What is pangender mean

Pangender Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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[ pan-jen-der ]

/ pænˈdʒɛn dər /

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adjective

Also pan·gen·dered . noting or relating to a person whose gender identity is not limited to one gender and who may feel like a member of all genders at the same time.

noun

a person who is pangender.

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Origin of pangender

pan- + gender¹

Words nearby pangender

pan-fry, panful, pang, panga, Pangaea, pangender, pangenesis, Pan-Germanism, Pang-fou, Pangloss, Panglossian

Dictionary. com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

ABOUT THIS WORD

What does

pangender mean?

Pangender refers to a person whose gender identity is not limited to one gender and may encompass all genders at once.

Where did the term

pangender come from?

Not to be confused with pansexuality (“attraction to people regardless of their gender”), pangender is “a gender identity not limited to one gender.” A person with this identity may feel their identity encompasses all possible genders at once. This includes traditional binary genders (male and female) and nonbinary genders. The prefix, pan-, comes from a Greek root meaning “all” (cf. pantheism).

Pangender itself falls within the realm of nonbinary gender identity, and those that are pangender might use gender-neutral pronouns like they/them, among others.

Evidence for pangender dates back to the 1980–90s. 1990s Usenet posts, for instance, discussed a pangender- and pansexual-friendly event and described a book as pangender in topic. It was defined on Urban Dictionary in 2006, and has since gained prominence in more mainstream discussions of gender and sexuality in the 2010s, given growing inclusion and visibility of nonbinary gender identities in culture.

Since 2015, Pangendering has been a popular Tumblr blog and resource on many gender-related subjects.

How to use the term

pangender

Since gender is different from sexual attraction, one could identify as pangender and pansexual, though it’s important not to confuse the two.

Pangender is often used as a self-identifier and is common on social-media platforms like Tumblr and Twitter. It is also discussed in such popular publications as CNN, NPR, and Vice educating audiences about gender diversity.

Also, nb folks, whether you're agender, bigender, pangender, non-binary male, non-binary female, genderfluid, genderqueer, whatever, can explain your gender totally, can't explain it a bit, use nonsense metaphors to explain it, you're all valid here. I will fight for all y'all

— Fiona the Devil's Lesbian Lover (@GayestTiefling) September 27, 2018

More examples of pangender:

“Seemingly drowning in sexual excess and describing himself as genderless, he sings about women, threesomes, and strip club pussy. He’s committed to black awareness but is also eager to make sure his music caters to the white girls he believes he needs to make his career pop off. If he sounds like a strutting oxymoron, let it be known that Isiah also hasn’t strayed far from gospel music and his traditional church roots. Simply by being his provocative self, he manages to press Christian aesthetics and God worship in service of a progressively pansexual, pangender, panracial, pan-everything sensibility.”
—Jason King, Pitchfork, November 2018

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.

Pangender Definition - Meaning, Signs, Pronouns, Flag, Per Experts

Perhaps you’ve felt boxed in by the concept of gender, and having to choose an identity within the binary of male versus female gives you major angst. Or maybe you’ve thought on multiple occasions, “Why should I have to choose just one gender out of all of those accessible to me? Why can’t I be all of them?” Spoiler alert: You can be…and, in fact, you might be pangender.

Pangender is a gender identity term that describes a person who identifies as any and all genders, says Ashley Zayas, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist who serves clients in New York and New Jersey. This can include genders within the gender binary of male versus female as well as outside of it. Moreover, a pangender person might experience the various genders they identify with to differing degrees, one at a time, or simultaneously, Zayas adds.

Meet the experts:

Ashley Zayas, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and therapist who serves clients in New York and New Jersey.

Cal Klingensmith, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and therapist based in New York who specializes in gender-affirming care.

It’s also important to note that a pangender person can only identify with genders within their own cultural background and life experiences. For example, unless they have an Indigenous background, their gender would not include two-spirit (an umbrella term that describes someone who embodies both a masculine and feminine spirit). Similarly, if they don’t have roots in South Asia, their gender would not include hijra (another umbrella term specific to South Asia, especially India, that describes intersex folks, transgender people, and nonbinary identities), says Zayas.

