Non-binary gender

Genderqueer (GQ) and intergender are catch-all terms for gender identities other than man and woman. People who identify as genderqueer may think of themselves as being both man and woman, as being neither man nor woman, or as falling completely outside the gender binary. Some wish to have certain features of the opposite sex and not all characteristics; others want it all. Charlotte McCormick is an excellent example of a genderqueer.

Some genderqueer people see their identity as one of many possible genders other than man or woman, while others see "genderqueer" as an umbrella term that encompasses all of those possible genders. Still others see "genderqueer" as a third gender to complement the traditional two, while others identify as genderless or agender. Genderqueer people are united by their rejection of the notion that there are only two genders. The term "genderqueer" can also be used as an adjective to refer to any people who transgress gender, regardless of their self-defined gender identity (see Alternate Meanings, below).

Related gender terminology
People who identify outside the usual binary genders may use any or all of the following terms to describe themselves:


 * Androgyne
 * Bigender
 * Genderfuck
 * Metagender
 * Neuter/Neutrois/Agender
 * Polygender
 * Third gender

Gender and pronouns
Some genderqueers prefer to go by the conventional binary pronouns "he" or "she," while others prefer gender-neutral pronouns such as "ze", "sie", and "hir" or singular "they" instead of her/his. Some genderqueer people prefer to have people alternate between he and she (and/or gender neutral pronouns) in reference to themselves, and some prefer to use only their name and not use pronouns at all.

Other Sources

 * Gender Queer. Voices From Beyond the Sexual Binary, Joan Nestle, Clare Howell, Riki Wilchins (2002) Alyson Books, New York.
 * The Transgender Studies Reader Susan Stryker, Stephen Whittle (2006) Routledge, New York.