Bigender
Bigender refers to a person who identifies with two distinct genders, either at the same time or at different times. A bigender person can identify with any two genders, not just both binary genders. It is pronounced "bi-gender."
Bigender often falls under the non-binary umbrella, but it is more specific because it represents one possible non-binary identity. Bigender can also overlap with genderfluid, but they are not the same. A bigender person may be genderfluid if their gender shifts over time, but some bigender people experience the same two genders consistently.
When displayed on a FetLife profile this is abbreviated to BG.
Origins of the Term
The term bigender comes from "bi," meaning “two” and gender. Early forms such as bigenderist, bigendered, and dual-gendered were circulating in trans, crossdressing, and androgyne communities by the late 1980s and early 1990s. These early uses often focused on moving between or expressing two gendered roles, while later use became more clearly tied to gender identity.
By the 1990s, bigender was being used to describe people who experienced two coexisting gendered selves or who identified with both male and female gendered characteristics.
Google Search data suggests that use of the term was still very limited online until at least 2008.
Related Terms
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