What exactly is genderqueer?

Question

What exactly is genderqueer?
Bi-Gender?
Gender-Transgressive?
Transgender? (And how its different from transsexual)
androgyne?
And any terms closely related to these.

Answer 1

Wow, that's a tall order. But I'll try and tackle it.

'Genderqueer' is a very vague, ambiguous term, but one that's used a lot. I think it's probably because 'queer' itself is similarly vague- it doesn't necessarily mean gay/lesbian or bisexual, or transgendered or transsexual . . . it is used by tons of people, including straight individuals sometimes. It's sort of an umbrella term for anything that is outside the mainstream in terms of sexuality, whether that sexuality is transsexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, heterosexuality- whatever. Then we take gender, which takes into account the way one acts, dresses, looks, talks, and so on (versus sex, which is your chromosomal composition, hormones, genitals, and other secondary sex characteristics in your body that makes you male, female, or intersexed). Therefore, to me, 'genderqueer' is someone whose gender is outside mainstream definitions of such. Therefore, they may be a woman or man, but they comport themselves in such a way that they don't do it like society and traditions expect. In some ways, it's similar to transgenderism, athough I'd say the difference is that transgenderism is something you are born with, whereas being genderqueer is more of a choice. But it's a very subjective term, and has most of its meaning from the person who uses it.

'Bi-gender', using the definition that I gave above, is someone who feels they are both genders within themselves. Therefore, the acknowledge that they have both masculine and feminine parts that integrate them into a whole. I'd say that it's also a lot like something innate- feeling like you are born that way, as opposed to something you choose.

'Gender-transgressive' isn't really something I hear very often, but I imagine it means exactly what it sounds like- transgressing (crossing) the lines of gender. Masculine women who don't act 'like a woman should' or feminine men who also don't act 'like a man should', or anybody who purposely (as in a choice) doesn't conform to gender norms.

'Transgender' is one of the easiest terms I know: individuals who feel that they are not one of the two dichotomous genders (male or female). They may feel they are a mixture of male and female, neither, or a 'third gender' that is totally different. Transgenders often include masculine women, feminine men, and so on, although there are some people who look 'normal' (whatever that means), but can still identify as transgender in their minds. They are completely happy in their bodies- they do not want to change them at all, just acknolwedge that they aren't entirely men or women in the way we currently define men and women. It shares a lot of overlapping meaning with other terms like 'genderqueer', 'bi-gender', 'gender-transgressive', etc..

Not to be confused with 'transsexual', meaning:

A person who has gender dysphoria (feels they have been born in the wrong body) and takes hormones and undergoes surgery to change their sex. Sometimes transgendered people may later become transsexuals, and transsexuals may, after surgery, be transgender (i.e. if a man transitioned to a woman, she may be happier as a woman, but still know that she's not quite right as a female, either- look up Kate Bornstein for a good example of this). Some transsexuals never do get on hormones or have surgery, and they are called non-operative, and while they may seem no different than transgenders, they are, because they feel trapped in the wrong body, but choose not to rectify it for any number of reasons, often including the high cost.

And 'androgyne', which is someone who identifies as neither masculine or feminine. Different from bi-gendered, which is inclusive of both, androgyne is simply defined as being in the middle of the gender spectrum- equal parts male and female. It's often in look ('androgynous' refers to someone who you generally can't tell the sex of), but is probably best described as a mixture of speech, appearance, behavior, etc..

Hope that helps you; I know these terms can be confusing.

Answer 2

Genderqueer is just being visibly different in terms of gender. This may be a person who is deliberately dressing outrageously or simply does not care whether they are "read" or not. This could include the drag queens who wear costumes as a political statement. Genderqueer is different from being orientationally queer. One is gender variance, one is orientation variance.

Transgenderist was first coined by a full-time crossdresser who hated transsexuals but who also wanted distance from crossdressers of the weekend sort. The term transgender is now used as a catch-all word for all forms of gender variance, and unfortunately, they are doing what they can to lump TSs in with them. Many TSs dislike being lumped with TGs (all gender variant people, TSs are technically not gender variant and usually believe in only 2 genders as opposed to TGs), and assert that they are not the part of any TG or LGBT community, but the mainstream one. Some TSs are also upset that a term that a declared enemy of theirs used is now being foisted upon them.

