Mēdén or Mēdénic is an identity that describes someone who is not gendered, not possessing a gender, not at all connected to the concept of gender, and/or has a non-existent gender, where gender is not something that one even has. This term is not a gender in any form as mēdén individuals do not possess the concept of gender, but an identity that describes the non-existence of gender.
The majority of those who identify as mēdén will consider themselves neither cisgender nor transgender, because they do not identify as their sex assigned at birth nor as a gender that isn't their assigned at birth - they identify as no gender at all. Mēdén individuals are not agender, genderless, or agiaspec at all, their identity has no room for gender nor can they be described by any gender identity because they have no gender identity. Many mēdén individuals may use gendered terms to describe this simply because of how difficult it is to explain the concept of not being gendered or described by any gender identity, but this does not make them any less mēdén.
The term is similar to the concept of yonderine, but detached from gender altogether. As well as this, some definitions of mēdén such as in relation to a spiritual belief or cultural identity are not inherently LGBTQ+. Some examples of how someone may come to identify as mēdén are:
- Identifying as a cultural identity, such as two-spirit, which is not a gender but still overlaps the 'space' where a gender could have been, creating the unique experience of not being gendered at all nor associated with the concept of gender identity
- Being genderf*ck and identifying as mēdén by choice as a way of breaking the concept of gender (this is called mēdénchoice)
- Having the spiritual belief that one does not possess a gender, that gender never existed, or similar
- Being raised without a gender and growing to identify as not possessing one
- Identifying as a cultural identity, intersex, or similar identities and feeling as if one does not possess a gender due to the fact that ones identity defines all one needs to define
History & Etymology
Mēdén was coined on October 31st, 2021, by Discord user ★~Aether~Indigenous~★#0558. The coiner is an indigenous two-spirit system who coined the term with their own experience as two-spirit in mind. It was coined through this page and has no outside resources.
The word mēdén comes from the Ancient Greek word meaning 'nothing'.
Flag
The mēdén flag was coined on the same day by the same user. It represents the entirety of the mēdén community and the symbol used, the symbol meaning 'null', represents the experience of not possessing a gender at all.