Trigender
Encyclopedia
Similar to Bigender
, Trigenderism is a gender identification or feeling that a person is moving between or among gender identities: male, female and a third gender
(genderless, a mix of male and female, or any other variety of genderqueer
identities). A trigender may transition from one gender to another rigidly and completely depending on the mood of the individual or based on the situation. In contrast, someone who is gender fluid and identifies as trigender may mix two or more genders at a time. Trigender falls under the general category of genderqueer or androgyny
, a gender identity that goes beyond the normal binary gender system (male and female) and tends to be a catch-all place for other gender identities. It can also be seen as the equivalent cultures that recognize individuals to define their own sense of self. North American Indians are one of several groups to recognize a tri-gender system where the term berdache was used to differentiate the intermediate gender role .
Being trigender does not equate to Multiple Personality Disorder, a person has one set of values, beliefs, like and dislikes (even though these may be seen more strongly while an individual feels and/or presents as one gender versus another). For some, it's like being of "one mind, but three spirits". In most Western or European societies this third sex differentiation is not so easily bestowed upon a person and in many instances straying outside of the gender dichotomy becomes socially unacceptable. Western influence and Carolus Linnaeus' work that encouraged a categorization of life has led to marginalization for those outside of the heteronormative realm.
Gender is somewhat difficult to measure leading to common misconceptions that sex and gender are the same thing. Research shows that pattens in gender behavior/thoughts/feelings can be identified in the brain. Trigender individuals, much like Bigender individuals often feel the need to "present" as the gender they feel like at the given time. Thus trigender people often live cisgender
world presenting and "passing" in the gender role that matches their bodies, and other times as transgender
because they present and pass in a gender role that doesn't match their biological body. Sometimes they will express themselves androgynously to avoid having to deal with complications of living as more than one gender. Some genderfuck
by consistently expressing more than one gender at a time. Biological females who become pregnant choose to present as female during the whole duration of pregnancy due to the unwanted attention of being perceived as a "pregnant man". Bigenders and Trigenders must undergo the process of learning to live as female and male culturally if they choose to express other genders. The May 2010 issue of Scientific American Mind is entirely on the social and biological constructs of gender expression and includes a small four page article in the back how studying transsexuals can bring greater insight into this field of study. The learning process of male and female cultural roles includes learning how to walk, talk, interact verbally and non-verbally, think, behave and more beyond just presenting the physical body as one gender or another.
Trigenderism is considered rare and presently there is no cohesive community in which trigender individuals can share information, nor has there been a need to study or address specific issues associated with trigenderism. For the most part, trigenders find their accommodations and needs the same as bigenders. As transgender children have started to get more media attention in the 1990s and 2000s, studies have tried to further understand transgender issues. Some College and University LGBTQ groups and alliances are increasingly finding their communities more gender fluid (and sexual orientation fluid) as well and less oriented towards traditional labels such as "gay", "bisexual", and "straight". The American Psychological Association
and University of California, San Franscisco recognize Bigender as a subset of the transgender community. In the UK, Polygender is a common term found on Transgender websites, forums, and support groups, as well as at the Scottish Transgender Alliance.
orientations such as Pansexual or simply "a loving individual" or "equal opportunity lover". Some identify as bisexual and others are simply attracted to one sex or gender. People who are monosexual often use labels such as androphile or gynephile to avoid specifying their own gender, preferring to place emphasis on the gender of their attraction. People who are attracted to people of minority gender identities are sometimes called transromantic.
Bigender
Bigender, bi-gender or bi+gender describes a tendency to move between feminine and masculine gender-typed behaviour depending on context. Some bigendered individuals express a distinctly "en femme" persona and a distinctly "en homme" persona, feminine and masculine respectively; others have shades...
, Trigenderism is a gender identification or feeling that a person is moving between or among gender identities: male, female and a third gender
Third gender
The terms third gender and third sex describe individuals who are categorized as neither man nor woman, as well as the social category present in those societies who recognize three or more genders...
(genderless, a mix of male and female, or any other variety of genderqueer
Genderqueer
Genderqueer is a catch-all term for gender identities other than man and woman, thus outside of the gender binary and heteronormativity...
identities). A trigender may transition from one gender to another rigidly and completely depending on the mood of the individual or based on the situation. In contrast, someone who is gender fluid and identifies as trigender may mix two or more genders at a time. Trigender falls under the general category of genderqueer or androgyny
Androgyny
Androgyny is a term derived from the Greek words ανήρ, stem ανδρ- and γυνή , referring to the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics...
