Nonbinary Meaning: What It Is, Pronouns, Labels and X Markers

A nonbinary person’s gender isn’t exclusively man or woman. The Trans Journalists Association’s stylebook calls nonbinary “an umbrella term for genders other than man and woman,” then adds, “This is also a term for a specific gender.” One word, two jobs: it covers a whole family of identities and works as a gender in its own right.

Merriam-Webster defines the gender sense as a person whose gender identity is “neither entirely male nor entirely female.” Many nonbinary people use they/them pronouns. Plenty use she/her, he/him or a mix. What Nonbinary Means, According to GLAAD and TJA

“Nonbinary is an adjective used by people who experience their gender identity and/or gender expression as falling outside” the categories of man and woman, reads the opening of the entry in GLAAD’s media glossary. GLAAD is fine with both “nonbinary” and “non-binary.” It also lists more specific words some people use, including agender and bigender.

Because it’s an adjective, write “a nonbinary person” or “nonbinary people.” Never “a nonbinary,” and never “nonbinaries.”

Drop “identifies as” while you’re at it. The TJA guide says to “simply state that someone is trans, is nonbinary, is a man or woman, etc.” The abbreviation “NB” is out too. “Do not use NB, as that is often shorthand for non-Black,” GLAAD says. Is Nonbinary the Same as Transgender?

Sometimes, depending on the person. Nonbinary people “are generally not considered cisgender,” the TJA entry says, but “not everyone who is nonbinary considers themselves trans.” Its advice to writers: “Do not automatically identify a nonbinary person as trans unless they describe themself that way.”

“Nonbinary people make up a substantial part of the LGBTQ community,” lead author Bianca D.M. Wilson said in the release for a 2021 Williams Institute study. The study estimated about 1.2 million nonbinary LGBTQ adults in the U.S., and 42% of them identified as transgender. It also found 76% were ages 18 to 29.

Gender and orientation are separate questions, by the way. A nonbinary person can be gay, lesbian, bi, pan, ace, straight or anything else. Nonbinary vs. Genderqueer, Genderfluid, Agender and Enby

People pick the words that fit, and the words overlap. Unless noted, the definitions below come from the TJA stylebook. TermWhat it usually meansNonbinaryAn umbrella term for genders other than man and woman, and also a specific genderGenderqueer“Similar to (though not synonymous with) nonbinary”; both a specific identity and a broad category of people who are neither men nor womenGenderfluid“Someone whose gender fluctuates or is not fixed”AgenderSomeone who “falls under the trans umbrella and does not have a gender,” per TJABigender“Often means someone who has two genders,” which “can be, but are not always, man and woman”EnbyAn informal noun for a nonbinary person, from the letters N and B (Merriam-Webster)Swipe horizontally to view all columns.

Merriam-Webster dates enby’s first known use to 2013. GLAAD’s glossary adds that “nonbinary is sometimes shortened to enby.” Some people love the word and some don’t, so use it for a person only if they use it for themselves. Gayety’s guide to what genderqueer means covers the longer history of that term, and the bigender explainer covers people with two genders. Nonbinary Pronouns: They/Them, She/They and Neopronouns

Nonbinary pronouns don’t come as one set. Many people use they/them. Others go with she/her or he/him, with more than one set (she/they, for instance) or with neopronouns.

Singular they is old news. TJA notes it “is not unique to trans people and has long been in wide usage as a third-person pronoun.” In September 2019, Merriam-Webster added the sense of they for “one person whose gender identity is nonbinary.” Lookups rose 313%, and the dictionary then named they its 2019 Word of the Year.

Neopronouns are newer. TJA defines a neopronoun as “a gender-neutral third-person singular English pronoun that is not they/them,” with examples such as ze/hir and ey/em.

Some practical rules:

• Use the verb “are” with singular they: “They are on their way.”
• Drop “preferred.” TJA puts it bluntly: “Someone’s pronouns are not a preference, but rather the only appropriate way to refer to that person.”
• Don’t guess from appearance. Ask, or offer your own pronouns first.