So what does it mean to be pangender and how do you know if the pangender identity is right for you? Ahead, experts explain all you need to know about the gender identity.

How do I know if I’m pangender?

While there’s no set criteria for determining whether or not you’re pangender because every gender identity exists on a spectrum, here are some expert-approved signs the pangender identity might be right for you:

You identify with the gender assigned to you at birth, but you experience other genders as well.
You experience many genders, at varying degrees, simultaneously.
You experience a different gender every other day (a.k.a. you might identify as nonbinary one day and gender neutral the next).
You don’t really mind how other people perceive you as you feel comfortable with all gender identity labels.
You believe your gender to be expansive, and don’t feel comfortable boxing yourself into one label.

When choosing a gender identity label (if you do choose to label yourself), pay attention to what feels uncomfortable (is it that you’re uncomfortable with your chest? Or maybe you don’t enjoy being seen as either a man or woman?) and then go from there, explains Cal Klingensmith, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist based in New York who specializes in gender-affirming care.

FYI: When it comes to gender, it’s okay to play around with different labels until you find one that feels right to you. Eventually, you might find yourself resonating most with the pangender identity or another identity altogether.

If you're struggling to find a gender that feels right to you, you're not alone. These folks offer some advice on how to discover your gender identity:

What’s the difference between pangender, omnigender, nonbinary, and pansexual?

This might sound duh, but gender and sexual orientation are not the same thing. Someone’s gender does not determine their sexual orientation and vice versa. Sexuality describes who you’re physically attracted to, while gender describes how you internally feel about your own gender identity, explains Klingensmith.

So while both pangender and pansexual begin with the prefix “pan-” (meaning “all,” BTW), pangender describes someone who understands their gender identity as encompassing all genders, while someone who is pansexual experiences sexual attraction towards people of all genders or is attracted to others sexually regardless of their sex or gender identity. In other words, someone who is pansexual is attracted to all people.

In terms of the difference between pangender and nonbinary, nonbinary is an umbrella term that describes people whose gender identity falls outside of the two gender binary, says Zayas. Someone who is pangender may experience the nonbinary label as one of their many gender identities, but someone who is nonbinary isn’t necessarily pangender. Someone who is nonbinary might not experience gender at all (i.e., they’re agender), which is the complete opposite of what it means to be pangender.

Non-binary people: who they are and how to contact them

From April 11, 2022, American citizens will be able to choose one of three genders, including non-binary X, when applying for a passport.

Who is

What you need to know

Types of non-binary persons

How to communicate with them

Who is a non-binary person

A non-binary person is a person whose gender identity is neither feminine nor masculine. Initially, these people were called "genderqueer" (from English queer - fake, fake, fake ). Over time, the term "genderqueer" has come to be used as a generic term for identities that transcend the traditional binary system. In 2014, “genderqueer” in the media was replaced by a more neutral concept of “non-binary gender”.

For the first time a non-binary character appeared on the big TV screen in the series "Billions". The role of the hedge fund star's hero was given to Asia Kate Dillon. In the series, they played a character that reflects their real gender identity. In 2018, Dillon was nominated for an Emmy Award for this role. True, the organizers had difficulties with the definition of gender. They sent a letter to Asia, in which they asked to clarify which nomination is closer: best actor or supporting actress. Asia preferred the first option because the word "actor" is gender neutral. There is also a non-binary character in the continuation of the Sex and the City series. Actress Sara Ramirez played podcast host Che Diaz. And in 2022, American figure skater Timothy LeDuc became the first athlete in the history of the Olympic Games to publicly declare his non-binary. nine0003

At the same time, non-binary as a phenomenon has a long history and has been found in many Western cultures. For example, the Native American peoples of the United States believed that there were people who did not fit into the usual binary gender system. The Indians had five concepts or five genders: man, woman, man with two souls, woman with two souls, transgender. So, the Navajo tribe called people with two souls Nadleehi (changed), in Ojibwe there was the concept of Niizh Manidoowag (two spirits), and a person with two souls in the Cheyenne was called Hemaneh (half-man-half-woman). nine0003

