
LGBTQ INFORMATION NETWORK │ RAINBOW OF RESOURCES
GENDER EXPRESSION
Gill
Foundation: What is Gender Expression?
My Shadow is Pink: Short Film by Scott
Stuart
Let's Talk About Gender Expression
Vihart: On Gender
Video Talk: How Do You Express Your Gender?
Gender Policing: Dangerous
Jokes
Butches and Studs
Gender
Expression vs Gender Identity
Info: Sex and Gender
Video Talk: Gender Identity vs Gender Expression
Gender
Spectrum: Understanding Gender
Androgynous: Joan Jett, Miley Cyrus, Laura Jane Grace

Radical Notion: Complete Gender Dictionary
Queer Kid Stuff: Gender Expression
Video: Kate Borstein Speaks About Gender
Teaching Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Expression, and
Gender Identity
Info: Gender Identity
Freedom to Be Yourself
Info: Sexual Identity
Video Fun: Expressing Myself My Way
Gender Expression
Explained
Maggie Szabo: Don't Give Up
Gill
Foundation: What is Gender Expression?
Video Talk: Gender Expression is Complicated
PBS Video: Origin of Gender
Nongirly: Gutsy, Goofy, Geeky, Glorious
What is Sex and Gender?
"Sex"
refers to the biological and physiological
characteristics that define men and women. "Gender"
refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors,
activities, and attributes that a given society
considers appropriate for men and women.
Gender is a sociological
definition of women and men and is not the same as sex.
Gender is determined by the conception of tasks,
functions and roles attributed to women and men in
society and in public and private life.

What is Gender Expression?
“Gender expression”
(or "gender intensity") refers to the ways in which we each manifest masculinity
or femininity. It is usually an extension of our “gender
identity,” our innate sense of being male or female.
Each of us expresses a particular gender every day, by
the way we style our hair, select our clothing, or even
the way we stand. Our appearance, attire, grooming, speech, behavior,
movement, gestures, mannerisms, and other factors signal that we feel (and
wish to be understood) as masculine or feminine, or as a
man or a woman.
For some of us, our
gender expression may not match our biological sex. That
is, while other people see us as being male or female,
we may or may not fit their expectations of masculinity
or femininity because of the way we look, act, or dress.
People whose gender
expression is not what we might expect represent many
different backgrounds. Their age, sex, race, ethnicity,
or sexual orientation has no bearing on their gender
expression.
[Source: Gill Foundation]
New York Magazine: Where the Bois Are
Authentic Representation: Gender Expression
Info: Sexual
Orientation
Tom Boy: Destiny Rogers Music Video
High School Senior Left Out of Yearbook for Looking Too
Masculine
Queer 101: What is Gender Expression?
Gender
Expression vs Gender Identity
Info: Preferred Gender Pronouns
Video Story: I Thought I Was Gay
Non-Binary Wiki: Meaning of the Term Boi
Gender
Spectrum: Understanding Gender
PBS Video: Drag and Gender Expression
Info: Gender
Queer
How Has Your Gender
Expression Evolved?
Radical Notion: Complete Gender Dictionary
Gender Policing: Dangerous
Jokes
Charli XCX: Boys
Female Gaze: Gender
Expectations
Autostraddle: Butch Please
Video: Types of Genders
Don't Give Up by Maggie Szabo
Femmephobia in Gay
Communities

Butch and Femme
“Butch” and “femme” are
terms used in the lesbian and gay subculture to ascribe
or acknowledge a masculine (butch) or feminine (femme)
identity with its associated
traits, behaviors,
styles, and self-perceptions for both men and women. The
terms are used as a descriptor of one’s appearance or
mannerisms and not for one’s desire or identity.
The terms originated in
lesbian communities. This concept has been a handy way
to organize gender expression within sexual
relationships.

“Butch” and “femme” are
terms used to describe a person’s gender expression,
interactive performance, or public presentation. And it
is important to remember that one’s gender expression
does not always match one’s gender.
Femme (fem, gurl, grl) usually
describes a person whose public presentation is more
feminine, female, effeminate, girly, womanly, ladylike,
soft, and tender. Also: Feminine of Center.
Butch (stud, dyke, stone,
masc) usually
describes someone whose presentation is more masculine,
male, manly, macho, boyish, hard, and aggressive. Also:
Masculine of Center.
Boi
can be applied to a
masculine woman (young dyke, soft butch) or a feminine
man (young gay man, twink).

