Xenogender is an umbrella term for non-binary gender identities that people describe using animals, plants, food, objects, or other non-human concepts instead of standard gender categories.

Where did Xenogender come from?

Tumblr user baaphomet coined it, and it was published in an August 25, 2014 masterpost by another Tumblr user, mogai-archive, alongside other newly coined gender terms.

What does Xenogender mean?

It refers to a gender identity framed through a subject someone connects with, without meaning they literally identify as that subject; a cat-gender person is not claiming to be a cat.

How do you use Xenogender?

People pick a subject they identify with, attach -gender to it (like CatGender or FloppaGender), and often pair it with neopronouns and a personal flag, with many entries logged under subcategories like PurrGender or MemeGenders on lgbta.wiki.

Is Xenogender still popular?

Its largest attention spike came in 2021 through the Twitter account @xenogndrhourly and TikToker @xenogenderzz's Chocogender video, and the term is still used within online non-binary communities that catalogue new xenogenders.

Xenogender

2014catchphrasesemi-active

Published August 12, 2026

Xenogender is an umbrella term for non-binary gender identities described through non-human concepts like animals, plants, food, or memes instead of standard gender language. Tumblr user baaphomet coined the word, and a mogai-archive masterpost from August 25, 2014 brought it into wider circulation before it saw a fresh spike of interest in 2021.

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Overview

Xenogender is an umbrella term covering non-binary gender identities that people describe through non-human concepts rather than standard gender categories1. Instead of using words tied to man or woman, someone with a xenogender might frame their identity through animals, plants, food, objects, or abstract ideas that feel personally meaningful3. The term does not mean the person identifies as the thing itself, a cat-gender individual is not claiming to be a cat, only that felinity captures something about how they experience their own gender2.

Xenogenders often come paired with their own neopronouns tied to the subject of the identity3. Communities have organized the many coined identities into subcategories such as GamerGender for gaming-related xenogenders and PurrGender for cat-themed ones4.

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Origin & Background

Platform

Tumblr (coined) / TikTok and Twitter (2021 spread)

Creator

baaphomet

Date

2014

The label was posted on August 25, 2014 by now-inactive Tumblr user mogai-archive, in a list of gender-related terms attributed to another now-inactive Tumblr user, baaphomet, though the exact date baaphomet first coined the word beforehand is not documented3. That post defined xenogender as a gender that could not be contained by human understandings of gender, one more concerned with alternative methods of categorization such as those relating to animals, plants, or other creatures and things1.

How It Spread

After 2014, users kept coining new xenogenders, and gender-identity wikis such as nonbinary.wiki and lgbta.wiki became the main archives for them1. On lgbta.wiki, CatGender is one of the more widely referenced entries, framed as a gender for people who feel a strong connection to cats or wish to incorporate feline traits into how they explain their identity4.

The open-ended definition let almost anything become a gender marker, including memes, producing a category called MemeGenders with entries such as AmongUsGender, SusGender, FloppaGender, and TrollGender7. Interest spiked in 2021. In July of that year, the Twitter account @xenogndrhourly began posting xenogenders alongside flags and credit for each term's coiner5. On August 3, 2021, TikToker @xenogenderzz uploaded a video introducing Chocogender that pulled in over 236,000 views inside six days6.

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How to Use This Meme

To use the label, someone typically picks a subject they connect with, adds -gender to it (as in CatGender or Chocogender), and often adopts matching neopronouns drawn from the same subject3. A common convention is to publish a flag whose colors each represent an aspect of the identity, following the format used by accounts such as @xenogndrhourly5.