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Gender Identity Scale (self.lgbtq_plus)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by BumpingFuglies to c/[email protected]

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I've recently begun going through a bit of a personal renaissance regarding my gender, and I realized my numbers-focused brain needs something to quantify gender identity, both for myself and so I can better understand others. I also just don't like socially-constructed labels, at least for myself.

So, using the Kinsey Scale of Sexuality as inspiration, and with input from good friends, I made up my own Gender Identity Scale.

Three axes: X, Y, and Z
X: Man (not necessarily masculinity), 0 to 6
Y: Woman (not necessarily femininity), 0 to 6
Z: Fluidity, 0 to 2
X and Y axes' numbers go from 0 - not part of my identity to 6 - strongly identify as
Z axis's numbers go from 0 - non-fluid to 2 - always changing

Example: The average cis-man is 6,0,0, the average cis-woman is 0,6,0, and a "balanced" nonbinary person might be 3,3,1, or 0,0,0, or 6,6,2..

Personally, I think I'm about a 3,2,1 - I don't have a strong connection to either base gender, but being biologically male, I do identify a bit more as a man. I also feel that I'm somewhat gender-fluid, but not entirely so. I honestly don't fully understand gender fluidity yet, so the Z-axis may require some tweaking.

Does this make sense? Can you use this to accurately quantify your own gender identity? I wanna know!

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Excuse my ignorance, but how do you define a difference between "man" and "masculinity"? Is it just how you see yourself? Like you might present as fem but think of yourself as a man, or present as masc but think of yourself as a woman?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm a woman. I don't understand femininity though and it plays no part in making me who I am

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Thanks, that helps!

[–] BumpingFuglies 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Exactly that, yes. I used to think of myself as a 100% man who just has some feminine qualities, until I had a mind-and-eye-opening experience that helped me to better understand myself. But I know there are plenty of men who present as feminine, yet still identify as men.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

And I'm a trans woman, yet I have no connection to femininity.

It's a performance I can do, and sometimes even enjoy, but I have no sense of it being related to who I am

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ya, I am a man that doesn't mind being seen as feminine sometimes. I've never thought of myself as a woman or wished I was a woman, but I have wished people cared less about gender and presentation.

[–] BumpingFuglies 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

That's been exactly my concern, too. It's why I never considered my own gender past my birth sex. That being said, I've wished throughout my life that I could switch from man to woman and back, but never thought of it as more than fantasy until I had a life-changing experience a few days ago.

I still wish people didn't care so much about it, which is why I like using a numerical scale; it removes the social construct of labels and their myriad implications/connotations, and allows us to just use simple, universally-understood numbers.