Genderqueer question

Not conforming to gender roles, or having a different gender expression doesn't make someone genderqueer or not cis, that would just be a gender nonconforming cis person. Maybe some people use it that way, but this is my understanding of it at least.

 

Yeah, as Max says, gender identity and gender expression are two different things. Being a feminine guy or masculine girl in terms of what someone likes or how someone like to dress does not a genderqueer make. If one still considers themself wholly male or wholly female but doesn't conform to the societal roles imposed upon that gender, then they're still male or female.

However, I have seen "[binary gender] genderqueer" used as a descriptor before. I guess in the case where a person feels close to a particular binary gender but also identifies themself as genderqueer because they don't feel entirely that binary gender, that can be a thing.

 

I would say so. I identify as a non-binary transgender woman..

 

Genderqueer isn't only used for those who fall outside the gender binary (male and female), but those who don't fit into a normative expression, ie those who queer or bend gender. Some also use it as more of a political statement, and it does attract attention since it involves "queer" in the name.

It's pretty open-ended, so if it resonates with you, go for it!

 

Wait, there's rules on what I can call myself? I reject that reality and substitute my own. I am heterosexual, mostly. I am a man. I am also realizing just how queer I am, and always have been. From a poetry point of view, I choose to call myself genderqueer. I choose to trespass the gender norms of male and female dress to express my identity, which has otherwise isolated me all my life. I know I haven't been here a week, so tell me to hush if I trespass, but the words I use to describe myself belong to me, and if my definitions don't match yours, isn't that just an occasion to talk to each other and gain deeper understanding?

Genderqueer is the best word for me, and I defy anyone to take it away.

 

Genderqueer is pretty open-ended. If you want a term that wholly refers to a binary person who actively goes against societal norms for their gender, I have genderpunk before (where the person literally is making a socio-political statement in regards to gender/sex conformity/binary through their gender expression).

For my case; I'm 0% woman, like...70-90% man, and 30-50% other. So genderqueer guy is most accurate for me.

 

In my eyes, genderqueer is a broad enough term to encompass both non-traditional gender expression as well as an identity unto itself. That's much of the reason why I like it for myself-- it still applies on the days where I'm more closely aligned with my gender assigned at birth (and also has less specific ideas of what a shifting gender looks like than what I've found with the genderfluid label/community).

In the case of gender non-conforming vs genderqueer, gender non-conforming may fit one with non-normative expression better, but I've mainly seen it as a description for young children who may or may not decide to identify as trans later in life. So I can see why someone would prefer genderqueeer over gender non-conforming.

 

Reminder to all that queer is a slur and that if you're not trans or non-straight, you shouldn't be using it.

But if you're not straight and you want to use it to describe your gender expression, go ahead, I guess. I'm personally not a fan of it being used to describe gender expression, but people are gonna do what they wanna do.

Also consider the term gender nonconforming (GNC for short), which just means not conforming to gender roles. It's generally used in conjunction with a gender label, like GNC woman or GNC man. It's an adjective, not really an identity.