A genderqueer person is part of a group of people who do not feel that they fit into the traditional two-gender or gender-binary system. As with any other groups that may be aligned with transgender identities, the reasons for identifying as genderqueer vary.
There are different modes of being genderqueer, and it is an evolving concept. Some believe they are a little of both of the traditional genders or feel they have no gender at all. Others view gender as a continuum, with the two traditional genders at the two poles and their place as somewhere within the continuum, while others believe there are as many genders as there are people. Still others believe that gender is a social construct, and choose not to adhere to that construct. Some genderqueers do fit into the stereotypical gender roles expected of their sex, but still reject gender as a social construct. Still other people identify as genderqueer since, though they are cisgendered, they do not fit many of society's expectations for the gender in which they identify.
Some people use "genderqueer" as a politicized version of the term androgyne, which describes persons who have the gender identity of both a man and a woman or neither.
The term genderqueer can (but does not necessarily) include any transgender person. These individuals challenge the social norms of gender definition, in much the same way as homosexual and bisexual individuals challenge the social norms of sexuality.
Some genderqueers identify sufficiently with one gender to use conventional pronouns, others prefer that gender-neutral pronouns should be used to refer to them, such as "ze" and "per", "sie" and "hir" or singular "they" instead of her/his, some alternate between different pronouns, and some prefer the use only of their name and no pronouns at all.
See also
External links
