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Multigender

Multigender is an emerging term.
Multigender is a term that has recently emerged. Although the term may be growing in usage, and is significant and well-sourced enough to warrant inclusion on this wiki, it may still be relatively unknown outside of the platform or community where it originated. The exact definition and name may not have stabilized, and may change significantly as more people identify with it.

Multigender is a gender identity where a person experiences more than one gender.[1][2][3] More generally, multigender is used as an umbrella term for any gender identity that involves more than one gender at a time.[2][4][5][6] This includes identities such as bigender, pangender, and can even include fluid identities such as genderfluid and genderflux.[3][4][5]

A person who is multigender can identify as any number of genders at once, including genders such as agender and neutrois. They can also use whichever pronouns they want, and may or may not physically transition.[3]

Etymology

The prefix "multi-" can mean "many", "much", and "multiple".[7]

Community

History

In a U.S. national survey of transgender people, conducted in 2015 with a total of 27,715 participants, 4% of participants reported that they were multigender (written as "multi-gender" in the survey). This means that 1,108 people who took this survey were multigender.[8]

Flag

The creator of the multigender flag and the flag's specific meanings are both unknown, but this particular flag design was in use as early as January 16, 2016.[9] One set of the possible meanings of the flag's colors are as follows:

  • Purple (top and bottom bars): Being both partially masculine and feminine at once[10]
  • Blue: Being partially masculine genders[10]
  • Orange: Being partially a gender that is outside the masculine-feminine spectrum[10]

Another set of possible meanings for the flag's colors are the following:

  • Blue and light blue: A mixture of genders[5]
  • Orange: Genders that are outside the binary[5]

Distinction

Polygender

Main article: Polygender

Both polygender and multigender have similar meanings, with both being identities for people who feel multiple genders. Because of this, they are often used interchangeably in some contexts.[1][2][3] However, some recent discussions and definitions of multigender use this label as an umbrella term for all identities that involve having multiple genders, while polygender is used as a term for a specific identity. By these definitions, polygender is a specific label under the multigender umbrella.[4][5][6]

Multisexual

Main article: Multisexual

Both multigender and multisexual make use of the same prefix "multi-", and both are used as umbrella terms for identities involving more than one gender. However, multisexual describes sexual orientations that involve attraction to more than one gender[11], while multigender describes people who are more than one gender at a time.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The ABC's of LGBT+ by Ash Hardell. Published 2016 by Mango Media. ISBN 9781633534087.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Multigender / Polygender" by The Trans Language Primer on <translanguageprimer.com>. (Archived on 2022-03-20)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "What It Means To Be Multigender: The Questions Many Have But Are Afraid To Ask" by Mihran Nersesyan on <thebodyisnotanapology.com>. Published 2018-06-23 by The Body Is Not An Apology. (Archived on 2021-12-06)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "68 Terms That Describe Gender Identity and Expression" by Mere Abrams, LCSW, and Sian Ferguson: on <healthline.com>. Published 2022-02-09. (Archived on 2022-03-09)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Multigender: What Does It Mean to Be Multigender?" on <spectrum-id.com>. Published by Spectrum-ID. (Archived on 2022-12-17)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "The Ultimate Guide to Non-Binary Gender Identity Flags" on <mygenderisx.com>. Published 2019-07-21 by My Gender is X. (Archived on 2022-11-13)
  7. ↑ "Multi Definition & Meaning" on <dictionary.com>. (no backup information provided)
  8. ↑ "The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey" by James, Sandy E., Herman, Jody, Keisling, Mara, Mottet, Lisa, and Anafi, Ma’ayan on <ustranssurvey.org>. Published 2016 by National Center for Transgender Equality. (no backup information provided)
  9. ↑ "Multigender (2)" on <deviantart.com>. Published 2016-01-16. (Archived on 2021-07-28)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Multigender flag color codes" on <flagcolorcodes.com>. (no backup information provided)
  11. ↑ "Multisexual Youth Mental Health: Risk and Protective Factors for Bisexual, Pansexual, and Queer Youth Who are Attracted to More than One Gender" by The Trevor Project on <thetrevorproject.org>. (no backup information provided)