To further emphasize the
notion of a spectrum, there is also the term, “futch,”
which denotes a combination or mix or halfway point
between “butch” and “femme.” Both men and women may
prefer to express themselves in an androgynous (andro)
way, which might be viewed as more gender neutral.
Another term used to express a combination or mixture is
"stem," which is the mash-up of "stud" and "femme."
For women, this is usually the same thing as "tomboy."
Femme and butch
should not to be confused with “bottom” (submissive,
passive, receiver, catcher) and “top” (dominant, domme,
dom, giver, pitcher). Tops can be butch or femme as
bottoms can be butch or femme.
For both men and women,
there is no predictable dating pattern: femmes date
femmes, femmes date butches, butches date butches.

Real Truth About Butch and Femme
Video: What Does Femme Mean?
Femmephobia in Gay
Communities
Non-Binary Wiki: Meaning of the Term Boi
Autostraddle: Butch Please
History of the Word "Femme"
Butches and Studs
Info: Sexual Identity
Wikipedia: Butch
and Femme
Video Fun: Expressing Myself My Way
Daily Dot: Femme Invisibility
New York Magazine: Where the Bois Are
Let's Talk About Gender Expression
Jess Steven: Struggles of Being a Femme Lesbian
Queer 101: What is Gender Expression?
Charli XCX: Boys
Nongirly: Gutsy, Goofy, Geeky, Glorious
Female Gaze: Gender
Expectations
How Has Your Gender
Expression Evolved?
PBS Video: Origin of Gender
Info: LGBTQ Stereotypes
Video: Femme Q & A
WOMEN
“Stop assuming that a
woman is straight because she’s wearing lipstick and
high heels.”
-Mary Emily O’Hara, Daily Dot
In describing lesbians
(gay women), most people recognize a spectrum of
identity ranging from “femme” (heels, miniskirts, full
makeup, purses, perfect nails) to “butch” (t-shirt,
jeans, short hair, not into fussing with hairspray and
lip gloss).
One version of the
spectrum provides labels that begin with “high femme” to
“butchy femme” to “soft butch” to “stone butch.”

On the femme end of the
spectrum, lesbians are sometimes described as “lipstick
lesbians.” On the butch (stud) end of the spectrum,
lesbians typically express themselves in a more tomboy
or masculine way ("chapstick lesbians").
One lesbian identified
herself as “crunchy,” which probably means she is a
little bit hippie, bohemian, and natural (flannel
shirts, overalls, cargo shorts, Birkenstocks). The
spectrum of femininity is as wide in the queer community
as it is among all women.
A femme (fem) is the
feminine one in a lesbian relationship. Femmes do not
usually pass as lesbians or queer unless they are with a
butch partner, because they conform to traditional
standards of femininity. Otherwise, you usual can’t tell
that a femme lesbian is gay unless she wears some type
of LGBTQ insignia. In a couple, she is typically more
feminine and usually the girlier one in the
relationship.
MEN
“I am not ladylike, nor
am I manly. I am something else altogether. There are so
many different ways to be beautiful.”
-Michael Cunningham
In using the femme-butch
spectrum to describe gay men, people might observe the
more effeminate, flamboyant, campy, girly traits at one
end (femme) and the more stoutly, manly, masculine
traits at the other end (butch).
On the femme side, gay
men might be more stylish and meticulously groomed, and
referred to as a “twink” or an “otter.” Meanwhile, on
the butch side, a gay man might be more rustic and
brawny and referred to as a “hunk” or a “stud” or a
“beefcake.”
Gay men might appear
completely straight in appearance, grooming, and
mannerisms and express themselves as conventionally
masculine. They might appear as a biker or lumberjack
type and express themselves in a hypermasculine way.
They might appear as fastidious and ostentatious and
express themselves in an effeminate way. The spectrum of
masculinity is as wide in the queer community as it is
among all men.
Guide to Dating Butch Women
History of the Word "Femme"
TED Talk: Masculine Women, Feminine Men
Non-Binary Wiki: Meaning of the Term Boi
Chinese Debate: Sissies
vs. Macho Men
Info: Preferred Gender Pronouns
My Shadow is Pink: Short Film by Scott
Stuart
Femme: Bisexual Perspective
Video: What It Means to be Butch
Ursula K. LeGuin: On Being a Man
Femmephobia in Gay
Communities
Info: Fashion and Clothing
Butches and Studs
Gender Policing: Dangerous
Jokes
Urban Dictionary: Femme
Wikipedia:
Femme
New York Magazine: Where the Bois Are

