[[File:Nonnonbiyoricover.jpg|thumb|220x220px|Cover of first manga volume. From left to right: Renge Miyauchi, Komari and Natsumi Koshigaya, and Hotaru Ichijo.]]
[[File:Static-assets-upload16617388485353815669.png|alt=|thumb|The oldest known non binary flag.]]
'''''Non Non Biyori''''' (のんのんびより) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Atto. The series began publication in Media Factory's ''Monthly Comic Alive'' magazine from September 2009 and is licensed in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment. The story is based on the same setting as Atto's former work, ''Toko-toko & Yume no Yume''. A 12-episode anime television series adaptation by Silver Link aired in Japan between October and December 2013 and has been licensed by Sentai Filmworks.
<nowiki> </nowiki>A second anime season aired between July and September 2015. An anime
film premiered in August 2018, and a third anime season has been
announced.
[[File:Altérnate Non-binary Flag.png|thumb|Alternate non-binary flag made by [[User:Blueberryjello|Blueberryjello]].]]
== Plot ==
The story
takes place in the countryside small town village of Asahigaoka, a place
<nowiki> </nowiki>lacking many of the conveniences that people from the city are
accustomed to. The nearest stores are a few miles away and one of the
local schools consists of only five students, each of whom is in a
different grade of elementary or middle school. Hotaru Ichijo, a fifth
grader from Tokyo, transfers into Asahigaoka Branch School and has to
adjust to countryside life with her new friends.
[[File:Nonbinary 3.jpg|thumb|Alternate flag by tumblr user theultravs]]
== Characters ==
; Renge Miyauchi (宮内 れんげ ''Miyauchi Renge'')
: Voiced by: Kotori Koiwai
: Renge is a first grade student. She likes to greet her friends by
saying "Nyanpasū" (Meow-ning), a nonsensical phrase, and she plays the recorder.
<nowiki> </nowiki>While she generally acts her age, she is often quite perceptive. She
adds a superfluous "n" at the end of sentences as a verbal tic. She is
Hikage and Kazuho's younger sister.
[[File:Alternate Non Binary Flag.png|thumb|Another alternate flag.]]
; Hotaru Ichijo (一条 蛍 ''Ichijō Hotaru'')
: Voiced by: Rie Murakawa
: Hotaru is a fifth grade student who transfers into Asahigaoka Branch
<nowiki> </nowiki>School from Tokyo due to her father's work transfer. She is quite tall
for her age and has a crush on Komari to the point of frequently sewing
various plush dolls of Komari to decorate her room with. She had come to
<nowiki> </nowiki>Asahigaoka several times previously when she was younger because her
relatives live nearby.
[[File:Nonbinary-alt.png|thumb|Another alternate non-binary flag by Kirbirb.]]
; Natsumi Koshigaya (越谷 夏海 ''Koshigaya Natsumi'')
: Voiced by: Ayane Sakura
: Natsumi is a first-year middle school student. She is taller than
Komari, her older sister. Rebellious and carefree, she often talks back
to her mother, plays pranks on her older sister, and does poorly in
: Hikage is Renge's older sister who is a first year high school
student studying in Tokyo. She also appears in the author's other work ''Koakuma Meringue'' (こあくまメレンゲ, lit. "Little Devil's Meringue").
<nowiki> </nowiki>When she returns to the village she tries to impress her siblings and
friends with her trendy and "city-girl" ways only to be upstaged by
Hotaru's genuine modern knowledge.
[[File:L2 A Six Non Binary Flag.png|thumb|200x200px|L2 A Six's alternate flag.]]
; Yukiko Koshigaya (越谷 雪子 ''Koshigaya Yukiko'')
: Voiced by: Akiko Hiramatsu
: Yukiko is Natsumi, Komari, and Suguru's mother. She is often strict,
<nowiki> </nowiki>particularly towards Natsumi, who slacks off a lot. She is also a
graduate of Asahigaoka Branch School. When she was a student, she took
care of Kazuho as Kaede did with Renge when she was younger (according
to the author in the afterword).
[[File:AltNonBinaryFlagByExnoticE.jpg|thumb|Alternate flag by user ExnoticE.]]
