Genderfluid and Agender

 

This article is part of Season 3 of “LGBT by the Numbers.”

Season 3 explores the results of the Gender Census, an annual online global survey of nonbinary people.

Nonbinary describes someone who has a gender identity that isn’t exclusively male or female.

This series examines how the popularity of various nonbinary identity terms has changed over the past decade. 

I primarily focus on the results from 2015 to 2024, for reasons I explained in previous articles.

 

We’re beginning with the most popular terms, before making our way to the less common ones.

Top of the Charts discussed the terms nonbinary, queer, trans, and transgender.

Additional Umbrella Terms discussed gender non-conforming, genderqueer, and enby.

The next article discussed Transmasculine and Transfeminine.

For a basic introduction to terms and concepts related to transgender and nonbinary identity, you can read Gender Identity and Biological Sex.

 

 

 

The top nine identity terms in the Gender Census are umbrella terms, which means they describe multiple groups of people with more specific identities.

The most common specific nonbinary identities, genderfluid and agender, are tenth and eleventh on the list.

We will discuss these identities today.

 

 

It’s worth bearing in mind that some people use nonbinary to describe their gender identity, without also using an additional, more-specific term.

It’s also possible to imagine someone using many of the umbrella terms, which we have previously discussed, without using an additional, more-specific identity term.

 

 

Genderfluid and agender have remained fairly close together over the past 10 years in the Gender Census.

 

 

Over the past decade, they were the farthest apart in 2017, when agender outperformed genderfluid by 5.2%.

Although not shown on this graph, “fluid gender” (31.3%) outperformed agender (21.6%) in the 2013 Gender Census.

Agender outperformed genderfluid from 2015 to 2020.

Genderfluid outperformed agender from 2021 to 2024.

 

I created the graphs in this article using flourish, a website that allows users to create compelling visual aids.

You can view larger versions of these graphs by clicking on them. 

 

 

 

Genderfluid

 

Genderfluid describes someone whose gender changes over time.

I personally identify as genderfluid.

Some genderfluid people have a strong perception of their gender at all times. 

But many others, like me, do not.

Many genderfluid people experience fluctuations in their gender between male and female.

That is certainly true for myself.

Others are fluid between other genders, such as female and nonbinary, or male and nonbinary.

 

 

Meticulous Musings has featured videos where genderfluid people discuss their experiences. If you want to learn more, I encourage you to check them out.

 

 

 

The genderfluid checkbox in the Gender Census has changed subtly over time.

In 2013, it was, “fluid gender.”

From 2015-17, it was, “fluid gender / genderfluid.”

From 2018- 24, it has been, “genderfluid / fluid gender.”

 

 

In 2015, genderfluid received 31.2%.

Genderfluid declined until it reached its minimum of 21% in 2019.

Genderfluid rebounded with a gradual rise to 25.5% in 2023, before declining slightly to 24.7% in 2024.

From 2015-24, genderfluid’s range has been 10.2%.

  

“Fluid gender” received 31.3% in 2013, which is only slightly more than the 31.2% its counterpart received in 2015.

 

 

Genderfluid was the tenth most popular term in the Gender Census in 2023 and 2024.

That’s a lot further down the list than it used to be.

In 2013, “fluid gender” was the fourth most common term.

In 2015, “fluid gender / genderfluid” was also the fourth most common term.

 

 

 

Agender

 

An agender person feels they don’t have a gender.

This can be a confusing concept to understand.

Agender is itself a specific nonbinary gender, used to describe someone whose internal experience of their gender is that they don’t have one.

Someone who is agender may dress or present themselves in a way that is traditionally seen as masculine or feminine, but to them, these are simply things they do because they enjoy them, rather than because they view these things as representing an underlying gender identity.

 

 

I have shared some wonderful videos created by Chandler Wilson, an agender YouTube creator who has publicly shared their experiences.

If you would like to learn more, I recommend you watch their videos.

 

 

Agender reached its maximum in 2017, when it received 33.1%.

From there, it declined until 2020, when it reached its minimum at 21.9%.

Agender grew until 2023 when it received 23.8%, before falling slightly to 23.1% in 2024.

From 2015-24, agender’s range has been 11.2%.

 

 

In 2013, agender received 21.6%, slightly less than the 21.9% it received in 2020.

 

 

Agender was the eleventh most popular term in the Gender Census in 2023 and 2024.  

Previously, agender was higher up the list. 

In 2015 and 2017, agender was the third most popular identity term in the Gender Census.