“I’m nonbinary, so I just don’t see myself as a woman, solely,” Janelle Monáe said on Red Table Talk in April 2022, Variety reported. A representative told Rolling Stone at the time that Monáe used she/her pronouns, according to Variety. Illustration of the Nonbinary Pride Flag, drawn by Gayety. The Nonbinary Flag, Kye Rowan and July 14

Yellow, white, purple and black make up the nonbinary flag’s four horizontal stripes. Outright International says it was “conceptualized by Kye Rowan in 2014.” “The yellow stands for those whose genders do not exist within the binary,” Outright explains. White and purple represent people with many genders or a mix, and “black accounts for those people who identify as not having any gender.” Gayety’s nonbinary flag guide goes deeper on the design.

July 14 is International Non-Binary People’s Day. The date sits “half-way between International Women’s Day and International Men’s Day,” according to the University of Sussex, which says the day “was proposed in 2012 by Katje van Loon, a non-binary person from Canada.” Nonbinary People in Public Life, in Their Own Words

“Nemo is the first nonbinary artist to win Eurovision,” the contest’s organizers say. The Swiss singer won the Eurovision Song Contest in May 2024. At the winners’ press conference, Nemo said the win was “for anyone out there who is non-binary, gender-fluid, transgender,” RTÉ reported.

Monáe, quoted above, went further on Red Table Talk: “I just see everything beyond the binary.” How Many Americans Are Nonbinary?

A Pew Research Center survey of 10,188 U.S. adults, taken May 16 to 22, 2022, found 1.6% are transgender or nonbinary. The share jumps among adults under 30, where 5.1% are trans or nonbinary, including 3.0% who are nonbinary. Among adults 50 and older, it’s 0.3%. X Gender Markers on U.S. Passports in 2026

As of Nov. 13, 2026, the State Department’s passport guidance says it issues only M or F markers matching sex at birth. It does not issue new passports or Consular Reports of Birth Abroad with an X marker. The page was last updated March 16, 2026.

The policy traces to Executive Order 14168, signed Jan. 20, 2025, which told the State Department to make passports reflect sex as the order defines it.

Trans, nonbinary and intersex Americans sued in Orr v. Trump, and a federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the policy in 2025. On Nov. 6, 2025, the Supreme Court stayed that injunction while the case continues. “Displaying passport holders’ sex at birth no more offends equal protection principles than displaying their country of birth,” the unsigned order said. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, writing that “this Court misunderstands the assignment.”

The case isn’t over. On June 5, 2026, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the government’s appeal as moot and vacated the injunction orders after the plaintiffs dropped their request for preliminary relief, according to the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. The claims are back before the district court, where the clearinghouse listed the case as ongoing as of September 2026.

The government moved for summary judgment on June 29, 2026. In July, U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick paused briefing on that motion, according to the clearinghouse, and its summary shows no final ruling on the merits.

Existing X passports are a separate matter. The State Department says passports remain valid until they expire, the applicant replaces them, or the department invalidates them under federal regulations. Some destinations restrict travel with an X marker. Check current destination rules before booking. Which States Offer X on Driver’s Licenses?

According to Lambda Legal, state law controls the marker on a driver’s license or REAL ID, not federal law. When this guide was checked on Nov. 13, 2026, the Movement Advancement Project’s driver’s license map counted 22 states plus Washington, D.C., that let residents choose M, F or X. Legislatures and agencies keep changing that count, so check your state’s motor vehicle agency before you apply. Nonbinary Meaning FAQ What does nonbinary mean in simple terms?

It describes a person whose gender isn’t only man or only woman. The TJA stylebook calls it an umbrella term and a specific gender. What’s the difference between nonbinary and transgender?

Many nonbinary people are trans, and some aren’t. In the Williams Institute’s 2021 study, 42% of nonbinary LGBTQ adults identified as transgender. Use the words a person uses. Do all nonbinary people use they/them?

No. Many do, but some use she/her, he/him, a combination such as he/they, or neopronouns such as ze/hir. What does enby mean?

It’s an informal word for a nonbinary person, built from the letters N and B, per Merriam-Webster. Is nonbinary the same as genderqueer or genderfluid?

They overlap. Per TJA, genderqueer is “similar to (though not synonymous with) nonbinary,” and genderfluid describes a gender that shifts. Gayety’s genderfluid flag guide covers the flag version. Can I get an X on my U.S. passport in 2026?

No. The State Department no longer issues new X passports. Existing passports remain valid until expiration, replacement or invalidation under federal regulations. Who created the nonbinary flag?

Kye Rowan created it in 2014, according to Outright International. When is International Non-Binary People’s Day?

It’s July 14 each year, per the University of Sussex.

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