Faunagender
A gender that's animal in some way: connected to one creature, to many, or to animals in general.
- One of twenty-seven Xenogender identities
- Verified flag
- 4 min read
A shorter entry: the essentials, written to the same standard. The fuller guides are on the main identities.
What it is
Some people go looking for their gender and find something with fur, feathers or scales. Not a hobby, not a fursona: the honest answer to 'what's your gender' is closer to a creature than to man or woman. Faunagender is the word for that, whether the animal is one specific kind, several, or animals in general.
It also works as an umbrella. Catgender, pupgender and the other specific-animal words sit underneath it. Use the specific word if you have one; use faunagender if the animal changes, or if it's the animal-ness rather than any one animal.
What it is not: it isn't a claim to be an animal. Some faunagender people are also otherkin or therian, and for them the two are wound together, which is kingender's territory. Plenty aren't. The record on the wiki says the link can be a strong connection to an animal or a metaphor, a gender with the qualities of that animal. And it's a small word from online xenogender spaces, with a record starting in 2014 and nothing behind it but definitions. Read what follows as description, not history.
Pronouns
Faunagender says nothing about pronouns. People turn up with he, she, they, it (chosen, and meant), and neopronouns, some drawn from the animal, most not. If animal-based neopronouns make you wince, skip them. They're one option some people took, not a requirement.
Does this sound like you?
Is Faunagender you?
The test ranks all 136 identities by how closely they fit your answers, so you see where Faunagender lands for you. Twenty questions, about four minutes, nothing leaves your phone. It suggests. You decide.
Nearby identities
The distinction is the useful part.
The umbrella: any gender described through things outside man and woman. Faunagender is the animal branch. If the general idea fits but animals don't, start with the umbrella.
Compare Faunagender and Xenogender →Gender that comes out of your kintype, being otherkin or therian. Faunagender doesn't need a kin claim. Some people are both; the wiki record says faunagenders can be kingenders but don't have to be.
Compare Faunagender and Kingender →Nature and living things in general: seasons, weather, growth. Faunagender is narrower, creatures specifically. If yours is green and weather-shaped rather than animal, look there.
Compare Faunagender and Biogender →It might not be you if…
- You love animals and 'man' or 'woman' still answers the gender question fine. Then you're someone who loves animals, which is a whole good thing on its own.
- The animal is a character you play, a fursona, a roleplay, a costume, and you set it down when you log off. Faunagender is what's still there afterwards.
- Your gender is inseparable from being otherkin or therian. That's kingender, and it'll describe the mechanism more precisely than this does.
- You want a word that a school, a clinic or a form will take seriously. This one won't do that work. Use the broad word for those rooms and keep this one for yourself.
Questions people ask
Is faunagender the same as being a furry?
No. Furry is a fandom and a hobby: art, costumes, a community you take part in. Faunagender is a description of gender. Plenty of furries have entirely ordinary genders, and plenty of faunagender people have never been near a convention. Overlap exists; it isn't the definition.
Do I have to identify as an animal?
No. The wiki record allows two routes: a strong connection to an animal, or a metaphor, a gender with that animal's qualities. Neither requires believing you are one. If you do identify as an animal and your gender is bound up with that, kingender is the more exact word.
Is this a real identity or an internet joke?
It came out of online xenogender communities and is used by a small number of people. That's honestly where it stands. The test isn't the word's pedigree; it's whether the description is still true for you in six months when nobody's watching.
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