X-gender

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X-gender ( Japanese Ｘ ジ ェ ン ダ ー x-jendā ; from English gender “social gender”) is a Japanese term for gender identities outside of the division between “ male ” and “ female ”. X-gender does not necessarily mean an independent third gender , but includes different non-binary identities , regardless of the gender characteristics of the people. Prominent examples of people who define themselves as "X-gender" are the mangaka Yūki Kamatani and Yuu Watase .

Word origin

The expression X-gender is made up of the X , which is used in documents in many countries for an indeterminacy of gender (e.g. in Austria ). And gender is understood in Japan according to the meaning in English. The composition originated in Japan itself and is only used there. In contrast, the international terms “ transgender ”, “genderqueer” or “nonbinary” are rarely used for such gender identities in Japan.

The origin of the expression is assumed to be in the Kansai region on the main Japanese island, where it appeared repeatedly in publications by queer (homosexual) groups in the course of the 1990s , although the exact origin is unknown. The meaning was examined and defined in detail for the first time in an issue of the magazine Poco a poco , which was published by G-Front Kansai in 2000 and contained several articles about people who would be classified in the gender category X-gender . However, the name itself only appeared in the glossary. By one of the founding members of the group, who participated in several interviews and documentaries, x-jendā (Japanese pronounced ekkusu jendā ) was further established. As a result, the term became increasingly widespread through its use in social media as well as increased awareness of the gender discourse in public opinion .

classification

X-gender is considered part of the transgender spectrum and is often viewed as a gender identity disorder ( Japanese 性 同一性 障害 seiōitsuseishōgai ). Although the term did not appear until the turn of the millennium, third gender identities have been known in Japan (such as okama or onabe ) and outside of it for a long time (such as the Hijra in India, the Kathoey in Thailand or the American Two-Spirit ). Since the most diverse gender identities are summarized with X-gender , there is no clear definition of this category in terms of a specific gender; Three subgroups are common:

  • 両 性 ryōsei : People with characteristics of both sexes
  • 中性 chūsei : persons with a gender identity beyond man or woman (" third gender ")
  • 無性 musei : Persons who no clear sexual characteristics have ( intersex ) or not in either of these gender roles will be defined

The word component 性 (-sei) used in all of these terms means “gender” and refers to both biological and identity features .

The meanings of “transgender” and “gender identity disorder” originally referred to the change between the two sexes of man and woman: from one completely to the other ( transsexuality ). Part of the ideas was that there was only this bisexuality, combined with a heteronormativity of the respective sexual orientation (opposite-sex love). In contrast, the Japanese X-gender offers an indefinite possibility of gender assignment outside of the two categories without questioning their binary or heteronormativity.

See also

literature

  • Sonja Pei-Fen Dale: An Introduction to X-Jendā: Examining a New Gender Identity in Japan. In: Carolyn Brewer (Ed.): Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific. No. 31. Australian National University, December 2012 ( online at anu.edu.au).
  • Sonja Pei-Fen Dale: Mapping “X”: The Micropolitics of Gender and Identity in a Japanese Context. Doctoral thesis Department of Global Studies, Sophia University Tokyo 2013 (English).
  • Sonja Pei-Fen Dale: Gender Identity, Desire, and Intimacy Sexual Scripts and X-Gender. In: Allison Alexy, Emma E. Cook (Eds.): Intimate Japan: Ethnographies of Closeness and Conflict. University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu 2019, ISBN 978-0-8248-7668-5 , pp. 164–180 (English; PDF: 3.6 MB, 289 pages at library.oapen.org).
  • Daiki Hiramori: Social-Institutional Structures That Matter: A Quantitative Monograph of Sexual / Gender Minority Status and Earnings in Japan. February 26, 2019 (English; PDF: 842 kB, 52 pages on osf.io).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Sonja Pei-Fen Dale: An Introduction to X-Jendā: Examining a New Gender Identity in Japan. In: Carolyn Brewer (Ed.): Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific. No. 31. Australian National University, December 2012 ( online at anu.edu.au).