What does it mean to be ‘Gender Fluid’ and how to know if you are

For many of those who belong to the LGBT community it is very important feel identified. Luckily, the human race evolves and, with it, we can all have the possibility of feeling increasingly better identified with this or that gender and in the way in which we feel happy and comfortable. 

The concept of self-perception is as modern as important. Because it indicates, mainly, how people perceives to themselves. Now, in the broad – after so many struggles to earn the deserved respect – the world of sexual diversity, the term ‘gender fluidity’ has been incorporated, one of the ways of referring to gender identity that is, specifically, within transgender identities.

Gender identity has to do with the way each human being feels in relation to their gender. When the body you were born into, matches the way you perceive for yourself it’s called cisgender. But, when they do not coincide, we must talk about transgender people.

What does it mean to be Gender Fluid

We said that the evolution of the world has led us to realize that what were once considered natural truths are now nothing more than socially and culturally constructed options. Life is no longer black and white. Binarism is dying and in its place a universe of colors and possibilities is born that welcomes diversity and authenticity.

It is in this context that fluid gender arises. It is a type of non-binary gender identity whose people who identify with it are characterized by having different gender identities at different times. Most identify as men or women at different times, but it can also happen that they feel both at the same time, that they do not feel like either, or that they make combinations. The common characteristic is the fluctuating character of this identity.

Fluid gender identity is by nature ambiguous and changing, so trying to classify this identity is complex. This is because the people who experience it in this way determine their own identity parameters: one fluid gender identity can not only differ enormously from another, but can also vary through time and circumstances.

Some gender fluid people use different pronouns depending on the moment (them, she, he) and can dress or express themselves as they feel at each moment: they may dress for a while in clothes considered feminine, then in a mix or in a “neutral” way, another time with clothes considered masculine, and so on.

Genderfluid people do not fit into the gender binary or the idea of ​​having a fixed gender throughout life. In essence, they understand gender as something that changes, which is a far cry from the way most cultures understand gender.

Our idea of ​​gender has been changing, since it has become evident that the gender binarism is limiting and does not represent the feelings and experiences of all people. Something very important that this change has brought about is recognizing that there can be as many ways of feeling and living gender as there are people in the world. In the end, understanding gender in a more open way allows us to be more accepting and inclusive of our experiences and those of other people.

Gender Fluid vs Transgender

Identifying as fluid gender should not be automatically associated with sexual identity; that is, being gender fluid does not imply wanting a sex change.

In addition, a genderfluid person may be comfortable with a heteronormative sexuality assigned to her apparent physical gender, regardless of how the person perceives its psychological gender identity. To exemplify this, we can say that a person who was born anatomically male can have a heterosexual orientation but psychologically identify as something other than a man, including, but not necessarily, a woman.

How to know if you are genderfluid

Being of one gender or another is not something innate, so knowing which gender you belong to depends on what each person feels and there are as many feelings as there are human beings in the world.

For this reason, it is always important to clarify that gender labels are nothing more than words to be able to name what each one feels and with what each one identifies. In other words, and we want to be very emphatic, clear and respectful with this, that the so-called “labels” are always indicative, never descriptive. So what each person feels, like fluid gender, can change. 

The indicative descriptions are the following:

• You don’t end up identifying with either of the two binary genders. You don’t feel comfortable with the gender you were born with, but you also don’t feel like you belong entirely to the other gender.
• You feel that your gender identity is somewhat unstable. At some moments or periods of time you feel more masculine and at others, more feminine.
• You identify with elements of both genders. There are aspects associated with masculinity that you feel define you, but in the same way you feel that there are aspects associated with femininity that also define you.
• You use gender pronouns indistinctly or you use neutral gender pronouns. You don’t mind that people sometimes get confused with your pronouns or you even prefer that they use neutral pronouns to refer to you.
• Your look is not ascribed to any gender or varies between the two. You like to wear clothes that are not associated with your gender but also with those that are, depending on the moment and how you feel.

If you are interested in reading more about this topic, check our recent article The differences between sexual orientation and identity.