What Does "Boi" Mean?
Boi (plural: bois) is
a slang term within the LGBTQ community (and the
butch/femme community) to refer to a person's gender
identity or gender expression. It can be applied to a
masculine woman or a feminine man.
Boi can be used to refer to a boyish lesbian (young
dyke, soft butch). It has also been used to refer to a younger
bisexual or gay man who may have effeminate
characteristics (twink). It can be used to refer to a young
trans man, or a trans man who is in the earlier stages
of FTM transitioning. It also describes a submissive
butch in the BDSM community. The term can also be used
by anyone who wishes to distinguish themselves from
heterosexual or heteronormative identities.
Boi may also refer to someone assigned female at birth,
who generally does not identify as, or only partially
identifies as feminine, female, a girl, or a woman. Some
bois are trans or intersex people. Some bois are
genderqueer/nonbinary, or might identify as cisgender or transgender
persons, and yet practice genderfuck (gender bending) in which they
do not fit in either masculine or feminine binary gender
presentation. Bois may prefer a range of pronouns,
including "he", "she", or nonbinary and gender-neutral
pronouns such as "they."
Similarly, terms like zoi, goi, shoi, and zeeshe are now
common descriptors in the transgender community.
Gill
Foundation: What is Gender Expression?
Let's Talk About Gender Expression
Vihart: On Gender
Video Talk: How Do You Express Your Gender?
Gender Policing: Dangerous
Jokes
Gender
Expression vs Gender Identity
Info: Sex and Gender
Video Talk: Gender Identity vs Gender Expression
Gender
Spectrum: Understanding Gender
Androgynous: Joan Jett, Miley Cyrus, Laura Jane Grace

Gender Identity vs Gender
Expression
I’ve let my hair grow out
so long that I have to put it in pigtails when I ride my
bike so it doesn’t get caught in my helmet straps. I’m
wearing my girlfriend’s tiny turquoise athletic shorts.
My legs are closely shaved, and I’m sitting curled up on
the couch with a game of Candy Crush on my phone to my
right and a sleeping cat to my left.
I sound like a girl,
right? I’m not. Why? Because I don’t identify as one.
And although it really is as simple as that, I
understand where some people have trouble: “If you
express yourself in this way,” they wonder, “then
doesn’t that imply that that is how you identify?” But
the truth is, well, no.
Although gender identity
and gender expression can be related, the point is that
they don’t have to be. So what’s the difference?

Gender Identity is
Internal
Gender identity is, quite
simply, the gender with which you identify. It’s the
word (or words) that you could use to decide yourself
that simply make sense to you.
Gender identity is
whether you’re the lady or the tramp (or neither). It’s
the all-encompassing feelings you have about which
gender(s) you are or are not. It’s what you would be
perceived as if you were able to choose how everyone
perceived you.
Gender identity is
internal, deeply-rooted, and a central part of many
people’s senses of self.
For example, I identify
as masculine-of-center. If I were to say “I am a woman,”
it would feel as ridiculous as if I were saying “I am a
dinosaur.”
Gender expression, on the
other hand, is what everyone around us can see. Gender
expression is the way in which you express your gender.
Sometimes these expressions go along with socially
sanctioned ideas of what is appropriate. For example, we
live in a society that deems dresses appropriate for
women, but not for men. But sometimes they don’t.
You may identify as a
woman and dress in a traditionally feminine way. You may
identify as a woman and dress in a traditionally
masculine way. The point is that the two aren’t
necessarily related. The way that someone
expresses their gender is not necessarily a clue as to
how they identify their gender.