; Konomi Fujimiya (富士宮 このみ ''Fujimiya Konomi'')
: Voiced by: Ryōko Shintani
: Konomi is a graduate of Asahigaoka Branch School who lives next door
<nowiki> </nowiki>to the Koshigayas. She is a third year student at a nearby high school.
[[File:Nonbinary 8 stripe.png|thumb|Alternate Pastel 8 stripe Non-binary flag made by PanDemiBoyPride]]
; Honoka Ishikawa (石川 ほのか ''Ishikawa Honoka'')
: Voiced by: Ayahi Takagaki
: Honoka is a first grade student who comes to visit her grandmother
during summer vacation and becomes friends with Renge. She also appears
in the author's other work ''Toko-toko'' (とことこ).
'''Non-Binary''' or '''nonbinary''' (sometimes shortened to '''NBY''' or '''N.B.''') refers to someone whose [[gender]] does not fall strictly within the category of the [[Binary Genders|binary genders]] ([[male]] or [[female]]) that are used in western society. Anyone who is not always, solely, 100% male or always, solely, 100% female can be considered non-binary. Some non-binary individuals may identify with one or both of the binary genders, at least in part, while others are completely unrelated to the binary genders.
== Media ==
Non-binary can be a gender identity on its own, or it can be used as an umbrella term for anyone whose gender is something other than male or female. Some individuals may also use the term [[genderqueer]] interchangeably with non-binary or something else entirely.
=== Anime ===
A 12-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by Silver Link and directed by Shin'ya Kawatsura, aired in Japan between October 7 and December 23, 2013 and was simulcast by Crunchyroll.<sup>[18][19]</sup> An original video animation
<nowiki> </nowiki>(OVA) episode was bundled with the seventh manga volume released on
July 23, 2014, and another OVA was bundled with the tenth manga volume
on September 23, 2016.<sup>[20]</sup> The opening theme is "Nanairo Biyori" (なないろびより ''Rainbow-colored Weather'') by Nano Ripe, and the ending theme, composed by Zaq, is "Non Non Biyori" (のんのん日和) sung by Rie Murakawa, Ayane Sakura, Kana Asumi and Kotori Koiwai. The series is licensed in North America by Sentai Filmworks.<sup>[21]</sup> A second season, ''Non Non Biyori Repeat'', aired in Japan between July 6 and September 21, 2015.<sup>[22]</sup> The opening theme is "Kodama Kotodama" (こだまことだま) by Nano Ripe and the ending theme is "Okaeri" (おかえり ''Welcome Home'') by Murakawa, Sakura, Asumi, and Koiwai.
Non-binary individuals may call themselves enbies or borls (the equivalent of boys or girls) or enben (the equivalent of men or women).<ref>https://askanonbinary.tumblr.com/post/74102698117/okay-everyone-i-want-your-input-on-this-were</ref><ref>[https://nonbinary.wiki/wiki/Glossary_of_English_gender_and_sex_terminology#E Glossary of English gender and sex terminology | Nonbinary Wiki]</ref> Non-binary individuals may also call themselves an enban, which is the equivalent of woman or man. Non-binary is included in the umbrella of [[transgender]], although some non-binary individuals choose not to identify as transgender.
An anime film, titled ''Non Non Biyori Vacation'', premiered on August 25, 2018 with the staff and cast from the anime series returning to reprise their roles.<sup>[23]</sup> The film's opening theme song is "Ao no Rakugaki" (あおのらくがき) by Nano Ripe,<sup>[24]</sup> and the ending theme song is "Omoide" (おもいで) composed by Zaq and performed by Murakawa, Sakura, Asumi, and Koiwai.
== Non-Binary Identities ==
A third season has been announced.
One may identify as non-binary on its own or they may identify as a gender that falls in the category of non-binary. Any gender that is not strictly and completely male or strictly and completely female falls under the category of non-binary. Some common examples of non-binary identities include:
*[[Agender]]
== Reception ==
*[[Androgyne]]
As of December 2015, the manga has sold over 1.3 million copies.
*[[Bigender]]
*[[Demigender]]
*[[Genderfluid]]
*[[Genderflux]]
*[[Libragender]]
*[[Maverique]]
*[[Neutrois]]
*[[Paragender]]
===Types of Non-Binary Genders===
[[File:Alternate star non-binary flag.png|thumb|Alternate star non-binary flag.]]