, a gender identity that goes beyond the normal binary gender system (male and female) and tends to be a catch-all place for other gender identities. It can also be seen as the equivalent cultures that recognize individuals to define their own sense of self. North American Indians are one of several groups to recognize a tri-gender system where the term berdache was used to differentiate the intermediate gender role .
Being trigender does not equate to Multiple Personality Disorder, a person has one set of values, beliefs, like and dislikes (even though these may be seen more strongly while an individual feels and/or presents as one gender versus another). For some, it's like being of "one mind, but three spirits". In most Western or European societies this third sex differentiation is not so easily bestowed upon a person and in many instances straying outside of the gender dichotomy becomes socially unacceptable. Western influence and Carolus Linnaeus' work that encouraged a categorization of life has led to marginalization for those outside of the heteronormative realm.
Gender is somewhat difficult to measure leading to common misconceptions that sex and gender are the same thing. Research shows that pattens in gender behavior/thoughts/feelings can be identified in the brain. Trigender individuals, much like Bigender individuals often feel the need to "present" as the gender they feel like at the given time. Thus trigender people often live cisgender
Cisgender
Cisgender is an adjective used in the context of gender issues and counselling to refer to a class of gender identities formed by a match between an individual's gender identity and the behavior or role considered appropriate for one's sex.Kristen Schilt and Laurel Westbrook defined "cisgender"...
world presenting and "passing" in the gender role that matches their bodies, and other times as transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
because they present and pass in a gender role that doesn't match their biological body. Sometimes they will express themselves androgynously to avoid having to deal with complications of living as more than one gender. Some genderfuck
Genderfuck
Genderfuck refers to the conscious effort to mock or "fuck with" traditional notions of gender identity, gender roles, and gender presentation. It falls under the umbrella of the transgender spectrum.-Genderfucking:...
by consistently expressing more than one gender at a time. Biological females who become pregnant choose to present as female during the whole duration of pregnancy due to the unwanted attention of being perceived as a "pregnant man". Bigenders and Trigenders must undergo the process of learning to live as female and male culturally if they choose to express other genders. The May 2010 issue of Scientific American Mind is entirely on the social and biological constructs of gender expression and includes a small four page article in the back how studying transsexuals can bring greater insight into this field of study. The learning process of male and female cultural roles includes learning how to walk, talk, interact verbally and non-verbally, think, behave and more beyond just presenting the physical body as one gender or another.
Trigenderism is considered rare and presently there is no cohesive community in which trigender individuals can share information, nor has there been a need to study or address specific issues associated with trigenderism. For the most part, trigenders find their accommodations and needs the same as bigenders. As transgender children have started to get more media attention in the 1990s and 2000s, studies have tried to further understand transgender issues. Some College and University LGBTQ groups and alliances are increasingly finding their communities more gender fluid (and sexual orientation fluid) as well and less oriented towards traditional labels such as "gay", "bisexual", and "straight". The American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...
and University of California, San Franscisco recognize Bigender as a subset of the transgender community. In the UK, Polygender is a common term found on Transgender websites, forums, and support groups, as well as at the Scottish Transgender Alliance.
Sexual Orientation
Sexual Orientation usually stays the same, regardless of the gender a Trigender person feels like. Sexual orientation and gender constitute two different parts of the brain, therefore, gender and sexual orientation act independently of each other. What can become confusing is labeling. For example: an individual that is feeling and/or presenting as female and is attracted to females would be labeled "lesbian" by others (because they are a female attracted to females). But when they feel and/or present as male and their attraction to females still remains, they are often labeled "straight" by others (because they are now a male attracted to females). Some, but not all Trigender individuals feel that sexual orientation and labels are therefore irrelevant or too complicated. For them, what is more important is who their partner is as a person. Instead they put more emphasis on sexualorientations such as Pansexual or simply "a loving individual" or "equal opportunity lover". Some identify as bisexual and others are simply attracted to one sex or gender. People who are monosexual often use labels such as androphile or gynephile to avoid specifying their own gender, preferring to place emphasis on the gender of their attraction. People who are attracted to people of minority gender identities are sometimes called transromantic.