A transsexual is a person who has a mismatch between their brain and their genitals, and who is either pursuing or has sex-reassignment surgery. Often, postops simply want to be known by their identified gender without any trans labels.

An androgyne just does not fit either gender. They are in between and could be taken for either.

I never heard of gender-transgressive before. But it is not too hard to figure out. To transgress, in the spiritual sense, means to sin or go against certain laws. So a gender transgressor must be someone who is going against society's gender roles.

Bi-gendered is like being "two spirited." It is a person who believes they have 2 selves in the same body and that they are of opposite genders.

Answer 3

GenderQueer began as an academic term to label people who fall outside of the gender binary system. Meaning, those people who decide to be non-gendered and use gender neutral pronouns (ie ze, zie, zer). It has now come to be used for many other types of people who are queering gender, meaning getting rid of the dicotomies of two genders and pointing out that gender is a social construction. Any person who feels for political reasons that they do not "fit" into the narrowly confines of the hegemonic discourse of heteronormality and gender policing can call themselves genderqueer. Essentially, it is about queering gender and in some cases about getting rid of gender altogether.

Genderqueer is a gender identity. A genderqueer person is someone who identifies as a gender other than "man" or "woman," or someone who identifies as neither, both, or some combination thereof. In relation to the gender binary (the view that there are only two genders), genderqueer people generally identify as more "both/and" or "neither/nor," rather than "either/or." Some genderqueer people see their identity as one of many different genders outside of man and woman, some see it as a term encompassing all gender identities outside of the gender binary, some believe it encompasses binary genders among others, some may identify as a-gender and some see it as a third gender in addition to the traditional two. The commonality is that all genderqueer people reject the notion that there are only two genders in the world. The term genderqueer is also occasionally used more broadly as an adjective to refer to people who are in some way gender-transgressive, and could have any gender identity

Answer 4

Genderqueer is anyone who doesn't fit into society's stereotypes and expectations of male or female. Its a pretty broad term. Those who use this term are often people who don't feel male or female at all.

Bi-gender, i'm not sure. The gender binary refers to male/female. Bi-gender may be someone who feels they have male and female qualities to them. Don't take my word for it though.

Haven't heard gender-transgressive before...

Transgender is anyone who feels that they were born in the wrong body (sex wise). Transsexual means that they have taken physical steps to alter their body to fit their gender.

Androgyne is someone who doesn't really look male or female, somewhere in the middle.

Answer 5

Not too sure about genderqueer.

Bi-gender, by it's prefix, would mean that you have attributes of both genders (although most people's gender is on a sliding scale).

Transgender: Someone who feels they are in the wrong body (i.e. a physical female who has the gender of a male or vice versa)....or, someone who dresses in the other "gender's" clothes (more precisely termed Transvestite or "crossdresser").

Transsexual: a transgendered person who has Sexual Reassignment Surgery (SRS).

Androgyne: someone who doesn't show any attributes of either gender.

Answer 6

genderqueer is a socio-spiritual-political position. the queer part takes the aspect of something strange or unusual as formerly defining the abnormally gendered and non-heterosexual and adopts it as a marker of both confrontation and pride. The contesting of gender as a strictly dualistic phenomena, and likewise sexuality as unilaterally heterosexual and/or the contesting that human sexuality SHOULD be this way are the identity and goals of the genderqueer.

Answer 7

They're labels for people who find themselves outside of the gender binary. People pick one that they feel describes them. If you really want to know, you'd have to ask an individual that uses one of those labels what it means to them since they mean different things to different people.

Answer 8

Well I think that genderqueer is an insult & I think that transgender & transsexuals are the same thing. Please someone tell me if I'm wrong

Answer 9

You don't fit the stereo type or conform to what society says you are suppose to and you are gay or have some attraction same sex as you.

Answer 10

Gender Queer is another way to say "Queer" or Gay.

Basically, they are using "Gender" in place of Orientation/Preference. So instead of saying:

Transexual, they say Transgender
Androgyne = Androgynous

On the same note, it could be another way of defining the 3rd sex, as we're sometimes called.