[[File:Nonbinary coat of arms.png|thumb|Nonbinary coat of arms.]]
Some non-binary can be partly connected to or [[Gender Alignment|aligned]] to one or both of the binary genders. For example, a male-aligned non-binary individual ([[solarian]]) may have an experience similar to binary male people or have some connection to boyhood/manhood, regardless of actual gender. Non-binary individuals are often connected to [[Masculine|masculinity]] and/or [[Feminine|femininity]], but they do not necessarily have to be connected to manhood/boyhood or womanhood/girlhood. This kind of non-binary identities may be called [[viabinary]], [[ideobinary]], or aligned. Non-binary individuals who are somewhere in between or simultaneously experience masculinity and femininity, and/or maleness and femaleness can be called [[androgyne]], [[androgynous]], or [[mesobinary]].
Other non-binary genders are not connected to the binary genders at all. These genders are not connected to maleness, masculinity, femaleness, femininity, and they are not in between male and female or in between masculine and feminine. However, these genders are also not necessarily [[agender]] or otherwise [[genderless]]. This type of gender may be called as [[abinary]], unaligned, [[neutral]], [[stellarian]] (neutral-aligned), [[epicene]], or [[exobinary]].
Non-binary individuals who are not female aligned, feminine aligned, male aligned, masculine aligned, or neutral aligned are called [[atrinary]], or [[outherine]]. Some outherine genders are also [[xenogender|xenogenders]].
==Transition==
Since there is no single "non-binary look" there is no "typical" non-binary transition, it depends on one's gender identity and their goals for gender [[Gender Presentation|presentation]]. Some non-binary individuals do not transition and present as the gender assigned to them at birth, others may attempt to look like the "opposite" of their assigned gender, as more masculine or feminine. Others will attempt to look as androgynous or gender neutral as possible.
Some non-binary individuals may socially transition but do not medically transition. Other non-binary individuals may take elements of binary transgender transitions. For example, an [[AFAB]] (assigned female at birth) non-binary individual may take testosterone, or wear a binder. They may only desire a "partial" transition in order to look androgynous.
===Pronouns===
Each non-binary individual has a unique relationship with [[pronouns]]. If their language has gender neutral pronouns, such as they/them, they may use those. Some non-binary individuals may go by she/her pronouns or he/him pronouns. Others will go by it/its pronouns (though, this should only be used if someone asks, as otherwise it is dehumanizing). Others still will go by [[neopronouns]]. Many non-English speakers will create neopronouns, as their language does not have a gender-neutral singular pronoun like the English "they". Additionally, some may go by [[Multipronominal|multiple]] pronoun sets, and others will go by [[Nullpronominal|no pronouns]], using just a name in place of where pronouns would be.
== History==
===Ancient History===
The existence of non-binary individuals has been recorded by many cultures throughout history. Many non-western cultures recognized three or sometimes more genders, dating back to antiquity, however the existence of these genders was often suppressed during colonization.
*Some of the earliest recorded instances of non-binary individuals come from Mesopotamia. In Mesopotamian mythology, there are references to the types of individuals who are not men and not women. Many priests or individuals who preformed religious duties were described as a third gender.<ref>Murray, Stephen O., and Roscoe, Will (1997). ''Islamic Homosexualities: Culture, History, and Literature.'' New York: New York University Press.</ref><ref>Nissinen, Martti (1998). ''Homoeroticism in the Biblical World'', Translated by Kirsi Stjedna. Fortress Press (November 1998) p. 30. ISBN|0-8006-2985-X</ref>
* The [[Māhū]] in Kanaka Maoli (Hawaiian) cultures are third gender persons that traditionally played spiritual roles within the culture. The first written Western description of māhū occurs in 1789, by Captain William Bligh. When stopped in Tahiti he was introduced to a member of a "class of individuals very common in Otaheitie called Mahoo... who although I was certain was a man, had great marks of effeminacy about him."
*The Buddhist Tipitaka documents four gender categories: female, male, ubhatobyanjanaka (individuals with both male and female characteristics), and pandaka (a complex term with no English translation).
