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Genderqueer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Genderqueer
A flag consisting of three equal-spaced horizontal stripes, from top to bottom: light purple, white, and green.
Genderqueer pride flag
ClassificationGender identity
Other terms
SynonymsNon-binary
Associated terms

Genderqueer as a term refers to a gender identity that is outside the male/female gender binary. It often serves as an umbrella term for gender-nonconforming gender identities or alongside the term non-binary, but has also gained a distinction through its use to disrupt the idea of a gender binary entirely. Genderqueer individuals are typically considered a part of the transgender and wider queer community.[1][2]

History

The term genderqueer first appeared in queer zines of the 1980s and early 1990s.[3][4] It gained prominence in the mid-1990s through activists,[5] such as Riki Anne Wilchins,[6] who used it to describe individuals deviating from traditional gender norms.[7][8] In a 1995 newsletter published by The Transexual Menace, Wilchins wrote that the new fight against gender oppression was political and:

It's about all of us who are genderqueer: diesel dykes and stone butches, leatherqueens and radical fairies, nelly fags, crossdressers, intersexed, transexuals, transvestites, transgendered, transgressively gendered, and those of us whose gender expressions are so complex they haven't even been named yet.[8]

Similar terms that preceded genderqueer included genderfuck and genderbender.[9][10] In the context of 1990s early queer activism, genderqueer began as a political stance for resisting the gender binary; the term carried the non-normative and anti-assimilationist connotations of the recently reclaimed word queer.[11][12] In 2002, the term had further dissemination through the anthology GenderQueer: Voices From Beyond the Sexual Binary.[13]

Genderqueer evolved into both an umbrella term for identities outside the gender binary and an adjective or self-identity term for those who challenge or diverge from conventional gender norms, or who "queer" gender.[14][15][16][17] The rise of the internet and public identification by celebrities brought the term genderqueer into mainstream awareness during the late 2000s and early 2010s.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Richards, Christina; Bouman, Walter Pierre; Seal, Leighton; Barker, Meg John; Nieder, Timo O.; T’Sjoen, Guy (2016-01-02). "Non-binary or genderqueer genders". International Review of Psychiatry. 28 (1). Taylor & Francis: 95–102. doi:10.3109/09540261.2015.1106446. ISSN 0954-0261. PMID 26753630.
  2. ↑ Monro, Surya (2019-07-03). "Non-binary and genderqueer: An overview of the field". International Journal of Transgenderism. 20 (2–3). Taylor & Francis: 126–131. doi:10.1080/15532739.2018.1538841. ISSN 1553-2739. PMC 6830997. PMID 32999600.
  3. ↑ Hendrie, Theo, ed. (2019). X Marks the Spot: An Anthology of Nonbinary Experiences. Independently Published. p. 238. ISBN 978-1-0809-6803-9.
  4. ↑ "Genderqueer: A Brief History". The Arquives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Tobia, Jacob (November 7, 2018). "InQueery: The History of the Word 'Genderqueer' As We Know It". them. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  6. ↑ Wilchins, Riki (March 14, 2017). "Get to Know the New Pronouns: They, Theirs, and Them". Pride. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Genderqueer History". Genderqueer Identities. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  8. 1 2 Wilchins, Riki (Spring 1995). "A Note from your Editrix" (PDF). In Your Face: Political Activism Against Gender Oppression (1): 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  9. ↑ Honkasalo, Julian (2020). "Genderqueer". Lambda Nordica. 25 (1): 57–63. doi:10.34041/ln.v25.614. hdl:10138/318258. ISSN 2001-7286.
  10. ↑ Girshick, Lori B. (2008). Transgender Voices: Beyond Women and Men. Hanover, New Hampshire: University Press of New England. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-58465-645-6. OCLC 183162406.
  11. ↑ Stryker, Susan (2008). Transgender History. Seal Press. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-58005-224-5.
  12. ↑ Knauer, Nancy (2007). "Gender Matters: Making the Case for Trans Inclusion". The University of New Hampshire Law Review. 6 (1). ISSN 2325-7318.
  13. ↑ Nestle, Joan; Howell, Clare; Wilchins, Riki Anne, eds. (2002). GenderQueer: Voices From Beyond the Sexual Binary (1st ed.). New York City: Alyson Books. ISBN 978-1-55583-730-3. OCLC 50389309.
  14. ↑ "FAQ". Genderqueers.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2002. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  15. ↑ Retta, Mary (September 13, 2019). "What's the Difference Between Non-Binary, Genderqueer, and Gender-Nonconforming?". VICE. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  16. ↑ McNabb, Charlie (2018). Nonbinary Gender Identities: History, Culture, Resources. Rowman & Littlefield.
  17. ↑ Thorne, Nat; Yip, Andrew Kam-Tuck; Bouman, Walter Pierre; Marshall, Ellen; Arcelus, Jon (2019). "The Terminology of Identities Between, Outside and Beyond the Gender Binary - A Systematic Review". The International Journal of Transgenderism. 20 (2–3): 138–154. doi:10.1080/15532739.2019.1640654. ISSN 1434-4599. PMC 6830980. PMID 32999602.
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