Novigender
A gender too complex to describe with the available words.
Novigender describes a gender that the person experiences as too complex or too specific to describe in any single existing term. The claim is about the vocabulary, not about uncertainty.
It differs from questioning, which describes not knowing. Someone novigender generally knows their gender quite well and finds that no available word carries it.
It is frequently used alongside other terms rather than instead of them, as a way of saying that the other words are approximations.
Novigender is not the same as questioning
Not having a word is read as not having an answer, which reverses what the term claims.
Questioning describes not knowing. Novigender describes knowing and finding the vocabulary insufficient, which is a different position entirely.
Saying it well
Say this
- I am novigender.
- I know what it is. There is no word for it.
- Novigender, plus a few approximations.
- Too specific for one term.
Not this
- So you do not know
- Just pick the closest one
- That is a cop-out
- Everyone's gender is complicated
Questions people actually ask
What does novigender mean?
Having a gender too complex or specific to be described by any single existing word.
Is novigender the same as questioning?
No. Questioning is not knowing; novigender is knowing and finding no word that fits.
Can it be used with other terms?
Yes, and it usually is, as a way of marking the other words as approximations.