*Prior to western contact, some Native American tribes had third-gender roles. European anthropologists usually referred to them as "berdaches", which Natives considered a slur. In 1990, some Indigenous North Americans adopted the term [[Two Spirit|two-spirit]].
*Across the Indian subcontinent there are several similar gender identities that are collectively known as [[hijra]] in English. Hijra is neither completely male nor female and they typically have a feminine gender expression.
* Jewish sacred texts recognize six genders: zachar (cisgender men), nekeivah (cisgender women), [[ay'lonit]] (transgender men), [[saris]] (transgender women), [[androgynos]] (someone with both male and female characteristics, roughly equivalent to [[androgyne]] or [[bigender]]), and [[tumtum]] (someone whose sex is indeterminate or obscured, roughly equivalent to [[agender]]).
*[[Bissu]] is a gender from the Bugis culture of southern Indonesia which represent all aspects of gender combined to form a whole. They play an important role in religious ceremonies among those who practice the pre-Islamic religion of the area. Traditionally the Bugis recognized five genders, and believed that all five genders must live in harmony for there to be peace in the world.
===Victorian Era (17th-19th Century)===
*In the 17th century, English laws concerning inheritance sometimes referred to individuals who didn’t fit the gender binary using the pronoun "it". While dehumanizing, it was considered the most grammatically fit answer to gendered pronouns around then. This is an example of individuals being considered legally outside of male and female.<ref>[https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/singular-nonbinary-they Singular 'They' | Merriam Webster]</ref>
*Although the "singular they" had been in use in English for hundreds of years in 1745, prescriptive grammarians began to say that it was no longer acceptable. Their reasoning was that neutral pronouns don't exist in Latin, which was thought to be a better language, so English shouldn't use them either. They instead recommended using "he" as a gender-neutral pronoun. This started the dispute over the problem of acceptable gender-neutral pronouns in English.<ref>[https://www.theawl.com/2011/01/our-desperate-250-year-long-search-for-a-gender-neutral-pronoun/ Our Desperate, 250-Year-Long Search for a Gender-Neutral Pronoun | The Awl]</ref>
*The Public Universal Friend (1752-1819) was a genderless evangelist who traveled throughout the eastern United States to preach a theology based on that of the Quakers, which was actively against slavery. The Friend was reanimated by God from a severe illness at age 24 with a new spirit, according to the Friend, which was genderless. The Friend refused to be called by the birth name, even on legal documents, and insisted on being called by [[Nullpronoun|no pronouns]]. Followers respected these wishes, avoiding gender-specific pronouns even in private diaries, and referring only to "the Public Universal Friend", "the Friend" or "P.U.F." The Friend wore clothing that contemporaries described as androgynous, which were usually black robes.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Universal_Friend</ref>
===Modern History===
*The earliest known use of the word "[[genderqueer]]" is by Riki Anne Wilchins in the Spring 1995 newsletter of Transexual Menace. In 1995 they were published in the newsletter In Your Face, wherethey used the term genderqueer In the newsletter, the term appears to refer to individuals with complex or unnamed gender expressions. Wilchins stated they identify as genderqueer in their 1997 autobiography.<ref>https://genderqueerid.com/post/8813994851/answering-gender-questions-coining-genderqueer</ref>
*[[File:Alternative non-binary flag.png|thumb|Alternative non-binary flag made by Twitter user cum_binary.|178x178px]]In 1998, an article from a transgender community on the Internet, Sphere, used the words "queergendered" and "polygendered" interchangeably as umbrella terms for everyone whose gender was outside the gender binary, specifying that these included individuals who were "bi-gendered, non-gendered, or third-gendered," explaining that some faced difficulty in seeking a gender-ambiguous physical transition.<ref>http://gender-sphere.0catch.com/polygenderfaq.htm</ref>
==Flag and Symbols==
The non-binary flag was created by Kye Rowan in February of 2014. It was designed for non-binary individuals who felt the genderqueer flag did not represent them.<ref>[https://thejasmineelf-blog.tumblr.com/post/77007286542/after-counting-up-all-the-votes-for-each https://thejasmineelf.tumblr.com/post/77007286542/after-counting-up-all-the-votes-for-each]</ref> Yellow represents being outside the gender binary, as yellow is often used to distinguish something as its own. White is the presence of all colors, representing individuals who are [[Multigender|many]] or [[Pangender|all genders]]. Purple represents the fluidity and multiplicity of many gender experiences, the uniqueness and flexibility of non-binary individuals, as well as representing those whose gender experiences include being in between female (traditionally pink) and male (traditionally blue). Black is the absence of color and represents [[agender]] or [[genderless]] individuals.