Misgendering
Many people never get
challenged on their gender identity. We see a curvy
person with long hair in a dress, and when she says her
name is Mary and uses female pronouns to refer to
herself, we don’t bat an eye. But some people,
usually trans people, get their gender identities
questioned all the time.
People are so programmed
that high voices only belong to women that when they
hear my voice, they assume I am not the person I say I
am. As you can imagine, this is frustrating on a good
day and awful on a bad one.
Have you ever had a
co-worker get your name slightly wrong? Like your name
is Francine and they keep calling you Francesca? And you
didn’t correct them at first and now you feel like you
can’t, but it pisses you off every single time it
happens? Like, seriously I’ve worked with you for four
months, learn my damn name?
Have you ever had a
family member who aggressively teases you for doing
something “cross-gender” like the mom in Bend it Like
Beckham who thinks her daughter can’t get a
boyfriend because she loves soccer too much?
Gill
Foundation: What is Gender Expression?
Video Talk: Gender Expression is Complicated
Ursula K LeGuin: On Being a Man
Charli XCX: Boys
Gender Policing: Dangerous
Jokes
Female Gaze: Gender
Expectations
How Has Your Gender
Expression Evolved?
Info: Gay Stereotypes
Gender
Expression vs Gender Identity
PBS Video: Drag and Gender Expression
Info: Preferred Gender Pronouns
My Shadow is Pink: Short Film by Scott
Stuart
Don't Give Up by Maggie Szabo
Jess Steven: Struggles of Being a Femme Lesbian
Nongirly: Gutsy, Goofy, Geeky, Glorious
Freedom to Be Yourself
Authentic Representation: Gender Expression
Video Story: I Thought I Was Gay
Autostraddle: Butch Please
Being trans, especially
if all your gender markers don’t quite line up (like if
you’re a man with long hair and breasts or a 6’4” woman
with a five o’ clock shadow), is like the situations I
mentioned above only multiplied by a factor of a
zillion.
People are constantly
telling you what you look like is wrong, how you think
of yourself is wrong, the pronouns you use are wrong,
even the name you go by is wrong. It is an inundation of
patronizing comments that all mean “I know you better
than you know yourself.”
Trans and genderqueer
people are as complex and varied in their gender
expression as non-trans people.
We’d never tell Angelina
Jolie that she’s not a woman because she shaved her head
or Hugh Jackman that he’s not a man because he owns a
tiny coat-wearing dog. So why do we police trans
people’s identities based on their aesthetic choices or
the way their bodies look?
I’m taller than Danny
DeVito. Does that make him less of a man than me? Ellen
Page has less body fat and slimmer hips than I do. Is
she less of a woman?

Gender as a Constellation
Even if you are not
transgender, chances are there’s something about you (or
lots of things about you) that don’t fit perfectly into
a pre-destined gender mold. That’s the beauty of being
human – that when a baby is born, we have no idea
whether it will like chocolate, or sing beautifully, or
become a champion boxer.
We tend to think of as
gender as a fixed quality, but really it’s more of a
constellation of traits. Think about the men you know.
Does each one love cars? Do they all have beards?
Probably not, unless you’re from a NASCAR family of
course. Each man has a constellation of gender
characteristics that together add up to “man.”
Trans people also have
gender constellations, a whole cloud of characteristics
related to their gender.
The ratios of
traditionally masculine to traditionally feminine
qualities may be different than you’re used to, but that
does not make a trans person’s gender any less real or
valid. Trans people might appear to have a more
confusing gender than you or most of the people you
know, but in reality we are all just a sum of our likes,
dislikes, values, and habits. We’re all a delightful
mish-mash of weirdly specific qualities.

If you are genuinely
confused when presented with someone who has an unusual
set of gendered characteristics and you’re not sure what
to do or how to interact with them, just ask them.
Use general rules of
engagement. If you don’t know them, grilling them on
their gender is likely not a good idea, but many trans
people will be delighted to answer your questions, so
long as they are posed respectfully.
They will tell you what
pronouns they use, and any other information they feel
is relevant or useful, and then you can interact with
them just as you would anyone else, by bonding over
shared interest or politely ignoring each other.
It’s pretty normal to be
shocked, or surprised, or even uncomfortable when you
come across someone breaking gender barriers. We’re all
socialized to think of gender as a fixed, unchanging,
biologically imparted quality. But a little critical
thinking reveals that this is a falsehood, and a little
open mindedness gives you access to a world of freedom
with regards to gender.
Gender “creativity” is
getting less and less stigmatized, so there’s more art
and fashion and media than ever that showcases people
with non-traditional gender presentations. Check it out!
And if it feels right to you, experiment with your own
gender presentation.
[Source: Everyday
Feminism, 2017]

Gender
Spectrum: Understanding Gender
Butches and Studs
Femmephobia in Gay
Communities
Charli XCX: Boys
Female Gaze: Gender
Expectations
Info: Drag
and Cross Dressing
Video Talk: How Do You Express Your Gender?
Radical Notion: Complete Gender Dictionary
History of the Word "Femme"
Glee Video: If I Were a Boy
Queer Kid Stuff: Gender Expression
Androgynous: Joan Jett, Miley Cyrus, Laura Jane Grace
PBS Video: Origin of Gender
Ursula K LeGuin: On Being a Man
Info: Fashion and Clothing
Video Fun: Expressing Myself My Way

