Aporagender (a complete guide)

In this blog post, we will teach you what aporagender means, what are gender identity and expression, the differences between aporagender and other gender identities, and the difference between genderqueer and non-binary.

What is the significance of aporagender?

Aporagender means a gender-separate from man/boy, woman/girl, and nothing in between while still having a sense of gender.

Apo in Greek means “separate”, thus aporagender is a non-binary, separate gender.

Aporagender is considered an umbrella term since it includes some types of non-binary and genderqueers identities, but aporagender does not necessarily refer to one distinct gender.

The term non-binary is used by individuals who do not identify as men or women.

In other words, they find themselves on a fluid spectrum between the terms man and woman. 

Non-binary, in essence, is the term used for those who do not identify with the gender to which they were assigned at birth.

For this reason, many non-binary people consider themselves part of the trans or LGBT community.

Someone who is not binary does not see himself as a man or a woman specifically. This is a very broad way of saying that these people do not see themselves in the way society said they should be.

A non-binary person may also struggle with sexual orientation and may even consider it transgender so that their body reflects what is most closely identified with sex.

The term aporagender is often used as a synonym for neutrois or maverique.  

Neutrois is also a non-binary gender identity, which describes a “neutral” gender identity and expression. Neutrois is also connected with people who feel they are agender or genderless. 

Maverique is a gender identity that expresses a present feeling of gender that is not female, male, neutral or any other identities derived from them.

What aporagender is not?

Aporagender is not agender –  Agender means not having a sense of gender, it’s a person who views themselves as “without gender”, while aporagender means having a strong sense of gender, just different from male or female. 

Aporagender is not androgyne – Androgyne is a term that comes from the Greek words Andras (man) and gyné (woman) and refers to a mixture of feminine and masculine characteristics. 

Aporagender is not genderless – Genderless is synonym with agender, meaning a person who has no gender identity and expression. 

Aporagender is not apogender – Apogender is someone who, besides feeling like they have no gender, has apathy towards the notion of gender in general.

An aporagender has a strong feeling of having a gender identity. 

Although similar, aporagender is not neutrois – Neutrois is feeling no inner sense of gender expression; furthermore, aporagender people do not think they are gender-neutral, as some neutrois describe themselves. 

Although similar, aporagender is not maverique – Maverique is a specific gender identity, while aporagender is more like an umbrella term, that includes other non-binary or genderqueer people. 

What are gender identity and expression?

Gender identity refers to the innate and deep psychological identification of a person as male, female, or some other gender.

The expression of gender refers to the external manifestation of gender identity, which may or may not be adjusted to the behaviours and characteristics socially defined or associated with being male or female.

Transition is a process by which some transgender people begin to live their lives in the gender with which they identify rather than the sex assigned to them at birth.

This may or may not include hormone therapy, sex reassignment surgery, and other medical procedures.

How do I know which pronouns to use?

Intergender people should identify with their preferred pronoun. Often this pronoun corresponds to the gender with which they identify. It is appropriate to ask for the preferred name and pronouns.

Some intergender people do not believe in binary gender and prefer not to use pronouns associated with men (he) or women (she); instead, they prefer that people simply use their names or that they use genderless pronouns like “their” or “they.”

Genderqueer vs non-binary, is it the same?

Genderqueer and non-binary identities can and often overlap with each other. And, there is a certain amount of debate about what the difference between the two really is.

Non-binary tends to be used as more of a catchall for people who do not identify with the binary categories of male and female.

Genderqueer often describes a special experience under this umbrella, which may include the feeling that a person’s sex is fluid.

But for a long time, the genderqueer identity was open to all those which did not “define” the term gender.

This means that anyone who does things that are outside the norm of their gender identity is real or perceived.

Understanding gender as a spectrum

In order to really make sense of what genderqueer means, it is important to remember that gender is not always black and white.

There are two parts to our sexes. Gender identity is the way you identify, whether as a man, a woman, or something else entirely.

Gender expression is the way you express yourself and present yourself in terms of masculinity and femininity.

Although we have often been taught that man and woman are two completely different categories, both gender identity and gender expression exist across a spectrum.

People can identify more closely with being male or female, or they can fall anywhere between the two categories.

Also, a person can identify more with masculine expression, feminine expression, or both. They can also identify somewhere in the middle, or they can switch between the two on any given day.

People who are genderqueer can also present and express themselves in any number of different ways.

A person who does not need to look androgynous or act in a way that is entitled to them. It is about how a person understands their own personal gender identity.

Different identities that fall into the genderqueer category

There are a number of different identities that fall outside the male and female categories and potentially under the genderqueer umbrella.

Such identities include:

• agender
• Bigender
• Pangender
• gene fluid
• Androgynous
• Neutrois
• demigender

People who are genderqueer can only identify as genderqueer and something else.

For example, a person may identify as a trans genderqueer woman or a bigender androgynous genderqueer person.

Transgender people can also identify as genderqueer and vice versa.

Some genderqueer people choose to undergo social, legal, or medical transitions, including taking hormones, changing their name, or having surgery to assert and express themselves in a way congruent with their gender identity.

What can be done to support the people in your life who are aporagender?

• Don’t make assumptions. You might think you know how someone identifies based on how they look or how they behave, but you can’t really know until you ask.

• Always ask! It is important to ask people what their pronouns are and in some cases how they identify, especially if you are unsure. Make sure you provide the same information about yourself when you do.

• Do not ask invasive questions about a person’s body or medical history, unless they have given you permission to do so.

• Be prepared for the possibility that your friend’s pronoun and expression may change over time. Just be sure to check with them and go with the flow!

• It’s okay if you are confused. We all can be. The best thing you can do if you use incorrect pronouns or make a mistake in how you treat someone is to apologize and move on.

Conclusions

In this blog post, we taught you what aporagender means, what are gender identity and expression, the differences between aporagender and other gender identities, and the difference between genderqueer and non-binary.

Aporagender means a gender-separate from man/boy, woman/girl, and nothing in between while still having a sense of gender.

Apo in Greek means “separate”, thus aporagender is a non-binary, separate gender.

Aporagender is considered an umbrella term since it includes some types of non-binary and genderqueers identities, but aporagender does not necessarily refer to one distinct gender.

Someone who is not binary does not see himself as a man or a woman specifically.

This is a very broad way of saying that these people do not see themselves in the way society said they should be.

Aporagender is not agender, neutrois, maverique, genderless, andorogyne or apogender.

If you have more questions, comments or recommendations, please let us know!

Further reading

Exploring the Dimensions of Human Sexuality, by  Jerrold S. Greenberg

Diversity in Couple and Family Therapy: Ethnicities, Sexualities, and Socioeconomics, by Shalonda Kelly

Identities and Inequalities: Exploring the Intersections of Race, Class, Gender, & Sexuality (B&b Sociology) by David Newman 

Just Your Type: Create the Relationship You’ve Always Wanted Using the Secrets of Personality Type, by Paul D. Tieger 

References

transequality.org/

Genderqueerid.com

nonbinary.wiki/