The alternate non-binary flag was created on the LGBTA fandom by user [[User:Blueberryjello|Blueberryjello]] on December 17, 2020. The yellow signifies someone who is not cisgender, the white signifies those who identify as multigender, the black signifies being agender, and the green signifies someone who is without reference to binary<ref>https://lgbta.wikia.org/f/p/4400000000000051180</ref>.
Another alternate was created by wiki user Kirbirb on February 11th, 2021. It was made to be more inclusive than the most common flag. Purple is for androgynous genders and xenogenders, peach is for feminine-aligned and female-aligned genders, white is for both all genders and genderlessness, yellow is for abinary and unaligned genders, and teal is for masculine-aligned and male-aligned genders.
The most common non-binary/genderqueer symbol was created by Johnathan R in 2012.<ref>https://genderqueerid.com/post/27216986889/cakemeister-because-people-seem-to-like-it</ref> It is similar to the male or female symbols, but instead of a cross on the female symbol or arrow on the male symbol, it uses an X or a star on the end. The use of the X denounces both binary genders, and the letter X is commonly used in non-binary pronouns and titles. The position, pointing straight up, also deviates from the positions of the male and female symbols.
Another non-binary flag was coined by [[User:Cryptocrew|Cryptocrew]] at [[User:Hayden000|Hayden000s]] request on January 15th of 2021 and was first [https://lgbta.wikia.org/f/p/4400000000000094761 published on a post] two days later. In the background of the flag, dark blue is for man-aligned non-binary individuals, light blue is for masculine-aligned non-binary individuals, green is for genderless/agender-aligned non-binary individuals, white is for fluid-aligned non-binary individuals, purple is for multigender non-binary individuals, orange is for xenic/outherine-aligned non-binary individuals, pink is for feminine-aligned non-binary individuals, and red is for woman-aligned non-binary individuals. In the front, the black is for falling out of the binary, while the purple crossing off the pink and blue represents being seperate from a man or a woman.
Another non-binary flag was designed on April 9, 2021 by FANDOM user Waterbutcold. The black represents being genderless, blank genders, null genders and absence of gender, the gray represents partial genders, the white represents multigenders, fluid, and flux genders, the yellow represents unique and abinary genders, and the green represents neutral genders. The blue represents masculine and male genders, as well as masculine gender presentation. This includes being male-aligned, linked with masculinity, connected with it, or having aspects of a masculine/male gender. The purple represents male and female, feminine and masculine, and androgynous genders, as well as androgynous gender presentation. This includes every gender that's linked, aligned, or connected to both binary genders in any way. It includes having aspects of both binary genders. The pink represents feminine and female genders, as well as feminine gender presentation. This includes being female-aligned, linked with femininity, connected with it, or having aspects of a feminine/female gender.
The non-binary coat of arms and its heraldic achievement were first designed by Quark-Nova on November 21, 2021.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/QueerVexillology/comments/qykcln/nonbinary_coat_of_arms/</ref> The four quarters of the coat of arms bear the four colors of the nonbinary flag (gold, white, purple and black), going clockwise from the top left. The charge is a frog, itself commonly used as a non-binary emblem, in the colors of the agender flag (black, gray, white and green). The achievement embroiders on the escutcheon - the shield bearing the coat of arms - gems in the colors of the genderfluid flag (pink, white, purple, black and blue, from the center outwards). Furthermore, an imperial orb is added as crest, representing the non-binary gender symbol (🜬). The motto reads ''Humanum ante genus'', Latin for "Human before gender". The blazon is as follows:
''"Quarterly Or, Argent, Purpure and Sable, a Frog couchant to dexter Cendrée doubled Argent and crined Vert"''
The astronomical symbol for comets (☄) is also sometimes used as a non-binary symbol. It was proposed because the male and female signs are both signs for planets. The symbols for comets was likely chosen because comets can exist anywhere in the solar system, showing the vast range of possible non-binary identities. This symbol is also sometimes used for [[maverique]] specifically.
