How Many Genders Are There? 11 Gender Terms You Need To Know
What is gender? A social construct? Probably. How many genders are there? These days, everyone's talking about gender and at this point we're all having to learn and unlearn what it is that we know about it -- which is a great thing because against all odds curiosity will snuff out ignorance and bigotry (fingers crossed). Gender (especially outside the binary) isn't a dirty word that we have to Google and delete the browser history for, so let's stop acting like it is! We spoke with three sexperts about gender -- Relational and Sex therapist D'Lessia Wedley, Sexologist and entrepreneur Malika O'Neill, and LMFT Graduate intern (concentration in sex ed and therapy) Kalila Griffin. I asked them the same five questions (basically) and here was the consensus:
Gender is fluid AF. And we should learn to be less rigid and more "go with the flow-ish."
But seriously...how many different genders are there? Well. All of our experts agreed that you cannot put a cap on or "quantify" gender. Wedley offers, "I cannot quantify gender. Gender is defined by how one identifies themselves, and the language and terminology are continually evolving. People must be aware that there is a difference between one's sex and gender. Sex is the biological makeup or medical terminology of a person, and gender being how one views themselves."
Furthermore, Griffin points out defining gender is not that simple given that "language related to trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) individuals is always evolving."
O'Neill elaborates on the complexity saying, "Scientifically one may say there are only two genders, man and woman. Those who exist outside these groups fall under the umbrella term non-binary or genderqueer. However, the truth is, there's no way to put a final number on how many genders there are because [as previously mentioned] gender is about a person's sense of self, and each individual person is likely to experience gender differently. I have read articles with over 100 genders to [those] claiming there are 4,000."
Though we are accustomed to the binary or the most known, used, and offered gender of male and female, here are 11 words to describe various genders and their experience, according to O'Neill:
- Agender: Not having a gender or identifying with a gender. They may describe themselves as being gender neutral or genderless.
- Bigender: A person who fluctuates between traditionally "male" and "female" gender-based behaviours and identities.
- Cisgender: A person whose gender identity and biological sex assigned at birth are the same. For example, they were born biologically as a male, and express their gender as male.
- Gender Fluid: A mix of boy and girl. A person who is gender fluid may always feel like a mix of the two traditional genders, but may feel more "man" some days, and more "woman" other days.
- Genderqueer: A gender identity label often used by people who do not identify with being a man or a woman, or as an umbrella term for many gender non-conforming or non-binary identities.
- Intersex: A person born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn't seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male. For example, a person might be born appearing to be female on the outside, but having mostly male-typical anatomy on the inside.
- Gender Variant: Someone who either by nature or by choice does not conform to gender-based expectations of society.
- Mx: Is a title (e.g. Mr., Ms., etc.) that is gender neutral. Pronounced miks, (similar to Ms) it is often the option of choice for folks who do not identify as cisgender.
- Third Gender: A term for a person who does not identify with either man or woman, but identifies with another gender. This gender category is used by societies that recognize three or more genders, both contemporary and historic, and is also a conceptual term meaning different things to different people who use it.
- Transgender: A person who lives as a member of a gender other than that expected based on sex assigned at birth.
- Two-Spirit: Is an umbrella term traditionally used by Native-American people to recognize individuals who possess qualities of both genders.
Featured image by Shutterstock
Motor City native, Atlanta living. Sagittarius. Writer. Sexpert. Into all things magical, mystical, and unknown. I'll try anything at least once but you knew that the moment I revealed that I was a Sag.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Why We'll Probably Never Hear Lupita Nyong'o Share Her Relationship With The World
Lupita Nyong'o is sharing a transparent look into her life after a recent breakup.
In a cover story for NET-A-PORTER, the A Quiet Place: Day One star shed light on the significant heartbreak she experienced following the end of her relationship with ex-boyfriend and TV host, Selema Masekela.
As a public figure, Nyong'o, 39, sought to divulge the news of the breakup in hopes of presenting a more authentic perspective on the pain that follows a separation.
"I was living in a lot of pain and heartbreak," she told the publication. "I looked at the environment of my social media and thought I don’t want to be a part of this illusion that everything is always coming up roses. Surely there is a lesson for me to learn in this, and I just want to be real about it."
The Black Panther star went on to explain that her choice to be transparent with her fans about her breakup came from the certainty she felt after ending the relationship. “In my mind, when I shared my relationship status with the world, it was because I felt sure about it,” she said.
While she didn’t know how the news would land with her fans, she found relief in knowing she wasn’t alone in her experience.
“I knew how it could be interpreted; I knew it would have a life of its own,” she reflects. “But then I started to see the comments and people were being so loving and supportive. The ones that moved me the most were other people sharing their pain and their heartbreak.”
Nyong'o and Masekela went Instagram official in December 2022, publicly announcing their relationship in a couple's video. In October 2023, Nyong'o took to her personal Instagram account to share the news of her breakup in her caption, writing, "At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust.”
She continued the vulnerable note, "I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, 'Whatever, my life is better this way.' But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love."
These days, Nyong'o tells NET-A-PORTER that she is prioritizing profound self-discovery that extends beyond her career. She notes having a deliberate and unhurried approach to understanding herself.
She also alludes to keeping her relationships private moving forward after noting it was "very, very sage" of her not to talk about her private life professionally in the days before her last relationship. "I'm going back to those days by the way," Nyong'o shares of her reinstated boundaries around her personal life.
Earlier this month, Nyong'o made headlines alongside her new boyfriend actor Joshua Jackson. Nyong'o and Jackson went through public splits from their respective SOs in October 2023, with the latter splitting from his long-time partner Jodie Turner-Smith following her divorce filing from the Dawson's Creek alum.
The pair have been spotted together as early as December 2023, but nothing screamed "couple" quite as loudly as their recent getaway to Mexico for Nyong'o's 41st birthday featuring passionate displays of affection.
"Our purpose in life is to love. And so you have to get back in it," she tells the outlet, seemingly alluding to her budding new romance.
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Featured image by Taylor Hill/Getty Images