WHAT DOES NONBINARY MEAN?
Nonbinary is a word for a gender that is not exclusively male or female. A nonbinary person might experience their gender as a mix of both, as neither, as somewhere in between, or as something else entirely. It is often included under the transgender umbrella, though not everyone who is nonbinary identifies as transgender. Being nonbinary describes an identity, not a mental illness, and it is separate from a person's sexual orientation, meaning whom they are attracted to. The language people use here is personal and can evolve over time.
Because "nonbinary" describes a range of experiences rather than one fixed thing, it helps to define it clearly, place it alongside related terms, and be plain about what it does and does not mean. This page gives that picture in plain language, with sources.
CONTENT NOTE
This is general information, not personal medical advice. Whether this medication is appropriate for a particular young person is a decision for that young person, their family, and their qualified healthcare providers, and in nearly all cases minors cannot receive it without parental consent. If you are in immediate danger, call 911; for support any time, call or text 988.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
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Not only male or female. Nonbinary describes a gender that is not exclusively male or female.
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A range of experiences. It can mean a mix of genders, neither, in between, or something else; the language is personal.
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Often under the transgender umbrella. Many nonbinary people are included there, though not all identify as transgender.
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An identity, not an illness. Gender diversity is described by leading pediatric guidance as normal, and these terms are not diagnoses.
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Separate from sexual orientation. Being nonbinary says nothing about whom a person is attracted to.
WHAT NONBINARY MEANS
Nonbinary means a person's gender is not exclusively male or female. The idea rests on gender identity, a person's internal sense of their own gender.
As Mayo Clinic describes it, gender identity can be an internal sense of being male or female, of being somewhere along the gender spectrum, or of being beyond male and female.
Nonbinary describes that last set of experiences: a gender that does not fit neatly into only "man" or only "woman."
Different people describe it in different ways, and there is no single way to be nonbinary.
NONBINARY AND THE TRANSGENDER UMBRELLA
Nonbinary is often included within the broader group of gender-diverse identities, and it frequently falls under the transgender umbrella, though not everyone who is nonbinary uses the word transgender for themselves.
The American Academy of Pediatrics describes "gender diverse" as an umbrella term for the many labels people use when their gender identity does not conform to the expectations tied to their sex assigned at birth, and it notes that these terms are personal and often dynamic ways of describing one's own gender experience. Some nonbinary people consider themselves transgender; others simply identify as nonbinary. Both are valid, and the choice of words is the person's own.
For the wider umbrella, see what transgender means.
BEING NONBINARY IS NOT A MENTAL ILLNESS
Being nonbinary is part of the normal range of human gender diversity, not a disorder. The American Psychiatric Association states that the term "transgender," under which many nonbinary people fall, is not a psychiatric diagnosis, and the American Academy of Pediatrics describes gender-diverse identities as personal ways of describing one's experience rather than diagnoses, treating gender diversity as a normal part of development.
Some nonbinary people, like some transgender people, experience gender dysphoria, the distress that can come from a mismatch between gender identity and sex assigned at birth, but that distress is separate from the identity itself; see what gender dysphoria is.
NONBINARY IS NOT THE SAME AS SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Being nonbinary is about a person's own gender, not about whom they are attracted to.
As the American Academy of Pediatrics explains, gender identity is not the same as sexual orientation, which refers to the gender or genders a person is attracted to.
A nonbinary person may be straight, gay, bisexual, pansexual, or any orientation.
Gender identity is about who you are; sexual orientation is about whom you are drawn to.
PRONOUNS AND RESPECTFUL LANGUAGE
Many nonbinary people use they/them pronouns, but pronouns vary from person to person, so the simplest and most respectful approach is to ask.
Some nonbinary people use they/them, some use he or she, some use more than one set, and some use other pronouns. Because the language is personal, asking a person what they use, and then using it, is the respectful default, and research links respecting a young person's pronouns to better wellbeing.
If you are supporting a young person, our guide on how to support a transgender teen covers this in practical terms.
WHAT SUPPORT LOOKS LIKE
Support for a nonbinary young person is mostly non-medical, centered on respect and acceptance.
Using a person's name and pronouns, supporting how they express their gender, and providing an accepting environment are the core of it, and none of that is medical.
Some older nonbinary adolescents, like other gender-diverse youth, may explore medical options with qualified providers, on an individualized basis and, for minors, with parental consent, but most support is social and psychological.
For more, see supporting a trans child without medical steps and what gender-affirming care is.