Xenogender

Xenogender is an umbrella term for non-binary gender identities that cannot be fully described using concepts typically used to describe gender such as masculinity, femininity, androgyny, and so on. It is sometimes described as any gender that cannot be defined using the 'usual' human interpretations of gender. Xenogenders can best be described through how they relate to things, animals, plants, beings, or concepts. The opposite of xenogender is anthrogender, a gender that can be described using terms such as feminine, masculine, and such.

A way in which those that identify as a xenogender can be referred to is using the term xenic. Xenic people often have a strong understanding of how their gender feels to them, however there often weren't words that describe their experiences. The term for this is a lexical gap, and to fill this gap many xenogenders are coined in order to help xenic people better express their xeninity.

Xenogenders often fall into one of three categories:

Nouns and archetypes: Some xenic people find it easier to perceive or describe their gender identity using familiar nouns and archetypes. Instead of referencing masculinity and femininity, they would describe their gender as similar to something like an animal (faunagender), thing, food (gastrogender), or any other noun/archetype. These are commonly referred to as noungenders.
Aesthetic and synaesthetic perceptions: Other xenic individuals use aesthetics and synesthetic perceptions to describe their gender. Aesthetic refers to the style, design, or 'feel' of something, for example, a gender that relates to having a soft aesthetic. Synaesthetic perceptions refer to genders related to colours, sounds, and similar concepts - the word synaesthetic comes from the condition, Synaesthesia (a condition in which people experience a link in senses, causing things like words or colours could be related to things like sounds in their mind). These are commonly known as aesthetigenders
Neurodiversity: Exclusive to neurodivergent/neurodiverse individuals, some xenogenders are based on or affected by experiences that these xenic people may face. For example, ones gender could feel affected by their autism. These genders are known as neurogenders

Someone who identifies as a binary gender, and relates/connects to xenogenders (without identifying as xenic) may call themselves meliusgender.

History & Coining[]

The term xenogender was coined by Tumblr user Baaphomett in 2014

The prefix xeno- indicates some having to do with aliens, which is appropriate as xenogenders are unrelated to human genders.

Flag & Symbols[]

The first xenogender flag was created on January 15, 2017 by DeviantArt user Pastelmemer. The central symbol is the astronomical sign for the asteroid Iris, a Greek goddess of rainbows. The colors chosen are common colors present in iris flowers. The central stripe is yellow, a common non-binary color. It is opposed to purple, which usually stands for androgynous non-binary genders which have some combination of male and female identities, yellow is often used to symbolize genders which have nothing to do with the binary in any way, which includes xenogenders.