==Resources==
<references />
[[Category:Gender]]
[[Category:Gender]]
[[Category:Miscellaneous gender]]
[[Category:Umbrella Terms]]
Latest revision as of 13:58, 6 February 2022
The non-binary flag.The oldest known non binary flag.Alternate non-binary flag made by Blueberryjello.Alternate flag by tumblr user theultravsAnother alternate flag.Another alternate non-binary flag by Kirbirb.Cryptocrew's non-binary flag.Another alternate non-binary flag by FANDOM user WaterbutcoldThe non-binary symbol.An alternate version of the non-binary symbol. Unicode: U+1F72C 🜬An alternate non-binary symbol. Unicode: U+2604 ☄L2 A Six's alternate flag.Alternate flag by user ExnoticE.Alternate Pastel 8 stripe Non-binary flag made by PanDemiBoyPride
Non-Binary or nonbinary (sometimes shortened to NBY or N.B.) refers to someone whose gender does not fall strictly within the category of the binary genders (male or female) that are used in western society. Anyone who is not always, solely, 100% male or always, solely, 100% female can be considered non-binary. Some non-binary individuals may identify with one or both of the binary genders, at least in part, while others are completely unrelated to the binary genders.
Non-binary can be a gender identity on its own, or it can be used as an umbrella term for anyone whose gender is something other than male or female. Some individuals may also use the term genderqueer interchangeably with non-binary or something else entirely.
Non-binary individuals may call themselves enbies or borls (the equivalent of boys or girls) or enben (the equivalent of men or women).[1][2] Non-binary individuals may also call themselves an enban, which is the equivalent of woman or man. Non-binary is included in the umbrella of transgender, although some non-binary individuals choose not to identify as transgender.
One may identify as non-binary on its own or they may identify as a gender that falls in the category of non-binary. Any gender that is not strictly and completely male or strictly and completely female falls under the category of non-binary. Some common examples of non-binary identities include:
Alternate star non-binary flag.Nonbinary coat of arms.
Some non-binary can be partly connected to or aligned to one or both of the binary genders. For example, a male-aligned non-binary individual (solarian) may have an experience similar to binary male people or have some connection to boyhood/manhood, regardless of actual gender. Non-binary individuals are often connected to masculinity and/or femininity, but they do not necessarily have to be connected to manhood/boyhood or womanhood/girlhood. This kind of non-binary identities may be called viabinary, ideobinary, or aligned. Non-binary individuals who are somewhere in between or simultaneously experience masculinity and femininity, and/or maleness and femaleness can be called androgyne, androgynous, or mesobinary.
Other non-binary genders are not connected to the binary genders at all. These genders are not connected to maleness, masculinity, femaleness, femininity, and they are not in between male and female or in between masculine and feminine. However, these genders are also not necessarily agender or otherwise genderless. This type of gender may be called as abinary, unaligned, neutral, stellarian (neutral-aligned), epicene, or exobinary.
Non-binary individuals who are not female aligned, feminine aligned, male aligned, masculine aligned, or neutral aligned are called atrinary, or outherine. Some outherine genders are also xenogenders.
Transition
Since there is no single "non-binary look" there is no "typical" non-binary transition, it depends on one's gender identity and their goals for gender presentation. Some non-binary individuals do not transition and present as the gender assigned to them at birth, others may attempt to look like the "opposite" of their assigned gender, as more masculine or feminine. Others will attempt to look as androgynous or gender neutral as possible.
Some non-binary individuals may socially transition but do not medically transition. Other non-binary individuals may take elements of binary transgender transitions. For example, an AFAB (assigned female at birth) non-binary individual may take testosterone, or wear a binder. They may only desire a "partial" transition in order to look androgynous.
