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What is Neutrois?
Self Identity
You have the right to self identify however you wish. There is no gender police here – nobody to tell you what you are, how
you are, or how you’re supposed to be. If you feel Neutrois is a label, word, concept, term, or identity that fits you in any
way, take it as yours. There are as many ways of experiencing and expressing your gender as there are people.
Definition(s)
There is no one definition on Neutrois, since each person that self-identifies as such experiences their gender differently. The most
commonly used definitions are:
Neutral-gender
Null-gender
Neither male nor female
Genderless
Agender
Neutrois is understood as a non-binary gender identity that falls under the genderqueer and/or transgender umbrellas.
Genderless or Gender-Neutral?
Some neutrois do feel completely genderless – that is, they have no gender, an absence of gender, or are null gendered. Others have
an internal gender that is neither male, nor female, just neutral. Agender is a term used interchangeably for both. So while the prefix
a- in agender may hint at a “lack of,” neutrois and agender do not always signify a lack of gender.
Personal Stories
To get a sense for how a neutrois or otherwise genderqueer person experiences their gender, it is recommended to read their stories
firsthand. Here are a few from bloggers who have attempted to explain their gender:
Micah runs Neutrois Nonsense (http://neutrois.me), and sees their Neutrois identity as gender neutral (http://neutrois.me/2011/08
/19/neutrois/).
Marilyn Roxie runs Genderqueer Identities (http://genderqueerid.com/), and wrote a story on finding their identity as Genderqueer
(http://genderqueerid.com/my-story).
Jillian Cottle blogs at A Fine Line (http://jilliancottle.com), and lays out what it’s like to feel genderless (http://jilliancottle.com
/by-the-end-of-this-post-gender-may-not-look-like-a-real-word-anymore/).
Transfeminine means the person tilts towards female, transmasculine towards male. These are just two combinations – other people
define their gender using other terms or phrases, not necessarily tied to the male/female binary. It’s important to note this does not
invalidate, contradict, or cancel out being neutrois, as they still feel a strong affinity with this identity. Instead, being transmasculine or
transfeminie or any other variation is more of a modifier or a complement which adds to the complexity of their gender, gender
expression, or gender identity.
In these cases there might be a preference to present more closely to one gender over another, or it can be more comfortable to just
live as one binary gender rather than the other. However, this choice is more often a result of convenience in order to navigate a
society in which only two genders are recognized. A lot of people would ideally opt to have neutrois recognized as their gender and
not be forced to make a decision between male and female only.
Neutrois FAQs
“Do I have to experience dysphoria to be Neutrois?”
Dysphoria (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysphoria) is described as a feeling of extreme and intense discomfort. A lot of neutrois do
experience gender dysphoria, through a combination of being phsyically distressed by their body and/or socially frustrated at how
they are seen, categorized, and treated by others. Other neutrois undergo feelings of distress, sadness, or frustration to a lesser
degree – or even none at all – which can manifest itself as slight discomfort or simply indifference with their physical or social
gender. They may also just have a preference for identifying as or expressing themselves as neutral or genderless, rather than as a
binary gender, without the accompanying distress around their current state. Neither experience is “more valid” or “more
legitimate” – diversity is an integral part of the spectrum.
“I feel gender-neutral, but I prefer when people see me as a boy rather than a girl (or vice-versa, or any other combination)”
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Do not fret, many transmasculine/transfeminine/trans* neutrois feel the same way as you. Whether this preference is caused by an
Neutrois.com (http://neutrois.com/) What is Neutrois? (/what-is-neutrois/) Definitions Transition Resources (/resources/) Community (/community/)
aversion or an affinity to your birth gender; whether this preference is made-up for convenience; whether this preference is… – it
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doesn’t matter, because you don’t need to justify it! You are no more or less neutrois than somebody who feels completely
genderless, or entirely gender-neutral; you just are you, and that’s that.
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