Ursula K. LeGuin: Gender Insights
I am a
man. Now you may think I’ve made some kind of silly
mistake about gender, or maybe that I’m trying to fool
you, because of my feminine first name, and I own three
bras, and I’ve been pregnant five times, and other
things like that that you might have noticed, little
details. But details don’t matter.
I predate
the invention of women by decades. Well, if you insist
on pedantic accuracy, women have been invented several
times in widely varying localities, but the inventors
just didn’t know how to sell the product. Their
distribution techniques were rudimentary and their
market research was nil, and so of course the concept
just didn’t get off the ground. Even with a genius
behind it an invention has to find its market, and it
seemed like for a long time the idea of women just
didn’t make it to the bottom line. Models like the
Austen and the Brontë were too complicated, and people
just laughed at the Suffragette, and the Woolf was way
too far ahead of its time.
But, take my word for it, I am a man.
That’s who I am. I am the generic he. And I’m
perfectly willing to admit that I may be in fact a kind
of second-rate or imitation man, a Pretend-a-Him. As a
him, I am to a genuine male him as a microwaved fish
stick is to a whole grilled Chinook salmon. I admit it,
I am actually a very poor imitation or substitute man.
I am
shaped wrong. You
could see it when I tried to wear those army surplus
clothes with ammunition pockets that were trendy and I
looked like a hen in a pillowcase.
[Source:
Ursula K. LeGuin, Author]
Ursula K LeGuin: On Being a Man
Gill
Foundation: What is Gender Expression?
Jess Steven: Struggles of Being a Femme Lesbian
Video Talk: Gender Expression is Complicated
Info: Gay Stereotypes
Gender
Expression vs Gender Identity
PBS Video: Drag and Gender Expression
Info: Preferred Gender Pronouns
Don't Give Up by Maggie Szabo
How Has Your Gender
Expression Evolved?
Charli XCX: Boys
Female Gaze: Gender
Expectations
Freedom to Be Yourself
Gender Expression
Explained
Authentic Representation: Gender Expression
Video Story: I Thought I Was Gay
Nongirly: Gutsy, Goofy, Geeky, Glorious
Autostraddle: Butch Please

