gender nonconformity

noun

: a state in which a person has physical and behavioral characteristics that do not correspond with those typically associated with the person's sex

Gender identity refers to an individual's internalized psychological experience of being male or female, whereas gender nonconformity refers to the degree to which an individual's appearance, behavior, interests, and subjective self-concept deviate from conventional norms for masculinity/femininity.

—Lisa M. Diamond et al., Handbook of Child Psychology and Development Science, 7th edition, 2015

gender nonconforming adjective

A bill before the Legislature would amend the law to protect transgender and gender nonconforming people from discrimination in public spaces, such as hospitals, coffee shops, and retail stores.

—Tom Bourdon, The Boston Globe, 8 June 2015

Word History

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

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Rhymes for gender nonconformity

• conformity
• deformity
• enormity
• disconformity
• unconformity
• uniformity
• nonuniformity