creator of that design was accused of abuse and transphobia. This lead to the creations of alternative bigender flag designs.[11][12] The design shown here is one such alternative design.[8][10][11][12][13] The creator of this particular design is currently unknown as well as the intended meanings behind each stripe.[8][10][12][13]
One proposed set of meanings for this alternative bigender flag is as follows:
- Pink: Femininity and female gender expression[11]
- Yellow: Gender outside the binary of just man and woman[11]
- White: Embracing more than one gender[11]
- Purple: Fluidity between genders[11]
- Blue: Masculinity and male gender expression[11]
Distinction
Genderfluid
Bigender is different than genderfluid, which describes people who can switch between their genders, or whose gender identity fluctuates. Bigender people typically only identify as two genders. They do not experience a third or fluid gender identity outside of their set two.[6] It is possible to identify as both bigender and genderfluid. However, while a genderfluid person moves between genders, a bigender person feels statically attached to their two genders.[5]
Non-binary
Bigender is also different than non-binary, with non-binary serving as the larger umbrella term for bigender people. A non-binary individual does not identify with either binary of male or female, while a bigender person can. They can also identify as both a binary identity and a non-binary identity.[7]
Media
Video games
- Emhari Abdi from Validate: Struggling Singles In Your Area.
- Jordan Li from The Boys: Gen V.
Resources
Here you can place useful resources relevant for the described topic.
References
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