 

 

In 2024, agender was the eleventh most popular checkbox, and the eleventh least popular checkbox, making it the median identity term in last year’s Gender Census.

 

 

 

Discussion

 

I first discussed genderfluid and agender identities in Non-binary genders: Beyond male and female, which I published in 2015.

 

I discussed genderfluid and agender identities again in Season 1 of LGBT by the Numbers.

Gender Identity and Biological Sex discussed genderfluid and agender identities, and their associated pride flags.  

Nonbinary Nomenclature discussed how genderfluid and agender performed in the 2023 Gender Census.

I published both of these articles in 2023.

 

 

 

The following example offers a way to better understand some of the identities we have discussed so far.

Let's imagine someone asks, "Are you male or female?" 

Remember, someone's gender and biological sex aren't the same thing, and they don't always align. 

If someone believes they can't honestly and accurately describe their gender with only one of these two options, they are nonbinary. 

Genderfluid is the most common identity among people who would reply to the question by answering, "both."

Although, some genderfluid people are fluid between genders other than male and female.

Agender is the most common identity among people who would reply to the question by answering, "neither."  

We can also learn more about these identities by looking more closely at the data from the Gender Census. 

Last year, 5.2% of respondents identified as both genderfluid and agender. 

There are many ways people might identify with both terms, but one of the simplest is that agender could be one of the genders someone is fluid between. 

 

Taking this overlap into account, 42.6% of respondents identify as genderfluid, agender, or both. 

Therefore, a majority of respondents, 57.4%, don't identify as either genderfluid or agender. 

But considered together, genderfluid and agender (42.6%) would be the fourth most common term in the Gender Census, after trans (44.7%), and before "a person / human / [my name] / 'I'm Just Me' " (39.1%).

Put simply, many nonbinary people identify as genderfluid, agender, or both. 

 

More Graphs

 

Now that we’ve looked closely at the lines for genderfluid and agender, let’s return to a graph that appeared earlier in this series.

This graph shows how the sixth through eleventh most popular identity terms from 2024 have performed over the past decade.

 

 

You can see where the lines for enby and transmasculine surpassed the lines for genderfluid and agender.

You can also see that gender non-conforming and genderqueer have always outperformed genderfluid and agender.

 

 

 

 

We have now discussed all eleven identity terms that received more than 20% in last year’s Gender Census.

These are also the only terms that have received more than 20% at any point from 2015 to the present.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, let’s take a look at a really chaotic graph.

This graph shows all of the terms that received between 20% and 50% in the Gender Census from 2015 to 2024.

 

 

During this time, nonbinary has always received more than 50%, so its line can’t be seen.

Only part of the line for queer can be seen, before it surpassed 50% in 2022.

 

 

This graph shows the interactions between the lines for many identities that can’t easily be seen in simpler graphs.

It’s especially useful for comparing how identities that have fallen in popularity over the past decade interact with identities that have risen in popularity.

There are many places where identities are essentially tied, and places where lines cross paths. 

 

 

You can see how agender briefly surpassed trans in 2017.

You can see how trans was the second most popular term in 2018, behind nonbinary, because genderqueer had declined, and queer hadn’t yet been added as a checkbox.

You can also see where enby and transmasculine surpassed 20%.

 

 

 

 

Identities Worth Knowing

 

There are a theoretically infinite number of nonbinary genders.

The Gender Census is an incredibly valuable tool that allows people to know which nonbinary identities are the most common.

And to a surprising degree, the most common nonbinary identities are fairly consistent, from year to year.

 

 

There are times when a nonbinary person chooses to discuss their gender with a friend, family member, employer, or someone else.

It would be greatly beneficial to everyone involved for the person learning this information to already be somewhat familiar with the terms and ideas that will be discussed during this conversation.

Otherwise, the nonbinary person will be required to explain their identity terms, and the entire concept of nonbinary identity itself, to someone who has absolutely no idea what they are talking about.

 

 

If you want to be an ally, it would be really helpful if you could learn about these ideas BEFORE you find yourself in a situation where you will need to know them.

 

You don’t need to know every possible nonbinary identity someone might use, but you should be familiar with the ones that are most common.

These are the terms we have covered in this series thus far.

 

 

 

In the years ahead, you will continue to hear conservative Republican politicians rally crowds of profoundly ignorant people by proclaiming, “there are only two genders.”

On cue, these crowds will erupt into thunderous applause at the prospect of someone telling them they are wise for being so close minded.

Many people, listening to this, will know the conservative politician is being a transphobic asshole, but for the life of them, they won’t know what those additional genders are.

