Xenogender

Xenogender is a non-binary identity and umbrella term in which one's gender goes "beyond the human understandings of gender,"^[3] (i.e. concepts such as femininity, masculinity, neutrality, androgyny, agenrity, and outherinity^[4]) and can best be described by other methods of gender categorization. This includes genders that are related to animals, plants, or other things that are not traditionally a gender.^[3] They are often used by the neurodivergent community (people with ADHD, autism, OCD, etc.), but the term is not exclusive.^[5]

The adjective "xenine" means "of or pertaining to xenogenders"^[6] and is the xenogender equivalent of "feminine," "masculine," etc. The noun form of "xenine" is "xenity." The xenogender equivalent of "boy" or "girl" is "xip,"^[7] and the equivalent of man or woman is "xenan."^[7] The term "xingender" stands for "xenine-in-nature."^[8]

For a comprehensive list of identities under the xenogender umbrella, please see Category:Xenogender.

Common Definitions

“	xenogender: a gender that cannot be contained by human understandings of gender; more concerned with crafting other methods of gender categorization and hierarchy such as those relating to animals, plants, or other creatures/things	”
–baaphomet, 2014^[3]

“

Xenogender is an umbrella term for non-binary gender identities that cannot be fully described through their relation to concepts typically used to describe gender such as masculinity, femininity, androgyny, neutrality, agenrity, or outherinity. Instead, xenogenders can best be described through how they relate to things, beings, or concepts that most people don't think of as having to do with gender, such as animals, plants, things, or concepts. It is sometimes described as any gender that "cannot be contained by human understandings of gender". People who identify as a xenogender may call themselves xenic. The gender quality associated with xenogenders is xeninity. The opposite of xenogender is anthrogender.

Xenic people often have a strong understanding of how their gender feels to them, however they often find that there aren't any words for their experiences, this is called a lexical gap. In order to fill that gap xenogender people often describe their gender through metaphors, by saying their gender is like, is influenced by, or shares qualities with something else.

When described, xenogenders often fall into one of three categories:

Nouns and Archetypes: Instead of saying how one's gender relates to masculinity and femininity, one says one's gender is, or is like, a kind of animal, an imaginary being, a part of nature, an abstract concept, or a symbol. These are called noungenders. Aesthetics and Synaesthetic Perceptions: When a gender is described using things like texture, size, shape, time, light, sound, or other sensory characteristics. These can often overlap with noungenders. These are called aesthetigenders. Neurotypes: When a neurodivergent person's neurotype(s) is/are an inseparable part of their gender identity. These genders are exclusive to people of the neurotype(s) associated with them. These are called neurogenders.

”

–Pride-Flags, 2021^[4]

“

Xenogender explanation:

Xenity is a neutral counterpart of masculinity and femininity that uses entities, things with distinct and independant existence, to describe a gender. Genders described by xenity are called xenogenders.

The reason one may identify as a xenogender is because they understand their gender identity, but gendered words can't describe their experience. In a situation like this, it's easy to turn to metaphors and say for example, that your gender is influenced by cats, or that your gender is like the sun and the moon, or that your gender shares the quality of a sponge. These are all diverse examples of what a xenogender could be.

”

–Brojogon, 2024^[9]

Xenogender

Contents

Common Definitions

Gallery

References

See Also