Pride Month: the Non-Binary Flag

Non-binary or genderqueer is an umbrella term for gender identities that are not exclusively male or female – identities that fall outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the term trans because non-binary people usually identify with a gender other than their assigned gender, although some non-binary people do not consider themselves trans.

Non-binary people may identify as an intermediate or separate third gender, identify with more than one gender, have no gender (agender) or have a fluctuating gender identity (genderfluid). Gender identity is separate from sexual or romantic orientation, and non-binary people have a variety of sexual orientations, just like cisgender people. Being non-binary is also not the same as being intersex; most intersex people identify as either male or female.

Non-binary people as a group vary in their gender expression, and some reject gender identities altogether. Some non-binary people are treated for their gender dysphoria with surgery or hormones, as is the case with trans men and trans women.

The non-binary pride flag was designed by Kye Rowan in 2014. Yellow represents people whose gender is non-binary, purple represents people whose gender is a mix of – or between – male and female, black represents people who have no gender, and white represents people who have many or all genders combined.