5 minutes
The fluid gender designates the transitional states between different genders. Let’s see more about it and its characteristics.
For most people, your gender and sex match. There are two genders (male and female), which are complemented by the sexes (male and female). For a part of the population, however, this binary categorization is insufficient. Today we show you what gender fluid is and what its characteristics are.
The concept of gender fluid It has become popular in recent years, in part because of the vindication of some famous people. Despite this, we do not hesitate to affirm that it is an unknown label for many or, in any case, that it is open to misinterpretation. In the next few lines we explain what it consists of and we banish some doubts.
Characteristics of the fluid gender
As it reminds us Harvard Health Publishing, the fluid gender is characterized by the change a person makes over time with respect to their gender identity and gender expression. Before continuing, it is very important to define what both concepts refer to, since they are key:
- Gender identity: It is the subjective self-perception that a person makes about their own gender. That is, the way he interprets and assimilates his gender from a psychological point of view.
- Gender expression: it is the way in which gender identity is expressed in a social context through attitudes, behaviors and roles.
Gender identity does not always coincide with gender expression. For example, a person may perceive himself as a woman, but decides not to express it for various reasons (fear, stigma, discrimination, moral or religious precepts).
Once these concepts are clarified, we can return to the definition we have given. Someone who identifies as gender fluid experiences fluctuations between their gender identity (their self-perception) and their gender expression (the way they express it). Thus we include another category: cisgender.
Cisgender is a word used for describe the match between a person’s sex and gender, regardless of your sexual orientation. For example, a homosexual man who perceives himself within the masculine gender is a cisgender. A heterosexual woman who perceives herself within the female gender, too.
The label gender fluid encompasses that of cisgender, but it also moves away from her. It includes it to the extent that during one stage of life, a woman can perceive herself as part of the female gender, but rejects it because at another stage this correspondence may not exist (self-perceive herself as a man, for example).
Is gender fluidity an immutable identification?
The answer to this question is no. In fact, the term fluency it was included to represent constant change.
Think, in this sense, of the fluidity of a river. It is always in constant motion and never stops. Gender fluidity passes through different states without there being a character of immutability.
It is at this point that misunderstandings arise. Whoever defines himself with this category does not experience transitions every day. According to many variables (emotional, geographical, cultural) it can be self-perceived for an indefinite time with such a gender.
Therefore, there is no established time limit. It can take years and even decades before you experience a transition, but also a couple of weeks or months. There is no place for a general criterion.
For all that we have presented, and as the researchers, this label turns its back on the traditional divisions between man and woman and their corresponding masculine and feminine. It is thought that gender identity begins to consolidate around 3 years of age, so that fluid gender can emerge during this stage.
The idea erodes classical social precepts binary division and replaces them with a more open and free landscape. Despite what we have commented, there is no full definition of gender fluidity. Each person assimilates it in their own way. The identity, expression and landscape of accepted genres varies with each case.
Misconceptions regarding gender fluid
As with other similar labels, this category tends to generate misinterpretations, prejudices or misconceptions. One of the most common is equating gender fluidity with sexual fluidity. These are different concepts. While in the first case it is oriented towards gender, in the second it is oriented towards sex.
Gender and sex are different ideas that, although they keep some relationships, they should never be interpreted as synonyms. Sexual fluidity is often associated with polysexuality or bisexuality. That is, the attraction for more than one sex. Who defines himself with the concept of fluid gender is not necessarily polysexual or bisexual.
This leads us to another prejudice: believing that everyone is polygamous.. Of course there are gender-fluid people who are, as well as men, women, gays or lesbians who maintain this practice. It is not a universal conditioner.
Another misconception is equating them with transgender people. A transgender is a person whose gender identity is different from the sex assigned at birth. However, it does not go through transitions. This is the main idea that differentiates both concepts.
Gender fluidity is more complex than you might initially think and their different nuances and relationships give rise to mistakes. Since it is an idea that has been introduced a short time ago, it is natural that there are still pieces of the puzzle to fully build it.
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