 

 

Because you read this series, you will know a lot more than that.

The group of people disparaged by these remarks are nonbinary people, who have a gender identity that isn’t exclusively male or female.

About 1% of US adults are nonbinary.

The most common identities used by nonbinary people are umbrella terms, like queer, transgender, and genderqueer.

Some people use nonbinary to describe their gender, without also using a more specific term.

The most common specific nonbinary identities are genderfluid and agender.

 

 

So not only will you know that the conservative politician is wrong, but why.

You will also know the basic facts about the ideas and identities they are looking to disparage and suppress.

 

 

 

In addition to hearing these identity terms, you might also see the colorful pride flags associated with them.

The most common gender identity flags are the transgender, nonbinary, and genderfluid flags.

I discussed these flags in Gender Identity and Biological Sex. 

 

 

 

 

Where next?

 

We have now discussed all eleven identity terms that received more than 20% in last year’s Gender Census.

These are also the only terms that received more than 20% at any point from 2015 to the present.

I recommend allies and the public become familiar with these most-common nonbinary identities.

 

But we’re not done yet.

There are more fun, interesting, and useful identities further down the list.

I will cover the remaining checkbox identity terms from the 2024 Gender Census in the remaining articles in this series.

 

So join me next time as we continue Season 3 of LGBT by the Numbers.

 

 

Transmasculine and Transfeminine

 

This article is part of Season 3 of “LGBT by the Numbers,” a series that examines LGBT statistics in the United States and around the world.

Season 3 examines the results of the Gender Census, an annual online global survey of nonbinary people.

Nonbinary describes someone who has a gender identity that isn’t exclusively male or female.

This series examines how the popularity of various nonbinary identity terms has changed over the past 10 years.

We’re beginning with the most popular terms, before making our way to the less common ones.

Top of the Charts discussed the terms nonbinary, queer, trans, and transgender.

Additional Umbrella Terms discussed gender non-conforming, genderqueer, and enby.

If you're looking for a basic introduction to terms and concepts related to transgender and nonbinary identity, check out Gender Identity and Biological Sex.

 

 

 

Today, we will discuss two useful nonbinary identity terms, transmasculine and transfeminine.

I will define and discuss these terms, before examining how they have performed in the Gender Census over the years.

 

 

Transmasculine refers to transgender men, and nonbinary people who were assigned female at birth, but identify with a more masculine gender.

Transfeminine refers to transgender women, and nonbinary people who were assigned male at birth, but identify with a more feminine gender.

You also might encounter the abbreviated versions of these words, transmasc and transfem.

 

 

Transgender describes someone who identifies with a gender different than the one they were assigned at birth. 

Essentially, transmasculine refers to someone who is transgender in the masculine direction, and transfeminine refers to someone who is transgender in the feminine direction.

 

I consider these terms to be umbrella terms, because they describe multiple groups of people who have more specific identities.

 

  

Discussion

 

Some nonbinary people dislike these terms, because they indirectly reference someone’s gender assigned at birth, rather than their chosen gender.

These critics don’t want their gender to be understood based on its relationship to an assigned gender they don’t identify with.

They see these terms as a way to recreate the gender binary within the trans and nonbinary community, rather than simply accepting people based on the gender they have chosen for themselves.

These critics view being asked their birth gender as simply a way to invalidate their chosen gender.

 

 

But as a nonbinary person myself, I love these terms.

They allow transgender people to describe experiences that are common to binary trans people and similarly-situated nonbinary people.

It makes sense that transgender men, and nonbinary people who were also assigned female at birth, would have similar feelings, experiences, and challenges.

It makes sense that transgender women, and nonbinary people who were also assigned male at birth, would have similar feelings, experiences, and challenges.  

Therefore, it makes sense to have terms, like transmasculine and transfeminine, that describe these groups of people collectively.

That doesn’t mean nonbinary identities aren’t valid. It merely provides another way to discuss and group those identities.

I proudly identify as both nonbinary and transfeminine.

 

 

Likewise, it would be reasonable to sometimes discuss the feelings, experiences, and challenges of people who are nonbinary, regardless of their assigned gender at birth.

But having terms that group people in other ways doesn’t limit our ability to do so.

 

 

The terms transmasculine and transfeminine allow nonbinary people to feel included and seen during discussions of transgender topics. 

That may not happen if a discussion only uses terms that imply it might be intended for binary trans people, exclusively.

 

 

There is one more situation where these terms can be particularly useful.

