Is it normal to feel like multiple genders?
By Miriam @ Planned Parenthood | Jan. 20, 2023, 2:57 a.m.
Category: Ask the Experts, Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation
Someone asked us: I’ve recently come out to my friends and family as nonbinary but I also have had days where I feel more like a girl and then there are other days where I feel more like a guy. Is this okay?
Feeling like you’re multiple genders is totally normal and OK. Some people call this multigender. Being multigender is just as normal as being female, male, transgender, or any other gender identity.
Multigender people can be:
- more than one gender at the same time,
- different genders in different situations, and/or
- different genders at different times (like across the day, or as you age).
Some people use “multigender” as their primary gender identity. Other multigender people use the term as shorthand for more specific gender identities — like being bigender (2 genders), trigender (3 genders), poly gender (many genders), and pangender (all genders).
Some multigender people identify as genderfluid because their gender identity fluctuates. Other labels like these may include: nonbinary, genderqueer, gender nonconforming, and agender. Some people may want to be more specific about their genders, and use gender identities like: transgender, girl/woman, and boy/man.
Bottom line: you — and only you — know how you feel, and you get to decide what identity fits you best. It’s also perfectly normal and OK if that feeling and identity changes day-to-day, or over time. You definitely don’t need to limit yourself to one gender if that doesn’t feel right.
Check out our tips on figuring out your gender identity.
Tags: gender identity, gender, nonbinary