Third Gender
Third
gender or third sex is a non-binary designation in which
individuals are categorized, either by themselves or by
society, as neither man nor woman. It also describes a
social category present in those societies that
recognize three or more genders. The term third is
usually understood to mean "other." Some anthropologists
and sociologists have described not only third genders,
but also fourth, fifth, and "some" genders.
Apart from biological/anatomical sex, the state of
personally identifying as, or being identified by
society as, a man, a woman, or other, is usually also
defined by the individual's gender identity and gender
role in the particular culture in which they live. Not
all cultures have strictly defined gender roles.
In
different cultures, a third or fourth gender may
represent very different things. To the Indigenous Māhū
of Hawaii, it is an intermediate state between man and
woman, or to be a "person of indeterminate gender". The
traditional Dineh of the Southwestern US acknowledge
four genders: feminine woman, masculine woman, feminine
man, masculine man. The term "third gender" has also
been used to describe Hijras of India, Bangladesh and
Pakistan, Fa'afafine of
Polynesia, and sworn virgins of the Balkans.
While found in a number of non-Western cultures,
concepts of "third" and "fourth" gender roles
are still somewhat new to mainstream western culture and
conceptual thought. The concept is most likely to be
embraced in the modern LGBTQ or queer subcultures, or in
ethnic minority cultures that exist within larger
Western communities such as the North American
Indigenous cultures that have roles for Two Spirit
people. While mainstream western scholars, notably
anthropologists who have tried to write about Native
American and South Asian "gender variant" people, have
often sought to understand the term "third gender"
solely in the language of the modern LGBTQ community,
other scholars especially Indigenous scholars, stress
that their lack of cultural understanding and context
has led to widespread misrepresentation of third gender
people.
Info: Two Spirit
Wikipedia: Third Gender
USA Today: California Legally Recognizes Third Gender
Daily Wire: California Offers Non-Binary Option
Appearance and Mannerisms
Gender expression refers
to the way that a person uses appearance, mannerisms and
other personal traits to communicate their gender.
Gender expression can be any combination of masculine,
feminine and androgynous traits.
Unlike sex
characteristics which cannot be changed without medical
intervention, gender expression usually refers to traits
which can be changed voluntarily, at least to some
degree. Traits which contribute to gender expression can
include clothing and accessories, hairstyle, make-up,
removal or growth of body hair, development of
musculature through exercise, stance and manner of
walking, and manner of talking. The name, pronouns and
titles you ask others to use in reference to you may
also be considered a part of your gender expression.
Gender expression can
also include using clothing, make-up and other methods
to change the appearance of sex characteristics.
Examples of these methods include padding, binding,
packing and tucking.
A person of any gender
identity can choose to express their personal experience
of gender through any combination of traits, although
some traits are stereotypically associated with certain
identities. Some people, especially those who identify
as agender, neutrois and intergender may wish to avoid
all traits associated with gender, which can be
difficult to do in a society based on the gender binary.
It is important to notice
that one's gender expression does not always match their
gender.
[Source: Gender Wiki]
Gill
Foundation: What is Gender Expression?
Gender
Expression vs Gender Identity
Ursula K. LeGuin: On Being a Man
Info: Sexual Identity
Gender
Spectrum: Understanding Gender
Let's Talk About Gender Expression
Authentic Representation: Gender Expression
Butches and Studs
Radical Notion: Complete Gender Dictionary
My Shadow is Pink: Short Film by Scott
Stuart
TED Talk: Masculine Women, Feminine Men
Documentary: The Gender Spectrum
Societal Expectations
Gender expression can be
defined as the way we show our gender to the world
around us. Societal expectations of gender expression
are reinforced in almost every area of life. Even very
young children are clear about the gendered choices that
boys and girls are "supposed to" make in relation to
toys, colors, clothes, games and activities.
Girls whose gender
expression is seen as somewhat masculine are often
considered tomboys. Depending on the context and the
degree to which they transgress norms, tomboys might be
seen positively, neutrally or negatively. For example, a
girl who identifies as a gamer geek, cuts her hair short
and wears clothing perceived as masculine may be labeled
as a "cute tomboy" or met with words intended to hurt,
such as dyke or freak.
Positive or neutral
labels are harder to come by for boys whose sex and
gender expression are seen as incongruent. Common words
used to describe such boys tend to be delivered with
negative (sometimes hateful) intentions, words like
sissy and faggot. There also is little room
for boys to expand their gender expression. Just wearing
a scarf or walking in a stereotypically feminine way can
lead to abuse from peers, educators or family members.
[Source: Teaching
Tolerance]
Gill
Foundation: What is Gender Expression?
Charli XCX: Boys
Female Gaze: Gender
Expectations
Gender
Expression vs Gender Identity
Girl in the Kinks Shirt by Matt Nathanson
PBS Video: Origin of Gender
Gender
Spectrum: Understanding Gender
TED Talk: Masculine Women, Feminine Men
Gender Expression
Explained
Video: Types of Genders
Radical Notion: Complete Gender Dictionary
How Has Your Gender
Expression Evolved?
Queer Kid Stuff: Gender Expression
Nongirly: Gutsy, Goofy, Geeky, Glorious
Video Fun: Gender Roles and Stereotypes

Unisex
Unisex is an
adjective that refers to things that are not
sex-specific. Being suitable for any sex. Sexual or
gender neutral. Sexually androgynous, ambiguous, or
fluid. It can also be another term for
gender-blindness or intergender.
The term "unisex" was coined in the 1960s and was used fairly
informally. Although the prefix uni- is from the
Latin unus meaning one, the term seems to have been
influenced by words such as united and universal where
the uni- prefix takes on the sense of shared
(or mixed). In this sense, unisex can be seen as meaning shared by sexes.
The uni- prefix is similar in this sense to the
co- prefix, as in co-educational.
Unisex can be defined
as something that is designed for, suitable for, and used
by both sexes. Not distinguishing between male and
female. Undifferentiated as to sex; as in unisex
clothes, hairstyles, toys, and other products.
Synonyms
of unisex include androgynous, genderless, agender, and
unisexual. Words Related to unisex include ambisexual,
intersexual, asexual, epicene, neuter, neutral, sexless,
and unsexed.

Hair stylists and beauty salons that serve both men and
women are often referred to as unisex. This is also
typical of other services and products that had
traditionally been separated by sexes, such as clothing
shops or beauty products. A facility that is usually sex
segregated but is not so designated may be referred to
as unisex, such as a public restroom. Unisex clothing
includes garments like t-shirts; versions of other
garments may be tailored for the different fits
depending on one's sex, such as jeans. The sharing of a
pool, beach or other water or recreational facility by
swimmers and others of various sexes is commonly
referred to as mixed bathing.
A
gender-blind (or unisex) person is someone who adheres
to not distinguishing people by gender. Gender blind
people generally advocate gender neutrality in society,
such as activities undertaken and services provided
without regard to the gender of those who participate.
In education, business, law, and other fields, gender
blindness or sex blindness is the practice of
disregarding gender as a significant factor in
interactions between people.