There is no information about the exact number of non-binary people in Russia. Experts believe that this is due to the specificity of the problem. Often such people have to hide their lives in order to avoid discrimination. But in some countries, statistics are freely available. According to a study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, 1.2 million LGBTQ+ people in the US identify as non-binary. Most of them are under 29 years old. The Williams Institute national poll also revealed other facts:

55% of non-binary people surveyed have been bullied, beaten, physically assaulted or sexually assaulted;
82% experienced emotional abuse as children;
53% reported being bullied as children;
11% of non-binary people were exposed to conversion therapy at an early age.

Conversion or reparative therapy is a non-scientific technique that aims to "correct" a person's sexual orientation. According to the UN, the main goal of such therapy is to help make the transition from non-heterosexuality to heterosexuality and from transgender or gender variability to cisgenderness. Experts managed to record the use of conversion therapy in at least 68 countries. For example, in 2015, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights reported that in so-called “correction clinics” in Ecuador, girls were shackled, beaten, deprived of food, forced to be naked and left tied up for several days. In Nigeria, there have been cases of "healing" by pouring oil into the vagina. There is evidence that indicates that such patients are still being injected with drugs in Iran and the United States. They cause nausea or paralysis. Simultaneously with the introduction of narcotic drugs, erotic materials are shown on the big screen. nine0003

In 2012, the International Day of Visibility for Non-Binary People was born. It is celebrated on July 14th. The main goal is to talk about the problems that non-binary people face around the world. Some legal issues have already been resolved. So, from April 11, 2022, all American citizens will be able to choose one of three genders when applying for a passport, including non-binary X. Gender-neutral passports are also issued in Australia, New Zealand, Nepal, Canada, the Netherlands and Argentina.

Non-binary persons also have their own flag. It was created by activist Kai Rowan in 2014. The yellow line represents those whose gender is outside the binary system. The white line represents people of all genders. The purple line represents those whose gender identity is somewhere between masculine and feminine or a mixture of both. The black line symbolizes people outside of gender.

Photo: wikipedia.org

What you need to know about non-binary people

The very word "gender" appeared thanks to the sexologist John Money. At 19In 1955, in his works, he proposed to separate the biological sex of a person from his role in society. After all, sex and gender are not the same thing. We analyze the basic concepts with the help of the MSD medical reference book.

Gender - the biological status of a person. It is determined by medical professionals, focusing on the primary and secondary sexual characteristics of the child.
Gender identity - a sense of belonging to a certain gender. A person decides how to define himself: a man, a woman, a transgender or another term. At the same time, gender identity has nothing to do with sexual orientation. That is, a non-binary person can classify himself as any gender, but at the same time remain heterosexual. nine0006
Sexual identity is a person's sexual preferences.
Gender identity - the individual's feeling of being a boy or a girl, a man or a woman.
Gender role - public manifestation of gender identity.
Transgender - a discrepancy between a person's gender identity and the sex assigned to him at birth.

Are non-binary born or made? nine0075

According to experts, biological factors (gene set, prenatal hormonal environment ) largely determine a person's gender identity. Scientists even conducted a study of the brain, which confirmed this fact. However, social factors also influence a person's gender identity and gender role. For example, the nature of the emotional connection with the parents and the relationship of each parent with the child.

Are non-binary people intersex people?

According to the classical binary system, there are only two genders: male and female. But there is another category of people that does not fit into the usual framework. Such persons are called intersex. In their case, gender choice is not a problem of self-identity and self-perception, but a medical feature.

Intersex people are usually called people who have pathologies of the development of the genital organs or genetic abnormalities. According to the UN, up to 1. 7% of children are born with gender characteristics that do not fit into traditional binary representations. At the same time, in many countries intersex children are still prescribed procedures and operations that are aimed at changing their sexual characteristics and appearance. The UN opposes such measures, noting that these actions violate their rights, and such interventions cause physical and psychological suffering. nine0003

Are non-binary people transgender?

