The Colorful World of the Transgender Umbrella

The LGBTQIA community comprises many spectrums. But amidst the abundance of variety, each spectrum can further be expanded, making the rainbow truly colorful. Today, we’re going to inform you about the transgender umbrella.

Please don’t think that this is yet another “buzzword of the day”. You’ll be surprised by how diverse the trans umbrella is. It’s important to get to know these sub-groups because part of being a respectful human being is having the courtesy of properly identifying and acknowledging a person’s gender identity expression.

What is the Transgender Umbrella?

The trans umbrella term was created because gender identities and gender expressions are ever-growing. Many individuals are not as apprehensive as they were before because the current climate of acceptance is lightyears better than it was in the past.

Before, the word transgender mostly just pertained to two types of individuals who fall under the gender binary, the male-to-female (trans woman) and female-to-male (trans man) trans people. Now, it may also be used to refer to non-binary individuals.

Origins

Transgender became an umbrella term in 1992. The International Conference on Transgender Law and Employment Policy defined transgender as an expansive umbrella term including “transsexuals, transgenderists, cross dressers”, and anyone transitioning.

According to Stonewall, it’s also an umbrella term describing people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth.

The Different Groups of the Trans Umbrella

For you to grasp how easy it is to remember the sub-groups of the trans umbrella, we will be dividing the types into different groups, the binary, the non-binary, and the genderqueer. Please know that everything in this list is not final yet as gender identity expressions are ever-growing.

Binary

The binary consists of trans individuals who fall under the gender binary. The gender binary is a system of gender classification in which all people are categorized as being either male or female.

Trans Woman

A trans woman or transgender woman is someone who was assigned male at birth. They identify as female and may experience gender dysphoria. Some choose to go under transitioning by either:

• dressing up traditionally as a woman
• taking hormone replacement medication
• undergoing surgery

or doing everything all together. Other trans women don’t necessarily have to transition but can identify as a woman if they choose to do so.

Trans Man

A trans man or transgender man is someone who was assigned female at birth. They identify as male and may experience gender dysphoria. Some choose to go under transitioning by either:

• dressing up traditionally as a man
• taking hormone replacement medication
• undergoing surgery

or doing everything all together. Other trans men don’t need to transition to be trans but can identify as a man if they choose to do so.

Non-binary

Non-binary is a word that pertains to individuals who feel their gender cannot be defined within the walls of the gender binary. Instead, they understand their gender in a way that extends through being either a man or woman.

Agender

It is simply defined as not having a gender. Other agender people describe the term as a lack of gender. However, there are others who pertain to themselves as gender neutral. Others may also use the terms gender-free and genderless.

Neutrois

Also belonging to the non-binary which consists of people who have a neutral or null gender. Sometimes, it overlaps with agender as some individuals who consider themselves neutrally gendered or genderless may identify as both, while others prefer one term or the other.

Nonbinary Trans

Nonbinary trans identities have historically pertained to a group of gender non-normative embodiments that stand on the outside of, or sometimes in direct opposition to the Western binary classifications of gender (i.e., man or woman).

These identities include but are not limited to

• genderqueer
• androgyny
• gender nonconforming
• genderfluid
• and genderf*ck

Genderf*ck

Sometimes known as genderpunk, seeks to subvert the traditional gender binary by mixing or bending one’s gender:

• identity
• expression
• or presentation

For example, a trans woman donned in a traditionally female outfit while having a beard.

Bigender

The bigender individuals identify as both men and women. They may sometimes move between masculine gender expression and feminine gender expression, possessing two distinct gender identities simultaneously or fluctuating between them.

Ambigender

Unlike most genders in the non-binary group that are dynamic, ambigender is a static identity in which two genders are experienced simultaneously with no fluidity or shifting.

Other bigender people may also fall under the multigender umbrella term.

Third Gender

It’s a category of people who don’t identify as male or female. They believe they’re:

• Neither
• Both
• Or a combination

Of the two gender binaries.

Genderqueer

Genderqueer people do not believe in conventional gender identities. While some of them don’t identify with the gender binary, others identify with both or a specific combination of the female and male genders.

Demiboy

Are people who identify only with both Male and Agender genders. They’re also known as:

• DemiGuy
• DemiMale
• DemiMan, and more 

However, to be more specific, their identity is not necessarily divided into a 50/50 partition. Some identify more with being agender while others, with being male.

Demigirl

Are individuals who identify only with both the Female and Agender genders. They’re also known as:

• DemiGal
• DemiFemale
• DemiWoman, and more 

However, to be more specific, their identity is not necessarily divided into a 50/50 partition. Some identify more with being agender while others, with being female.

Gender Questioning

A type of gender used by people who are still in the stage of discovering their gender identity. It is a tentative term that they use because they are already sure that they don’t fall under the cisgender umbrella and they are more comfortable belonging to one of the transgender umbrella terms.

Genderfluid

These are individuals who have more room when it comes to expressing their gender identities. They may identify as:

• Female
• Male
• Non-binary and more

depending on their company or the setting. Their preferred pronouns also change depending on how they’re feeling at the moment. Sometimes, they would like to be addressed as She or He, and other times, They.

Omnigender

This individual may also be known as a pangender. The term pertains to individuals who often experience many gender identities at the same time. They also identify with all types of gender identities.

Two Spirit

This is an umbrella term that pertains to native American people that have both a male and female spirit within them. They’re blessed by their Creator to see life through the eyes of both genders.

This type of individual can either be gay or straight and the term may only be used for Native people.

Read also: What is Native America’s “Two Spirit”

Other types

The trans umbrella has more sub-groups but the ones listed above are the most commonly used. Other identities are:

• Androgynous
• MtX
• Mt3
• Mtl and more

If you don’t identify with any of the mentioned gender identities, kindly write a comment below so we can include your gender identity on the list. Remember, every gender identity is valid.

The transgender umbrella has no limits when it comes to gender identity expression and presentation. Nobody in this world has the right to tell you who you’re supposed to be.