Beyond male and female, definition of Facebook’s new gender options

Facebook announced Thursday, Feb. 13, that users in the United State can now go way beyond “male” and “female” in identifying gender.

"We collaborated with our Network of Support, a group of leading LGBT advocacy organizations, to offer an extensive list of gender identities that many people use to describe themselves. Moreover, people who select a custom gender will now have the ability to choose the pronoun they'd like to be referred to publicly — male (he/his), female (she/her) or neutral (they/their)," the social media giant said in a post on its Diversity page.

There are more than 50 options to choice from in expression one’s gender.

Below is the list with key definitions taken from various online sources. Click corresponding list for more information.

Androgyne — is a non-binary gender identity. Androgynes may possess traits that are simultaneously feminine and masculine, or neither. (Definition taken from UC Berkeley Gender Equity Resource Center)

Androgynous — A person appearing and/or identifying as neither man nor woman, presenting a gender either mixed or neutral. (Definition taken from UC Berkeley Gender Equity Resource Center)

Bigender — a person who feels that their gender is fully male and fully female, or any pair of genders, generally by switching between the two. For some people, the switch is between two very distinct genders, which some consider to be separate "facets" or "personas." For others, the switch is much more fluid, with more gray area. (Definition from Gender Wiki)

Cis — people feel the sexual anatomy they were born with is right for them and thus do not need to transition. Cissexualism is the opposite of transsexualism. (Definition from Gender Wiki)

Cis Female

Cis Male

Cis Man

Cis Woman

Cisgender — cisgender and cissexual are a closely related class of gender identities where an individual's gender identity matches the behavior or role considered appropriate for one's sex.[1] There are a number of derivatives of the terms in use, including "cis male" for a male with a masculine gender identity, "cis female" for a female with a feminine gender identity, and "cissexism."    (definition from Gender Wiki)

Cisgender Female

Cisgender Male

Cisgender Man

Cisgender Woman

Female to Male — transgender male. Transgender people may or may not decide to alter their bodies hormonally and/or surgically. (Definition taken from GlAAD)

FTM — Female to male (Definition taken from GlAAD)

Gender Fluid — a person whose gender identification and presentation shifts, whether within or outside of societal, gender-based expectations. (Definition taken from UC Berkeley Gender Equity Resource Center)

Gender Nonconforming — a person who does not conform to society's expectations of gender expression based on the gender binary, expectations of masculinity and femininity, or how they should identify their gender. (Definition taken from UC Berkeley Gender Equity Resource Center)

Gender Questioning

Gender Variant — a synonym for "gender diverse" and "gender non-conforming"; "gender diverse" and "gender non-conforming" are preferred to "gender variant" because variance implies a standard normativity of gender. (Definition taken from UC Berkeley Gender Equity Resource Center)

Genderqueer — catch-all term for gender identities other than man and woman, thus outside of the gender binary and heteronormativity. (Definition taken from Gender Wikia)

Intersex — person is born with sexual anatomy, reproductive organs, and/or chromosome patterns that do not fit the typical definition of male or female. This may be apparent at birth or become so later in life. (Definition taken from Gender Wikia)

Male to Female — transgender female. Transgender people may or may not decide to alter their bodies hormonally and/or surgically. (Definition taken from GlAAD)

MTF — Male to female (Definition taken from GlAAD)

Neither

Neutrois — is a non-binary gender identity that falls under the genderqueer or transgender umbrellas. There is no one definition of Neutrois, since each person that self-identifies as such experiences their gender differently. The most common ones are: neutral-gender, null-gender, neither male nor female, Genderless and agender. Definition taken from Neutrois.com.

Non-binary — gender identities that don't fit within the accepted binary of male and female. People can feel they are both, neither, or some mixture thereof. (Definition taken from Gender Wikia)

Other

Pangender — a person whose gender identity is comprised of all or many gender expressions. (Definition taken from UC Berkeley Gender Equity Resource Center)

Trans — see Transgender person

Trans Female

Trans Male

Trans Man

Trans Person

Trans(asterisk)Female

Trans(asterisk)Male

Trans(asterisk)Man

Trans(asterisk)Person

Trans(asterisk)Woman

Transexual — a part of Transgender . The actual definition of it is debated, some people say it only refers to transgender people within the Gender Binary, others say that it only includes those who actually want to transition medically, and thus includes non-binaries who transition. Others consider it to be anyone whose identity is divergent to their physical body. Thus, a person may be considered transsexual before they make an active decision to be. (Definition taken from Gender Wikia)

Transexual Female

Transexual Male

Transexual Man

Transexual Person

Transexual Woman

Transgender Female

Transgender Person — an umbrella term (adj.) for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. The term may include but is not limited to: transsexuals, cross-dressers and other gender-variant people. Transgender people may identify as female-to-male (FTM) or male-to-female (MTF). Use the descriptive term (transgender, transsexual, cross-dresser, FTM or MTF) preferred by the individual. Transgender people may or may not decide to alter their bodies hormonally and/or surgically. (Definition taken from GLAAD)

Transmasculine — term used to describe those who were assigned female at birth, but identify as more male than female. Transmasculine is often used as a catch-all term for all people assigned female at birth who identify as masculine of center, including trans men, but the adoption of the term as an identity is a matter of personal preference. (Definition taken from Gender Wikia)

Two-spirit — term that emerged in 1990 out of the third annual inter-tribal Native American/First Nations gay/lesbian American conference in Winnipeg — describes Indigenous North Americans who fulfill one of many mixed gender roles found traditionally among many Native Americans and Canadian First Nations indigenous groups. The mixed gender roles encompassed by the term historically included wearing the clothing and performing the work associated with both men and women. (Definition taken from Gender Wikia)

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