Intergender
Reason: Please add more flags, symbols, and more to the history section, particularly regarding the original meaning of this term
Intergender may refer to a gender that is in between male and female specifically, or a gender related to being intersex.
Pronunciation
Definitions
- Intergendered is *not* identifying primarily as a woman or a man. It amounts to a wholesale rejection of the binary gender system and declaring that there is more than just man or woman. It comes down to stating that there are as many valid gendered states as there are people. Some may feel strong (or weak) masculine and feminine qualities all at the same time. Some may not see themselves on the gender spectrum at all, describing what amounts to a null gendered state. [...] In any case, intergendered people live a life somewhere between the traditional extremes of man and woman. As we do not gender ourselves along the either/or lines of the binary gender system, we often choose not to present along these lines. Given that, our presentation can be confusing and it would seem, at times, unsettling. As we present a mixed set of signal, there is often confusion in others as to whether we are a men or women. Well, that's the point. We are neither and both at the same time. We have rejected the notion that one needs to be at either end of the gender spectrum and live and present accordingly. We are not really interested in passing as women or men. We want nothing more than to be able to simply be who we are without having choose between two extremes. This does not invalidate those who feel most comfortable at the end of the gender spectrum, it is simply expands the options one has. For us, it amounts to nothing more than being honest about who we are.- Donna Lynn Matthews, 1998[1]
Intergender has been independently coined by different people at different times, and the meaning has typically been one simply of a gender that feels in between male and female. At least one person claiming to be intergender and intersex independently has argued that "intergender" should only by used by people who are intersex, and that intergender is an identity only for intersex people. Because of this, intergender is currently commonly used as an umbrella term for genders that relate to being intersex.
History
Before the redefinition of intergender as an intersex-only term, the label had already been in use since at least 1998 as something that was open to people of any sex.[1] During the 1990s "intergender" was posed as an umbrella term, similar to how "nonbinary" came to be widely known now. Intergender included a variety of gender identities and gender expressions that didn't fit into the binary. [1]
In 2014[2], Tumblr user quietlyloud-intersex/indonintersex independently coined the word "intergender," with the condition that this word is for the use of intersex people only. It had an otherwise similar definition as it did previously. It was defined as "A gender that is between and among male and female." The post did not seem to be aware of the other usage of the word.
Related Terms
See Also
Gallery
Flags
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The pink, yellow, and blue flag seems to be the oldest of the flags and was likely designed before the intersex-specific definition. The designer and meaning are unknown, though it presumably uses pink and blue to represent femininity and masculinity, with yellow in between them.[3]
The pink, purple, and blue flag was designed by Tumblr user Actuallyintersex, on or before November 20, 2014[4]. As the flag is for intergender identities related to being intersex, they use the same general layout and color scheme as the pink, purple, and blue intersex flag.[5]
The purple and yellow flag was designed by Tumblr users Interpunked and CripDeaf on Janury 17, 2020.[6] This is similar to the previous flag as it is also based off the design and color scheme of the intersex flag, however this one uses the yellow and purple flag, which has become the more popular and widely recognized intersex flag.
Other
The intergender symbol was designed on October 4, 2014[7] by a group of non-binary people from Brazil. The symbol has a circle and two parallel lines facing downward to the right. On one line is half a cross, like on the female symbol. On the other line is half an arrow, like on the male symbol.