Demifluid
Partly fluid, with one part of the gender staying fixed.
Demifluid describes a gender where part moves and part stays still. Someone might be permanently and unchangingly nonbinary in one respect while another part of their gender shifts between masculine, feminine and neutral.
It is a combination of the demi- prefix and genderfluid, and it names something that neither word manages alone: fluidity that has a fixed anchor.
The fixed part is usually the one people state when asked, because it is the part that will still be true next month.
Demifluid is not partial commitment to being fluid
The demi- prefix is read as hedging, as though the person were fluid but not very.
It describes structure rather than degree: one part is fixed and one part moves, which is a different arrangement from moving a little.
Saying it well
Say this
- I am demifluid.
- Part of it moves, part of it does not.
- The fixed part is nonbinary. The rest travels.
- Demifluid, which is fluid with an anchor.
Not this
- So you are genderfluid
- Which part is the real one
- Pick the fixed one and stop there
- Too complicated
Questions people actually ask
What does demifluid mean?
Having a gender where one part is fixed and another part moves.
Is demifluid the same as genderfluid?
No. Genderfluid moves as a whole; demifluid has a fixed anchor.
Which part do people usually state?
The fixed part, because it will still be true later.