Someone who doesn’t identify with their birth gender, but who doesn’t know whether they’re nonbinary or binary transgender, could use one of these terms, because they cover both categories.

This allows transmasculine and transfeminine to be potentially useful placeholders for people who know they don’t identify with their birth gender, but haven’t determined where they feel most comfortable on the gender spectrum.

The conceptual dividing line between identifying as nonbinary or binary transgender can sometimes be a narrow one. 

 

 

 

 

Examining the Data

 

Twice as many respondents identified as transmasculine (26.4%) than transfeminine (11.9%) in the 2024 Gender Census.

Considering how these terms are generally understood, this implies there are likely more nonbinary people who were assigned female at birth than assigned male at birth.

Transmasculine has consistently outperformed transfeminine in the Gender Census, by a large margin.

 

 

 

I created the graphs in this series using flourish, a website that allows users to create compelling visual aids. 

You can view larger versions of the graphs in this article by clicking on them. 

 

 

Only 0.8% of Gender Census respondents identified as both transmasculine and transfeminine.

Taking this into account, 37.4% of Gender Census participants identified as transmasculine, transfeminine, or both. 

That means 62.6% of respondents don't identify with either term, which suggests many nonbinary people either dislike, or simply don’t use, this framework.

 

 

But transmasculine and transfeminine, considered together (37.4%), would be the sixth most popular checkbox option, after transgender (38.8%), and before gender non-conforming (34.9%).

That indicates this framework is relatively popular compared to other ways of describing nonbinary identity. 

The results for the most popular identity terms from the 2024 Gender Census can be seen in the bar graph below. 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s worth noting that transmasculine and transfeminine do not rise and fall together in synchronicity in the same way we observed that trans and transgender do earlier in this series.

 

 

 

 

Transmasculine

 

Transmasculine first appeared as a checkbox option in 2016, when it received 14.2%.

Transmasculine generally grew in popularity, until it peaked at 29.4% in 2023.

Transmasculine fell to 26.4% in 2024.

 

 

 

Transmasculine has a range of 15.2%.

Transmasculine was the ninth most popular term in the Gender Census in 2023 and 2024.

Overall, the popularity of transmasculine has increased over the past nine years.

 

 

I use 20% as my benchmark for whether an identity term in the Gender Census is common enough to be notable.

Transmasculine passes that benchmark, and transfeminine does not.

But both terms are useful to know, and if you are going to learn one, you might as well learn both.

 

 

Transmasculine is one of only two terms initially chosen by fewer than 20% of respondents, as a checkbox, that was able to subsequently cross that threshold.

The other is enby, which we discussed in a previous article.

Transmasculine and enby are the only identity terms in the Gender Census that have risen from relative obscurity to become relatively common.

 

 

 

Transfeminine

 

Transfeminine first appeared as a checkbox in 2016, when it received 6.5%.

Transfeminine dropped to 3.9% in 2017, when it hit its minimum.

The term has generally risen in popularity since then.

Transfeminine saw its strongest performance last year, in 2024, when it received 11.9%.

That was the only year transfeminine has received more than 10%.

 

 

 

Overall, the popularity of transfeminine has increased over the past nine years.

Transfeminine’s range is 8%, although it’s worth noting less popular terms, like transfeminine, tend to have a smaller range than more popular terms, like those we have focused on thusfar.  

 

 

Only four checkbox identity terms increased in 2024, compared to their last appearance on the Gender Census, and transfeminine was one of them. 

Out of all the terms in the 2024 Gender Census, transfeminine increased the most since its last appearance.

Among the four terms that increased in 2024, transfeminine was the most popular term.

 

Transfeminine was the fourteenth most popular checkbox term in the 2024 Gender Census.

But there were only 21 checkboxes in last year’s survey.

Transfeminine was the eighth least popular checkbox last year.

Therefore, transfeminine was closer to the bottom, than the top, of the checkbox terms in 2024.

 

 

 

 Conclusion

 

You can see how transmasculine compares with similarly popular Gender Census identity terms in the graph below.

This graph shows how the sixth through eleventh most popular identity terms from 2024 performed over the past 10 years.

 

 

 

 

I discussed transmasculine and transfeminine in earlier articles about transgender and nonbinary identities.

Gender Identity and Biological Sex examined transgender, nonbinary, and intersex identities, and the pride flags for those identities. 

Nonbinary Nomenclature examined the results of the 2023 Gender Census.

 

 

 

That concludes our discussion of transmasculine and transfeminine.

In the next article, we’ll finally discuss the most common nonbinary identities that aren’t umbrella terms, genderfluid and agender.