Documented instances of
Transgender people (including
non-binary and
third gender people) who diverge from cisgender norms have been recorded in cultures worldwide dating back to at least the pre-colonial era. One example is the existence of gender fluidity in many Indigenous communities. Although the earliest records of gender fluidity in Indigenous communities was written by those who colonized them, current research shows that over 150 pre-colonial groups are known to recognize or have historically recognized more than two genders. The
Navajo people are one group who historically recognized between four and five gender identities, one of them being
nàdleehi ('changing one' in English). The term challenges binary categories of sex and gender and enables some Indigenous people to reclaim traditional roles within their societies. In South Asia, many Muslim rulers from the 15th to 19th century
Mughal Empire were patrons of third-gender Indians. Another example of historical recognition of gender fluidity is the Philippines. In the Philippines, they use the umbrella term
baklâ to refer to "those born male who currently exist with a feminine gender expression." Scholars caution that the term ''fa'afāfine'' should be differentiated from Western labels of transgender, nonbinary, or genderfluid, largely because this identity is shaped by Sāmoan social and cultural roles. As a result, the vast majority of Hijras faced discrimination, harassment, and social stigma during British colonial rule, with many of these stigmas persisting into modern-day India. As a result, opinions vary on how to accurately categorize historical accounts of gender-variant people and identities, including genderfluid individuals. The 1928
Virginia Woolf novel
Orlando: A Biography features a main character who changes gender several times, and considers gender fluidity: The first known mention of the term
gender fluidity was in
gender theorist Kate Bornstein's 1994 book
Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us. It was later used again in the 1996 book
The Second Coming: A Leatherdyke Reader.
Health care recognition In health care, genderfluid identities are often discussed within a broader category of transgender and gender-diverse individuals. The
World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) notes that "TGD people encompass a diverse array of gender identities and expressions," reflecting clinical recognition of gender diversity, including gender identities and expressions that do not fit within fixed binary categories. == Symbols ==