Genderflux Meaning
Genderflux is a gender identity that fluctuates in intensity. Someone who is genderflux may shift between being agender (meaning they don’t identify as having a gender) and one or more other gender identities over time (such as male, female, nonbinary, and so on). In other words, a genderflux person may identify with one or more genders, but the intensity of that connection ebbs and flows. Picture being genderflux as though you’re experiencing gender identity on a percentage range from 0% to 100%. If you’re genderflux, you might feel 100% female (or feminine) one day but 5% female a week later. You still recognize a particular gender identity (or multiple genders), but not always to the same degree. Genderflux can be used as a noun or a verb. You might “experience a genderflux” or say that “you sometimes genderflux” (meaning you sometimes undergo a shift in the intensity of your gender).
History of the Genderflux Identity
The term existed as early as 1994 but gained notoriety in 2014. When used in a Queer Pagans newsletter in 1994, “genderflux” meant “shifting between genders.” The term was also used to describe musician Marilyn Manson in 2003. However, the term’s meaning changed over time; in 2014, Tumblr user Deergoths defined “genderflux” as experiencing changes in the intensity of a gender identity (not shifting between identities). While both meanings of genderflux are still used, the modern version from Deergoth is more common overall—especially since there are other terms, like nonbinary and genderfluid, related to shifting between genders. Before 2015, Tumblr-user pride-flags-for-us also created a genderflux flag (along with alternative flags). In 2016, Teen Vogue also published an article about the growth of gender and sexuality terminology that included “genderflux,” further popularizing the term.
Genderflux is currently used in many genderqueer communities. It’s particularly common online and is generally accepted as a gender identity within the greater LGBTQ+ spectrum. Genderfluid activist and fashion blogger Elliott Alexzander created a GenderFlux clothing line in 2015 to raise awareness for the genderflux identity, and more people have begun to use it as a label in recent years. Furthermore, the term has even been used in literature. A character in the 2019 novel In the Silences, Cori, describes themself as "genderflux femme."
What’s the difference between Genderflux and Genderfluid?
Genderflux is sometimes considered a type of genderfluidity. “Genderfluid” is a gender identity referring to someone who doesn’t have a single, unchanging gender; their gender changes over time. These changes can be fast or slow, from year to year to multiple times daily. On the other hand, genderflux refers to a gender that changes in intensity but doesn’t necessarily change completely. So, for example, a genderflux person might feel that there’s a feminine aspect to their gender identity. Sometimes, that aspect might be very strong, and other times, it could be barely present, but it’s always there. Some genderflux people might feel like their gender identity partially changes, while others might feel that it changes entirely, becoming more feminine, masculine, or androgynous over time. A genderfluid person, meanwhile, will typically experience more frequent changes to their gender identity. They might identify most with the female gender one day and feel nonbinary the next day. Still, both identities involve experiencing fluctuation in gender identity—which is why genderflux is sometimes considered a more specific type of genderfluidity.
Genderflux can also fall under the genderqueer umbrella. Genderqueer is a term for any gender identity that doesn’t fit within the traditional “male” and “female” categories, hence why it’s associated with many other gender identities. Similarly, genderflux and genderqueer both fall under the nonbinary umbrella. Genderflux is the most specific term, specifically referring to a gender identity that changes in intensity. So, a genderqueer individual can also identify as genderflux, but not all genderflux individuals would describe themselves as genderqueer. Since genderflux is the more specific term, a genderflux person might decide only to use that label—while a different genderflux person might use both genderfluid and genderflux or neither (depending on how they want to express themselves).
Genderflux Flag & Color Meanings
The genderflux flag features shades of pink, blue, yellow, and gray. The original flag by pride-flags-for-us has 6 horizontal stripes. From top to bottom, it has 2 pink stripes, a gray stripe, 2 blue stripes, and finally, a bright yellow stripe. The shades of pink and blue likely represent femininity and masculinity, gray represents androgyny (or being agender), and yellow is for nonbinary. Alternative genderflux flags have been created by others over the years, but the one above is generally accepted as the default. As such, some genderflux individuals might use different flags or symbols to represent themselves. It all depends on what they find most meaningful on an individual level!
How to Tell if You’re Genderflux
Ask yourself if your gender identity ever changes in intensity. Do you feel like your gender identity stays pretty much the same, or do you feel like there are times you’ve identified very strongly with a particular gender and times you’ve identified with that gender much less? If you find that the intensity of your gender identity has fluctuated slowly over time (or more frequently even), you might be genderflux. Ultimately, only you can decide how you identify. Gender identity is an extremely personal thing, so the only way to know how you feel is to examine your thoughts and experiences. Don’t worry about being mistaken and having to change labels later; you can use any label that feels right to you at the moment, and it’s okay if that changes over time, too.
Related Terms
Genderflux is also an umbrella term for other identities. Does genderflux feel partially right but a little too broad to you? If so, one of the terms below might be a better fit. Even if you’re just curious about what other gender identities are related to genderflux, check out the following terms: Boyflux. Boyflux means that someone’s gender fluctuates in terms of their masculinity, getting more intense sometimes and less intense other times. Girlflux. This term is the feminine version of boyflux. It describes someone who experiences a fluctuating intensity of their femininity or womanhood. Femflux. This term identifies someone whose gender identity fluctuates between fingenders (meaning genders that are feminine in nature). Mascflux. This term identifies someone whose gender identity fluctuates between mingenders (meaning genders that are masculine in nature). Multiflux. Multiflux is a term describing anyone who identifies as genderflux with multiple genders. Their gender fluctuations may be connected or totally independent of one another. Bigenderflux. Bigenderflux individuals identify with two different genders, and both fluctuate in intensity—either simultaneously, with one getting stronger as the other gets weaker, or independently. Fluidflux. Fluidflux describes someone whose gender changes over time while also fluctuating in intensity—making it a subset of both genderfluid and genderflux. Agenderflux. Agenderflux describes someone who primarily identifies as agender—but that identity fluctuates in intensity over time. Neutroisflux. Someone with this gender identity feels their gender is neutral, but the intensity of that feeling fluctuates over time. Nonbinaryflux. This term describes a gender identity for someone whose gender exists outside the binary and fluctuates in intensity. Demiflux. For demiflux individuals, part of their gender is static (meaning it doesn’t change), while another part fluctuates in intensity. Genderlost. This term describes someone whose gender identity can be in flux at times but isn’t always.
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