A unisex name (also known as an epicene name, a
gender-neutral name, or an androgynous name) is a given
name that can be used by a person regardless of their
sex. Unisex names are common in the English speaking
world, especially in the United States.
Unisex names can be used as a source of humor, such as
Julia Sweeney's sexually ambiguous character "Pat" on
Saturday Night Live. A running joke on the TV show
Scrubs is that almost every woman J.D. sleeps with has a
unisex name (Jordan, Alex, Danni, Elliot, Jamie, Kim).
Similarly, the sex of the baby Jamie in Malcolm in the
Middle was purposely kept ambiguous when first
introduced at the end of the show's fourth season to
build suspense. In Gilmore Girls, Rory is bothered by
the discovery that her boyfriend Logan's workmate Bobby,
is female. Rory had assumed Bobby was male and it is
only upon their first meeting that Rory discovers
Bobby's gender.
Unisex names include:
Alex, Andy (Andi), Ashley, Aubrey, Blair, Cameron, Carson,
Carol (Carrol), Charlie, Chris (Kris), Dakota,
Drew, Elliot (Elliott), Eve (Yve), Frankie, Jamie, Jean (Gene), Jerry (Jeri), Jesse (Jessie),
Joe (Jo), Jordan, Kelly (Kelli), Kim, Kit, Lee (Leigh), Leslie (Lesley),
Mason, Madison, Mickey, Morgan, Pat, Randy (Randi), Ricky (Ricki,
Rikki),
Robin, Riley, Shane, Sidney (Sydney), Stevie, Tommy (Tommie), Taylor,
Terry (Terri), Tony (Toni), Val.

Gill
Foundation: What is Gender Expression?
My Shadow is Pink: Short Film by Scott
Stuart
Info: Sexual
Orientation
How to Dress Gay
Gender
Expression vs Gender Identity
Info: Preferred Gender Pronouns
Androgynous: Joan Jett, Miley Cyrus, Laura Jane Grace
TED Talk: Masculine Women, Feminine Men
Video Fun: Gender Roles and Stereotypes
Glee Video: If I Were a Boy
Info: Fashion and Clothing
Femmephobia in Gay
Communities
Gender
Spectrum: Understanding Gender
History of Lesbian Fashion
Video Talk: Gender Identity vs Gender Expression
Info: Gender
Queer
Radical Notion: Complete Gender Dictionary
Video Story: I Thought I Was Gay

Gender Rights
Within the trans
community, there is a misconception by some that
antidiscrimination protections based on gender identity
are about transsexual people, while antidiscrimination
protections based on gender expression are about
crossdressers. The oversimplifying, boiling down of the
term gender expression to apply to a narrow subset of
trans people strips out the broad concept of what the
term gender expression actually is, and its
ramifications towards lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights.

Gender identity and
gender expression are terms for two fully separate
concepts. From a legal perspective for transsexual
people, as well as for transgender people who don’t
identify as transsexual people, these are very related
terms. And, these terms really can be two peas in a
single pod, but at the same time these two terms are
definitely not a single pea in a single pod.
For pretty much everyone
else in broad society gender expression still applies. It’s just that their gender identities matches the
societal sex and gender norms for their assigned birth
sex of male or female.
So what do the terms
gender identity and gender expression mean?
According to the GLAAD Media Reference Guide:
Gender Identity: One’s
internal, personal sense of being a man or a woman (or a
boy or a girl). For transgender people, their
birth-assigned sex and their own internal sense of
gender identity do not match.
Gender Expression:
External manifestation of one’s gender identity, usually
expressed through masculine, feminine or
gender-variant behavior, clothing, haircut, voice or
body characteristics.
Sex and Gender Defined
Sexual
Orientation Defined
Gender Identity
Defined
Gender
Queer Defined
Queer
Defined
Gay Stereotypes
Drag
and Cross Dressing
Gender Pronouns
The GLAAD Media Reference
Guide then adds this regarding transgender people: Typically, transgender
people seek to make their gender expression match their
gender identity, rather than their birth-assigned sex.
This is how the GLAAD
Media Reference Guide defines transgender: An umbrella
term for people whose gender identity and/or gender
expression differs from the sex they were assigned at
birth. The term may include but is not limited to:
transsexuals, cross-dressers and other gender-variant
people. Transgender people may identify as
female-to-male (FTM) or male-to-female (MTF). Use the
descriptive term (transgender, transsexual,
cross-dresser, FTM or MTF) preferred by the individual.
Transgender people may or may not decide to alter their
bodies hormonally and/or surgically.
Transsexual and
genderqueer people (people who live as a gender that
doesn’t match the sex they were assigned at birth) may
seek to make their gender expression match their gender
identity. Crossdressers and drag performers are part
time expressers of gender that doesn’t match their
birth-assigned sex. But these folk aren’t seeking to
make their gender expression match their gender
identity, they are only sometimes expressing gender that
doesn’t match their gender identity.