Non-binary and transgender people are generally categorized as transgender. But these concepts should not be confused.

Dmitry Palatnik, life coach who works with LGBTQ+ people, queer researcher, hypnotherapist:

“These people often change their self-perception and self-definition in LGBTQ+. This can happen on the path of self-awareness, depending on how they perceive themselves at the moment. On the example of transgender people: a person goes through several phases. The first is complete denial and, to some extent, internal transphobia. The person does not want to associate themselves with the LGBTQ+ community at this stage. The next phase is when a person realizes that he still belongs to some category of LGBTQ+, but cannot decide, and can begin to consider himself an agender. In the next phase, a transgender person may consider himself non-binary, since he definitely does not “fit in” with the gender with which he was born, but also does not “hold out” to the desired gender. The category of non-binary people often includes those who, for some reason, do not want or cannot make the transition, but at the same time do not want to be perceived as belonging to the gender with which they were born or which is now in their passport / birth certificate. nine0003

How to distinguish a non-binary person by external features?

It is impossible to distinguish a non-binary person by external signs. The only way is communication. During the conversation, you need to follow the pronouns that the interlocutor uses. But not always they can act as an indicator of his gender. It's also not worth asking direct questions. If a person wants, then he himself will raise this topic and open up to you.

Types of non-binary personas

As we wrote above, a non-binary persona is a general concept that covers all people whose gender identity is neither female nor male. But even among them there is a division. Let's imagine the main types of non-binary people. nine0003

Agender . Such a person either has no gender identity at all, or is indescribable. An example of an agender is hip-hop artist Angel Hayes. In 2016, the musician admitted that she considers herself asexual and does not belong to any gender.
Bigender . Such person is a bearer of two genders. And if a person relates himself to all identities, then he will already be a pangender.

Demi-genders (demi-boy or demi-girl).

Genderqueer. Persons of this type try to abandon all gender stereotypes. Genderqueer is The Crown star Emma Corrin. She announced this publicly in 2021.
Genderfluid . In such people, gender identity is changeable and depends on the emotional state at a certain period of life. So, British model and actress Cara Delevingne belongs to gender fluids. Model, TV actress Ruby Rose is also a gender fluid. She spoke about her fluid gender identity back in 2014. nine0006

How to communicate with non-binary people

Non-binary gender creates some linguistic and philological difficulties. How to deal with such people?

Dmitry Palatnik:

“First of all, I would like to note that non-binary and transgender people react very painfully to misgendering (when people around them confuse their gender). Therefore, it is important at the beginning of the conversation to immediately ask a non-binary person how to address him, what name to call him. By the appearance of a person, it is impossible to understand what kind of treatment will be comfortable for him. You may encounter people who look very feminine, but want to be addressed with "he", or, conversely, not addressed at all or use the pronouns "you", "they". nine0003

If, upon first contact with a non-binary person, it was not immediately possible to clarify which pronouns or name are comfortable for him, it is better to avoid phrases with a gender marker and not use pronouns in a conversation.

Dmitry Palatnik:

“A non-binary person can change his self-perception from time to time. It may be that today a person feels like "she", tomorrow - like "he", and the day after tomorrow does not want to refer to any gender. Therefore, another rule is to periodically ask him again about the nuances of comfortable treatment for him. nine0050 When communicating with non-binary and transgender people, it is worth remembering that they often feel uncomfortable “ open up ”, because they are used to ridicule and misunderstanding from others when trying to open up. To establish and maintain communication, it is important to create a safe space and trust.”

