Custodiogender (also known as sentiogender) is a sub-set of genderfluid that describes a gender that changes based on the perception of how others view the individual's gender. This is a gender that activates or alters after interaction with others, after gender-affirmation or gender-refutation, or after the individual believes/is reminded that they are being perceived as a certain gender (even if no one is around.) A custodiogender individual may be able to activate their own gender by perceiving themself.
Someone who is custodiogender may fluctuate between pretending to be a certain gender due to other's perception, being in a state of becoming that gender and actually being it. After a certain gender is activated, it may remain for a period of time even after the activation trigger has ceased. A custodiogender individual often has a base/static gender for when they are unperceived or unobserved and may therefore also identify as demifluid.
Others may or may not perceive their gender to be a certain way, but a custodiogender individual’s gender is altered based on how that individual believes others are viewing their gender. For instance, someone may be viewing a custodiogender individual as agender but is using the gendered pronouns she/her, and therefore the custodiogender individual would interpret herself to be female (despite the "perceiver" viewing their gender differently in their own head.) Simply put, this gender relates to how someone thinks other folks gender them and does not always relate to how someone is being mentally gendered.
This is a xenogender that falls under mutogender and is a type of condigender. This falls under amative genders.
This gender is related to gendered-dynamics, gendered-language used by others, and actions that are perceived to be motivated by gender. A custodiogender individual may have little grasp of their gender identity when unperceived, or they may have a strong sense of identity which is then altered when they are perceived.
It may be considered impolite to purposefully activate a custodiogender individual's gender.
Custodio-genders
Someone who is custodiogender may or may not also identify with pangender, panagender, polygender and/or multiflux. Someone who is custodiogender may have any gender as their base/static gender, and may fluctuate to one, some, multiple and/or all other genders upon perception.
Custodiogender relates to omninity in the sense that those of this gender may have the potential to activate into any/all genders. This potential gender energy can be likened to the concept of having a gender that is able to shape-shift into anything upon specific observation. All of these genders are based on the concept that they can only be activated through being observed, either by another individual or the custodiogender individual themself. Examples of omnine custodio-genders are:
- Pancustodiogender - a form of multigender where an individual can activate into any gender/all genders/into an infinite gender.
- Omnicustodiogender - a form of multigender where someone can experience almost every gender based on gender observation.
- Panacustodiogender - a form of custodiogender where an individual feels simultaneous infinite gender and agender experiences when new genders are activated (this individual might be disconnected from their new gender(s) or need time to assimilate it into their identity.)
Custodiogender individuals that experience an activation of one gender (though they may experience other ones as well) may use these monogender labels:
- Custodiogirl - someone who is observed as a girl and therefore becomes one.
- Custodioboy - someone who is observed as a boy and therefore becomes one.
- Custodioxeno - someone who is observed as a specific xenogender and therefore becomes that xenogender.
- Custodioagender - someone who is observed to be agender and therefore becomes agender.
Custodiogender individuals may only experience gender-fluidity on certain gender spectrums (for example the spectrum of feminine to agender, which is a gender known as faesari). If this individual feels that their gender-fluidity is restricted to a certain point, they may identify with other custodiogender-specific labels:
- Miacustodiogender - for custodiogender folks who only/mainly fluctuates on the mia-spectrum.
- Fiacustodiogender - for custodiogender folks who only/mainly fluctuate on the fia-spectrum.
- Agiacustodiogender - for custodiogender folks who only/mainly fluctuate on the agia-spectrum.
- Aiacustodiogender - for custodiogender folks who only/mainly fluctuate on the aia-spectrum.
- Liacustodiogender - for custodiogender folks who only/mainly fluctuate on the lia-spectrum.
- Niacustodiogender - for custodiogender folks who only/mainly fluctuate on the nia-spectrum.
- Xiacustodiogender - for custodiogender folks who only/mainly fluctuate on the xia-spectrum.
Other terms:
- Custodiospike - someone who usually does not have their gender activated by perception/observation but occasionally has rare, sudden and intense spikes of activation.
- Custodioflux - for someone whose intensity of gender can fluctuate based on gender observation, and/or whose intensity custodoity (the ability for gender to be activated through observation) fluctuates.
- Custodiofluid - someone who changes from being non-custodiol to custodiol or vice versa, and/or does not experience ongoing custodoity
- Demicustodiogender - in which one is partially, but not fully, custodiogender.
- Amicacustodiogender - in which one is custodiogender depending on which group they are with.
- Amorcustodiogender - in which one is custodiogender around someone/folks who they have formed a deep emotional bond with.
History
Custodiogender was coined by lgbta wiki user Nemosexual on the 4th of August, 2021, after said user was unable to find the correct gender term to describe his experience. This page is the original source of coining for this term and flag. It was originally coined as sentiogender, but the name was changed upon learning that sentiogender is already an lgbt+ term.
Flag
The custodiogender flag is a five-striped flag, coloured black (to represent a static/base gender), green (to represent non-binary and xenogenders), white (to represent genderless/agender experiences), pink (to represent feminine-aligned genders) and blue (to represent masculine-aligned genders). The different colours represent the spectrum of gender fluidity under this gender.
The alternative custodiogender flag has the same stripe meanings as the original flag, but has an amber colour scheme and blurred edges between the stripes to represent fluid and jagged changes between genders.
Etymology
The prefix 'custodio' originates from the latin word meaning 'observed.'