Pronouns
Each non-binary individual has a unique relationship with pronouns. If their language has gender neutral pronouns, such as they/them, they may use those. Some non-binary individuals may go by she/her pronouns or he/him pronouns. Others will go by it/its pronouns (though, this should only be used if someone asks, as otherwise it is dehumanizing). Others still will go by neopronouns. Many non-English speakers will create neopronouns, as their language does not have a gender-neutral singular pronoun like the English "they". Additionally, some may go by multiple pronoun sets, and others will go by no pronouns, using just a name in place of where pronouns would be.
History
Ancient History
The existence of non-binary individuals has been recorded by many cultures throughout history. Many non-western cultures recognized three or sometimes more genders, dating back to antiquity, however the existence of these genders was often suppressed during colonization.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of non-binary individuals come from Mesopotamia. In Mesopotamian mythology, there are references to the types of individuals who are not men and not women. Many priests or individuals who preformed religious duties were described as a third gender.[3][4]
The Māhū in Kanaka Maoli (Hawaiian) cultures are third gender persons that traditionally played spiritual roles within the culture. The first written Western description of māhū occurs in 1789, by Captain William Bligh. When stopped in Tahiti he was introduced to a member of a "class of individuals very common in Otaheitie called Mahoo... who although I was certain was a man, had great marks of effeminacy about him."
The Buddhist Tipitaka documents four gender categories: female, male, ubhatobyanjanaka (individuals with both male and female characteristics), and pandaka (a complex term with no English translation).
Prior to western contact, some Native American tribes had third-gender roles. European anthropologists usually referred to them as "berdaches", which Natives considered a slur. In 1990, some Indigenous North Americans adopted the term two-spirit.
Across the Indian subcontinent there are several similar gender identities that are collectively known as hijra in English. Hijra is neither completely male nor female and they typically have a feminine gender expression.
Jewish sacred texts recognize six genders: zachar (cisgender men), nekeivah (cisgender women), ay'lonit (transgender men), saris (transgender women), androgynos (someone with both male and female characteristics, roughly equivalent to androgyne or bigender), and tumtum (someone whose sex is indeterminate or obscured, roughly equivalent to agender).
Bissu is a gender from the Bugis culture of southern Indonesia which represent all aspects of gender combined to form a whole. They play an important role in religious ceremonies among those who practice the pre-Islamic religion of the area. Traditionally the Bugis recognized five genders, and believed that all five genders must live in harmony for there to be peace in the world.
Victorian Era (17th-19th Century)
In the 17th century, English laws concerning inheritance sometimes referred to individuals who didn’t fit the gender binary using the pronoun "it". While dehumanizing, it was considered the most grammatically fit answer to gendered pronouns around then. This is an example of individuals being considered legally outside of male and female.[5]
Although the "singular they" had been in use in English for hundreds of years in 1745, prescriptive grammarians began to say that it was no longer acceptable. Their reasoning was that neutral pronouns don't exist in Latin, which was thought to be a better language, so English shouldn't use them either. They instead recommended using "he" as a gender-neutral pronoun. This started the dispute over the problem of acceptable gender-neutral pronouns in English.[6]
The Public Universal Friend (1752-1819) was a genderless evangelist who traveled throughout the eastern United States to preach a theology based on that of the Quakers, which was actively against slavery. The Friend was reanimated by God from a severe illness at age 24 with a new spirit, according to the Friend, which was genderless. The Friend refused to be called by the birth name, even on legal documents, and insisted on being called by no pronouns. Followers respected these wishes, avoiding gender-specific pronouns even in private diaries, and referring only to "the Public Universal Friend", "the Friend" or "P.U.F." The Friend wore clothing that contemporaries described as androgynous, which were usually black robes.[7]
Modern History
The earliest known use of the word "genderqueer" is by Riki Anne Wilchins in the Spring 1995 newsletter of Transexual Menace. In 1995 they were published in the newsletter In Your Face, wherethey used the term genderqueer In the newsletter, the term appears to refer to individuals with complex or unnamed gender expressions. Wilchins stated they identify as genderqueer in their 1997 autobiography.[8]
Alternative non-binary flag made by Twitter user cum_binary.In 1998, an article from a transgender community on the Internet, Sphere, used the words "queergendered" and "polygendered" interchangeably as umbrella terms for everyone whose gender was outside the gender binary, specifying that these included individuals who were "bi-gendered, non-gendered, or third-gendered," explaining that some faced difficulty in seeking a gender-ambiguous physical transition.[9]
Flag and Symbols
The non-binary flag was created by Kye Rowan in February of 2014. It was designed for non-binary individuals who felt the genderqueer flag did not represent them.[10] Yellow represents being outside the gender binary, as yellow is often used to distinguish something as its own. White is the presence of all colors, representing individuals who are many or all genders. Purple represents the fluidity and multiplicity of many gender experiences, the uniqueness and flexibility of non-binary individuals, as well as representing those whose gender experiences include being in between female (traditionally pink) and male (traditionally blue). Black is the absence of color and represents agender or genderless individuals.
