The umbrella of nonbinary identities is vast, encompassing a slew of nuanced experiences with gender. From bigender to genderfluid to pangender, there are a variety of ways nonbinary people experience gender, each of which is unique. Bigender is just one expression of nonbinary identity, but it's an easy one to misunderstand.
Simply put, bigender refers to people who embody two or more distinct genders (for example, someone can be both a nonbinary person and a woman or a man and a woman). Like the etymology of the term implies, bigender people often express two or more genders, whether that be simultaneously or distinctly at different times.
The term has been used by bigender folks for decades, despite only being added to Dictionary.com in 2019. Below, we’re going to break down what bigender means, explaining everything you need to know about the term and how to tell if it’s something that may be a fit for your own journey.
What does bigender mean?
Let’s start with the most basic bigender definition: think of bigender as a single person connecting with two distinct gender identities. The term became popularized in the 1980s within queer and trans communities as a way to describe people who aligned with multiple genders.
Some bigender people experience all of their genders at the same time, while others may be one gender one day and another the next. Some bigender people are intersex, others are trans, many are nonbinary, and plenty have identities that overlap. What unites these bigender realities is a general sense of duality and embodying multiple genders at some point in life.
It's important to note that like with all identities, each bigender person has their own, unique experiences with their genders, meaning no two bigender folks are the same. A good way to learn about bigender experience is by reading articles and books by bigender people, like this resource page by a bigender children’s book author CK Malone.
So what is the difference between bigender, nonbinary, and genderfluid?
To best pin down the definition of bigender, it’s important to distinguish it from other identities. While many bigender people are also nonbinary or genderfluid, these three terms have distinct meanings. This may be a bit confusing for those unfamiliar with the differences between these identities, so let’s break it down one by one.
Bigender is actually a self-identifier that can fall under the larger umbrella of nonbinary identities. In general, nonbinary refers to people with genders that go beyond the bounds of binary men and binary women. Because bigender people often align with nonbinary genders or float between binary ones, bigender people can often also be nonbinary. Think of nonbinary as a broad spectrum of experience and bigender as a section along that continuum.
As mentioned above, bigender people embody two or more genders. Genderfluid people generally do not have a single unchanging gender — it can shift over time, spanning both identity and expression (like how they dress). While some bigender people may also be genderfluid, as their genders shift over time, others are not. Some bigender people experience the same two genders at the same time their entire life, and are not genderfluid.
What pronouns do bigender people use?
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It varies! We can’t stress this enough: The best thing you can do in any scenario around pronoun use is ask someone directly. Some bigender people may use they/them or neopronouns like xe/xie, while others use rolling pronouns like he/they, she/they, he/she, and other combinations. But as you now know, there are many ways to be bigender, so make sure to simply ask someone what pronouns they use to be sure.
How can I tell if I am bigender?
Now that we’ve dug into the meaning of bigender, you might be wondering if it’s something you identify as. While this is something that will likely take time and lots of thought, there are a few things that can signal that you might be bigender.
This is a big sign that you may be bigender, or somewhere under the nonbinary umbrella. You may feel femme for one stretch of time — or feel like presenting in a more feminine way — before making a hard pivot and leaning into a more masc aesthetic. Or you may not be into either side of this spectrum; maybe androgyny is more your vibe. If you find yourself waffling between different identities or presentations, this may be something to explore.
Experiencing gender dysphoria is often an indicator that you could be nonbinary, trans, bigender, or all of the above. Gender dysphoria can manifest in a number of ways, including body image issues, feelings of discomfort in your body, or feelings of distress when the outside world does not read your gender correctly, according to the National Health Service.
Gender euphoria is something like the opposite of gender dysphoria; it’s a boost of positive feelings that occur when someone affirms your identity, according to The Center of Excellence on LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity. If you feel gender euphoria when you mix up your gender presentation, use a mix of pronouns, or engage with gender exploration in other ways, you might be bigender.
Are there bigender flags?
As with most queer identities, there are a few different designs the community uses to celebrate being bigender or supporting bigender people. One of the more widely accepted bigender pride flags was designed by Tumblr user Camp MLM and features colorful stripes with different meanings.
According to the original post, the pink and blue represents your gender presentation, the top white stripe stands for good relationships, purple represents every individual’s unique bigender experience, and the lower white stripe embodies self respect and pride. But the beauty of pride flags is that you can create your own to match your own definition and journey.
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