Gill
Foundation: What is Gender Expression?
Let's Talk About Gender Expression
TED Talk: Masculine Women, Feminine Men
Gender
Expression vs Gender Identity
Charli XCX: Boys
Female Gaze: Gender
Expectations
Video Fun: Expressing Myself My Way
Ursula K LeGuin: On Being a Man
Info: Sex and Gender
How Has Your Gender
Expression Evolved?
Tom Boy: Destiny Rogers Music Video
Gender
Spectrum: Understanding Gender
Video: Types of Genders
Autostraddle: Butch Please
But for the majority of
society members who don’t identify as transgender,
gender expression still applies. Pretty much everyone
who functions within society expresses gender, or is
perceived as expressing gender. For the majority of
societal members, gender expression conforms within the
range of gender norms for the sex they were assigned at
birth.
Even genderqueer,
androgynous, and intergender identified people are
expressing gender. They’re just expressing it in a
gender neutral manner.
And males who express
gender with what is perceived in our culture as more
feminine expression, and females who express gender with
what is perceived in our culture as more masculine
expression. These folk are perceived to be gay or
lesbian, whether or not these folk actually are actually
gay or lesbian.

There is a reason why
male-to-female trans women who are victims of hate
violence aren’t usually referred to by the
anti-transgender pejorative "she-male" by their
attackers, but instead are usually referred to by the
antigay pejorative, "fag." And, that reason is that
people who are perceived to be male, who have what is
perceived to feminine gender expression, are perceived
to be gay.
I would say that housing,
employment, and especially public accommodation
antidiscrimination protections based on sexual
orientation and gender identity are protections for
people whose expression of gender is perceived to be
non-conforming to societal sex and gender norms.
One important concept to
remember regarding gender identity and gender expression
is that gender is expressed on some level by pretty much
all of us in our broad society. When gender expression
doesn’t conform to societal sex and gender norms is when
that antidiscrimination protections for LGBTQ community
become legally important.

The other, key concept
regarding gender identity and gender expression is that
gender expression is the glue (the commonality) that
should bind trans community together.
It’s also a glue that
should bind LGBTQ community members together.
Significant numbers of LGBTQ community members are
indirectly perceived by people outside of LGBTQ
community as gender nonconformists, and that indirect
perception of gender nonconformity is the why and how
they are perceived to be LGBTQ.
And too, that perception
by people outside of LGBTQ community that gender
nonconformity is an identifier of lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, and queer people has civil rights
implications.
Gender expression isn’t
gender identity, and vice versa. These two terms really
do represent two separate concepts. And gender
expression? It’s a broad concept. Gender expression
isn’t just a transgender term that functions as code
wording for crossdressers.
[Source: Autumn Sandeen,
Pam's House Blend]

Info: Sexual Identity
PBS Video: Origin of Gender
History of the Word "Femme"
My Shadow is Pink: Short Film by Scott
Stuart
Ursula K LeGuin: On Being a Man
Jess Steven: Struggles of Being a Femme Lesbian
Radical Notion: Complete Gender Dictionary
Glee Video: If I Were a Boy
Queer 101: What is Gender Expression?
Video Talk: Gender Identity vs Gender Expression
Maggie Szabo: Don't Give Up
Queer Kid Stuff: Gender Expression
Video: Kate Borstein Speaks About Gender
Gender Expression
Explained
Teaching Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Expression, and
Gender Identity
Video Talk: How Do You Express Your Gender?
Femmephobia in Gay
Communities
Info: Gender Identity
Butches and Studs
Authentic Representation: Gender Expression
Nongirly: Gutsy, Goofy, Geeky, Glorious
Androgynous: Joan Jett, Miley Cyrus, Laura Jane Grace
Freedom to Be Yourself
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