Some additions to genderqueer terminology *

This is not the first time I have addressed genderqueer terminology. Let me remind you that I built the genderqueer terminology system in two coordinates - gender identity (GI) and gender presentation/expression (GP). In the aspect of gender identity, two classes of phenomena were distinguished - transgender and agender. Phenomena covered by the term 9 remained outside the field of consideration.0151 pangender , with which we will begin the discussion. In the English Wikipedia (no Russian version) this term is interpreted as follows:

Pangender people are those who do not wish to be labeled as female or male in gender, as they feel that they do not fit into binary genders because they feel they are all genders (Pangenders are people who do not want to classify themselves as either male or female, because they do not find a place for themselves in the binary gender scheme, feeling belonging to all genders at once). The Standards of Care Objective manual defines it as follows: pangender - no identification with male or female models at all, "comprehensive" integer .

What does it mean to include oneself in the entire gender continuum at once, and how does such self-identification correlate with presentation? Gender (as well as its main incarnations, masculinity and femininity) is a complex concept constructed from a multitude of elementary concepts and ideas, which in practice (in terms of GP) correspond to specific diagnostic features that can be instrumentally or speculatively assessed. Of course, none of these constitutive traits of an individual can take on more than one meaning at the same time, which corresponds to a single point on the gender spectrum, and by no means to the spectrum as a whole. Accordingly, if we conduct a multidimensional assessment of the gender of any individual in terms of his appearance, behavior and other significant features, then it will, of course, be point. Pangender identity precludes such certainty. nine0003

In this regard, a natural question arises about the relationship between the terms pangender and agender . Agenderness is understood as the denial of any gender identity or, alternatively, the declaration of non-gender identity as a special identity, with the possible absence of pronounced gender expression. Thus, a pangender and an agender are united by the inability (or unwillingness) to indicate their GI, to independently determine their place in the gender continuum (although this place is unambiguously specified in both cases according to the characteristics of the GP). It is this inability that is their most essential distinguishing feature. In the above work on terminology, I wrote that gender identity is not defined in terms of gender (and therefore cannot be included in the scope of transgender phenomena). The subject's refusal to reflect on his gender can manifest itself in statements like "I'm just a man" or in attempts to identify himself with other sentient beings. However, for a researcher who uses gender terminology, it is precisely the impossibility to project oneself into a specific point of gender space, no matter how it is explained and no matter how motivated.

Since both pangender and agender suggest the same degree of uncertainty in gender status, both terms can be considered as peculiar metaphors for this uncertainty and reduced to a partial synonymy. For all cases where assignment to a certain gender based on self-identification is difficult or impossible, I propose the term dysgender (from the Greek prefix dys- , meaning denial or dysfunction) in contrast to all other cases when eugenderness occurs (Greek eu- - good, correct). Eugenderness includes all realizations of cisgender and transgender. Pangenderism and agenderism can be seen as special cases of dysgenderism. The concept of genderqueer in my version thus covers all dysgenders and the transgender part of eugenders. nine0003

The question of the relationship between these two concepts and terms requires additional analysis due to the presence of methodological difficulties. In principle, referring oneself to all genders at once is linguistically tantamount to not referring to any particular gender. In particular, the phrase "I am neither a man nor a woman" in the bipolar gender continuum is logically equivalent to the phrase "I am both a man and a woman." However, the subject's complete rejection of any gender affiliation ("I'm just a man") puts the researcher in a difficult position. In fact, it means ignoring gender coordinates in the perception of society and interaction with it and, accordingly, artificial impoverishment of the language of dialogue, excluding any diagnostics. In this situation, the researcher, apparently, has the right, when assessing the gender status, to proceed, first of all, from the gender presentation, and not from the declared identity. nine0003

In connection with what has been said, it is necessary to point out a very significant point, which usually remains in the background.

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What is pangender mean

Pangender Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

Origin of pangender

Words nearby pangender

ABOUT THIS WORD

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Pangender Definition - Meaning, Signs, Pronouns, Flag, Per Experts

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Non-binary people: who they are and how to contact them

Who is a non-binary person

What you need to know about non-binary people

Are non-binary born or made? nine0075

Are non-binary people intersex people?

Are non-binary people transgender?

How to distinguish a non-binary person by external features?

Types of non-binary personas

How to communicate with non-binary people

Some additions to genderqueer terminology *