The alternate non-binary flag was created on the LGBTA fandom by user Blueberryjello on December 17, 2020. The yellow signifies someone who is not cisgender, the white signifies those who identify as multigender, the black signifies being agender, and the green signifies someone who is without reference to binary[11].
Another alternate was created by wiki user Kirbirb on February 11th, 2021. It was made to be more inclusive than the most common flag. Purple is for androgynous genders and xenogenders, peach is for feminine-aligned and female-aligned genders, white is for both all genders and genderlessness, yellow is for abinary and unaligned genders, and teal is for masculine-aligned and male-aligned genders.
The most common non-binary/genderqueer symbol was created by Johnathan R in 2012.[12] It is similar to the male or female symbols, but instead of a cross on the female symbol or arrow on the male symbol, it uses an X or a star on the end. The use of the X denounces both binary genders, and the letter X is commonly used in non-binary pronouns and titles. The position, pointing straight up, also deviates from the positions of the male and female symbols.
Another non-binary flag was coined by Cryptocrew at Hayden000s request on January 15th of 2021 and was first published on a post two days later. In the background of the flag, dark blue is for man-aligned non-binary individuals, light blue is for masculine-aligned non-binary individuals, green is for genderless/agender-aligned non-binary individuals, white is for fluid-aligned non-binary individuals, purple is for multigender non-binary individuals, orange is for xenic/outherine-aligned non-binary individuals, pink is for feminine-aligned non-binary individuals, and red is for woman-aligned non-binary individuals. In the front, the black is for falling out of the binary, while the purple crossing off the pink and blue represents being seperate from a man or a woman.
Another non-binary flag was designed on April 9, 2021 by FANDOM user Waterbutcold. The black represents being genderless, blank genders, null genders and absence of gender, the gray represents partial genders, the white represents multigenders, fluid, and flux genders, the yellow represents unique and abinary genders, and the green represents neutral genders. The blue represents masculine and male genders, as well as masculine gender presentation. This includes being male-aligned, linked with masculinity, connected with it, or having aspects of a masculine/male gender. The purple represents male and female, feminine and masculine, and androgynous genders, as well as androgynous gender presentation. This includes every gender that's linked, aligned, or connected to both binary genders in any way. It includes having aspects of both binary genders. The pink represents feminine and female genders, as well as feminine gender presentation. This includes being female-aligned, linked with femininity, connected with it, or having aspects of a feminine/female gender.
The non-binary coat of arms and its heraldic achievement were first designed by Quark-Nova on November 21, 2021.[13] The four quarters of the coat of arms bear the four colors of the nonbinary flag (gold, white, purple and black), going clockwise from the top left. The charge is a frog, itself commonly used as a non-binary emblem, in the colors of the agender flag (black, gray, white and green). The achievement embroiders on the escutcheon - the shield bearing the coat of arms - gems in the colors of the genderfluid flag (pink, white, purple, black and blue, from the center outwards). Furthermore, an imperial orb is added as crest, representing the non-binary gender symbol (🜬). The motto reads Humanum ante genus, Latin for "Human before gender". The blazon is as follows:
"Quarterly Or, Argent, Purpure and Sable, a Frog couchant to dexter Cendrée doubled Argent and crined Vert"
The astronomical symbol for comets (☄) is also sometimes used as a non-binary symbol. It was proposed because the male and female signs are both signs for planets. The symbols for comets was likely chosen because comets can exist anywhere in the solar system, showing the vast range of possible non-binary identities. This symbol is also sometimes used for maverique specifically.
