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Multigender is a gender identity where a person experiences more than one gender.[1][2][3] More generally, multigender is used as an umbrella term for any gender identity that involves more than one gender at a time.[2][4][5][6] This includes identities such as bigender, pangender, and can even include fluid identities such as genderfluid and genderflux.[3][4][5]

A person who is multigender can identify as any number of genders at once, including genders such as agender and neutrois. They can also use whichever pronouns they want, and may or may not physically transition.[3]

Etymology[]

The prefix "multi-" can mean "many", "much", and "multiple".[7]

Community[]

History[]

In a U.S. national survey of transgender people, conducted in 2015 with a total of 27,715 participants, 4% of participants reported that they were multigender (written as "multi-gender" in the survey). This means that 1,108 people who took this survey were multigender.[8]

Flag[]

The creator of the multigender flag and the flag's specific meanings are both unknown, but this particular flag design was in use as early as January 16, 2016.[9] One set of the possible meanings of the flag's colors are as follows:

  • Purple (top and bottom bars): Being both partially masculine and feminine at once[10]
  • Blue: Being partially masculine genders[10]
  • Orange: Being partially a gender that is outside the masculine-feminine spectrum[10]

Another set of possible meanings for the flag's colors are the following:

  • Blue and light blue: A mixture of genders[5]
  • Orange: Genders that are outside the binary[5]

Distinction[]

Polygender[]

Both polygender and multigender have similar meanings, with both being identities for people who feel multiple genders. Because of this, they are often used interchangeably in some contexts.[1][2][3] However, some recent discussions and definitions of multigender use this label as an umbrella term for all identities that involve having multiple genders, while polygender is used as a term for a specific identity. By these definitions, polygender is a specific label under the multigender umbrella.[4][5][6]

Multisexual[]

Both multigender and multisexual make use of the same prefix "multi-", and both are used as umbrella terms for identities involving more than one gender. However, multisexual describes sexual orientations that involve attraction to more than one gender[11], while multigender describes people who are more than one gender at a time.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Hardell, Ash. The ABC's of LGBT+. Mango Media Inc., 2016. ISBN 9781633534087.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Trans Language Primer: "Multigender / Polygender". translanguageprimer.com. (Archived on March 20, 2022).
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Mihran Nersesyan: "What It Means To Be Multigender: The Questions Many Have But Are Afraid To Ask" (2018-06-23). thebodyisnotanapology.com. The Body Is Not An Apology. (Archived on December 6, 2021).
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Mere Abrams, LCSW, and Sian Ferguson:: "68 Terms That Describe Gender Identity and Expression" (2022-02-09). healthline.com. (Archived on March 9, 2022).
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Multigender: What Does It Mean to Be Multigender?". spectrum-id.com. Spectrum-ID. (Archived on December 17, 2022).
  6. 6.0 6.1 "The Ultimate Guide to Non-Binary Gender Identity Flags" (2019-07-21). mygenderisx.com. My Gender is X. (Archived on November 13, 2022).
  7. "Multi Definition & Meaning". dictionary.com.
  8. James, Sandy E., Herman, Jody, Keisling, Mara, Mottet, Lisa, and Anafi, Ma’ayan: "The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey" (2016). ustranssurvey.org. National Center for Transgender Equality.
  9. "Multigender (2)" (2016-01-16). deviantart.com. (Archived on July 28, 2021).
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Multigender flag color codes". flagcolorcodes.com.
  11. The Trevor Project: "Multisexual Youth Mental Health: Risk and Protective Factors for Bisexual, Pansexual, and Queer Youth Who are Attracted to More than One Gender". thetrevorproject.org.
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