Transgender & Genderqueer identities page from the GENDER book

Hey Boston, how’s the research going? Remember, as you’re learning about all of these identities, that they are only the tip of the iceberg. It’s okay to identify simply as transgender, as a mix of those identities, none at all, genderqueer like me, or make up something that fits you better! 

Bigender describes those who alternate between two distinct gender roles. May be crossdressers or drag performers.

Intergender describes those who identify between the traditional masculine and feminine genders.

Ambigender describes those who identify to some degree with both the masculine and feminine genders

Genderfluid describes those whose gender behavior and presentation changes depending on the situation or their mood. 

Pangender describes those who identify with all the genders.

Polygender describes someone who identifies with many (though not all) of the genders.

Agender describes those who identify with having no gender or a neutral gender. They may present androgynously or seek to make their bodies more gender-neutral to match their identity. Sometimes also called neutrois.

Third gender describes those who identify with a (often non-Western) gender that is neither masculine nor feminine. See “gender across cultures” on page 6 for more!

Genderqueer describes those whose identities fall outside of the widely accepted gender binaries. Many of the identities [above] could also be described as genderqueer.

They have a great diversity of expression and presentation. An individual who identifies as genderqueer could display few gendered cues to many (potentially conflicting) ones. It’s not really about how they look, though. What genderqueer individuals all share is a nonconforming gender identity and an opposition to gender systems that they perceive as strict or limiting.

ed note: We affirm that labels are starting points for further conversation. A single word can never encapsulate a whole person. You probably have lots of intersecting identities that only scratch the surface of who you are. Gender is one part - what are some others? 

We humbly acknowledge the limited scope of these pages. If you don’t see your identity words here, we empower you to tell us so we may include it in the final version!

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(cc) the GENDER book project. in progress snapshot presented for community editing and feedback. Please direct all notes to mel@thegenderbook.com or comment using disqus on the original post to ensure your voice gets heard. Thanks!

Hey Tumblrs!

The GENDER book is in the process of making a video that will be used for an upcoming kickstarter and for a grant application. If you want to be in it, we’d love to have you. Here’s how you submit a shoutout:

Make a brief video of you saying how a resource like the GENDER book could make positive change in your life, family, home community. Who do you know that could use some gender education?

Bonus points if you show off your copy, hand-printed or found at an event, or include a shot of your favorite page(s).

Every contributor will get a shoutout in the final hardcover GENDER book and here on our website, and our heartfelt thanks. 

Send us an email to creators at the genderbook dot com with Video Shoutout in the subject line, and a link to your blog or youtube or whatever you’d like us to promote for you. But hurry, they’re due by Wednesday Feb 20th if you want to be included. 

Much love and community,

Mel, Jay, and Robin

co-creators of the GENDER book

The transgender umbrella (page from the GENDER book)

Imagine gender as a planet.

All people grow up somewhere on that planet, most in Ladyland or in Manlandia. Lots of people are comfortable where they’re born and stay in that same area their whole  lives. Some people,  though, are citizens of Manlandia but are born in Ladyland. Just like in the real world, you can’t tell someone’s citizenship by looking at them, it’s very personal. As we get older we may want to move to a place where we are more comfortable. 

cisgender If you’re most comfortable in the gender you were assumed at birth, that’s called cisgender. 

transgender Anyone who lives outside their expected gender land, crossing state lines, so to speak, could be said to be transgender. 

gender across communities

I’m a librarian, so I went to books first, and then to databases full of articles. But gender is a living thing, so I went right to the source, interviewing over 200 people. 

I asked people how they experience gender, today, in their communities. 

The answers were as unique as the individuals surveyed, spanning quite a few ethnic, social, racial,  and religious backgrounds.  Take a look!

ed note: the intention of this page was to directly quote the communities we are attempting to represent, a well as showcase the great living diversity of gender.

Alright folks, here it is, at last, a digitally bound version of all the major content pages of the GENDER book. Now is the time for feedback from you, our amazing community. 

Some of the changes to come are pretty obvious, like I mistyped “neutral” on that one page and some of the speech bubbles are still blank. Even if they’re obvious and we probably already know, go ahead and mention it anyway, suggest what you’d put in those empty bubbles! If nothing else, keep us honest in our great typo search.

Please keep your comments on positive (or at the very least, constructive) notes. Remember, we’re just humans like you doing the best we can. Thanks!

In community,

Mel Reiff Hill

resident artist, the GENDER book

PS- New here? To learn more about our book, please visit our website! 

PPS- Make sure you press ‘expand’ by hovering over the middle of the book if you care to, you know, read the words.

What did you do this morning?

I fed my horses and the dog and myself, and then colored and texted up this page. I think it’s probably one of the most important ones in the book, so I don’t know why I saved it for next-to-last to color. Maybe because we already have a page for it in the booklet, maybe because I wanted to get more research in, make it as good as possible. It’s not perfect, but I hope it helps. Please share.    -Mel

Ten more (rough cut) pages from our upcoming book.. enjoy!

Some folks were curious about how a page develops, so here’s a little illustration of how that works. I guess I should have titled it, “How our illustration works,” because having very little formal training, I don’t know at all how much of this is standard and how much is just my own little method. I know step 5 is more like 16 steps smushed together, so I’ll show that through a video later.  One page like this equals approximately… 7-10 mel-hours.

If you’re in the Houston area, come see our booth at the Bayou City Arts Festival tomorrow and Sunday. If not, stay tuned for behind-the-scenes look at how our book is being made and video of me illustrating and gender educating in the great state of Texas.   -mel

Hi folks! 

I just moved to the s.f. bay area (Oakland to be precise).

If you want to hook me up with some queer and gender resources in the city to hang out and help create the GENDER book, drop me a line!

This also means I’m settled in a new desk (with a drawer full of sharpened pencils and illustration pens) so I should be doing more inking and coloring for the full book. Expect updates of that sort soon. Sorry and you’re welcome. 

-Mel, Artist, the GENDER book project

mel@thegenderbook.com