What Does Cassgender Mean? Everything You Need to Know

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Learn where this term comes from & how to tell if you’re cassgender

Co-authored by Glenn Carreau

Last Updated: September 23, 2024 Fact Checked

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Cassgender Meaning

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Cassgender History

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Cassgender Flag

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Are You Cassgender?

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Supporting Cassgender People

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Cassgender Pronouns

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Related Terms

If you’re looking for a label to describe your gender identity and discovered the term “Cassgender,” you might be wondering what it means (and if it applies to you). Basically, cassgender is a gender identity in which a person is indifferent to the idea of gender and feels their gender isn’t important, although they may still have a gender. Read on for a complete overview of what it means to be cassgender and how to determine if you might be cassgender yourself!

Cassgender Definition

Cassgender is a gender identity in which someone doesn’t feel like their gender is important or is indifferent to the idea of gender. Cassgender people may still have a gender and can choose what pronouns to use. The term was first coined by Tumblr user okaygender in 2014.

Section 1 of 7:

Cassgender Meaning

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Cassgender is a gender identity where one feels gender is unimportant. Someone who identifies as cassgender is essentially indifferent to the idea of their gender; they feel like it doesn’t matter or isn’t important to their overall identity. It doesn’t mean that someone doesn’t have a gender—just that they consider their gender irrelevant.^{[1]
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- Etymology: “Cass” means “to render null and void.” Thus, cassgender is a contraction of “cass” and “gender.”
- The term was established to represent people who don’t attach the same levels of importance to their gender identity as others.
- Each individual person gets to decide how important their gender identity is to them. Some feel it’s extremely important, while others don’t think it’s important at all.

Section 2 of 7:

History of the Cassgender Identity

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On September 28, 2014, Tumblr user okaygender came up with the term “Cassgender.” It was published in a post via Tumblr user mogai-archive that explained the term and its meaning.^{[2]
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Research source} There are no other records of the term “cassgender” before 2014.

Section 3 of 7:

Cassgender Flag

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The cassgender flag is black, green, beige, and gray. It was created by Tumblr user pride-flags-for-us either on or before February 27, 2015, with the main version of the flag featuring 4 wide horizontal stripes. The black, green, and gray are most likely derived from the agender flag, while the beige stripe represents apathy toward the concept of gender.^{[3]
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- There are also at least 2 alternate versions of the cassgender flag. However, the creators of the alternate flags are currently unknown.
- One version has 4 horizontal stripes: green, yellow, white, and gray.
- The other version features a green top and black bottom with a gray stripe through the middle and a gray diamond at the center of the flag. A wavy white line also runs down the center of the gray stripe.

Section 4 of 7:

How to Tell if You’re Cassgender

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Ask yourself whether gender is important to you. To figure out your gender identity and whether you might be cassgender, do a little introspection and ask yourself some questions. For example, you might ask, “Does my gender affect how I experience the world around me?” or “Do I care about how I see my gender or how other people perceive my gender?”
- If you think it through and ultimately feel that gender is unimportant to you, you may indeed be cassgender.
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Consider whether you have multiple gender identities. Keep in mind that it’s possible to identify as cassgender and have another gender identity as well (since “cassgender” doesn’t mean you have no gender). You might identify as male, female, nonbinary, agender, or any other gender and also feel that your gender identity isn’t relevant in any way.
- So, if you do have a specific gender identity, that doesn’t mean you can’t identify as cassgender too.
- Cassgender is simply a way of thinking about gender or a way to perceive it. That’s why you can have another gender identity in addition to cassgender.

Section 5 of 7:

How to Support a Cassgender Individual

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Be respectful and take their identity seriously. If there’s someone in your life who identifies as cassgender, remember that they may still care about their specific gender identity or pronouns. So, refer to them in whatever way they ask you to refer to them. Respect their wishes, and avoid joking about their gender identity; even though they don’t feel their gender is important, doesn’t mean they want to joke about it!
- In general, follow their lead and show them the same respect you’d show anyone when discussing their gender identity.

Section 6 of 7:

Are there cassgender pronouns?

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There are no specific cassgender pronouns. Some cassgender individuals may care about their pronouns and have a preference for the pronouns used to refer to them, while others may not have any preference whatsoever. Ultimately, it’s up to the individual person to choose their pronouns! If you’re unsure about someone’s preferred pronouns, it’s always safest to ask them about it rather than assume.^{[4]
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- If you identify as cassgender, don’t feel like you need to use a specific set of pronouns.
- For example, you might use the pronouns most regularly associated with your gender, or you might use any pronouns; it’s your choice.

Section 7 of 7:

Related Terms

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There are several subsets of the cassgender identity. If you identify with certain aspects of the cassgender identity but are unsure whether it fully fits you, you might find that one of its related labels fits you better. Consider whether any of the following fit with your perception of gender:^{[5]
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- Cassfluid. A gender identity in which someone is indifferent to their gender but feels that it’s fluid in some way. This is also a subset of genderfluid.
- Cassflux. A gender identity where a person’s level of indifference toward their gender fluctuates; they may care more sometimes and less other times.
- Cassfluidflux. A gender identity in which a person’s gender changes over time and their level of indifference toward it fluctuates.
- Demicass. A gender identity in which someone identifies as partially cassgender and partially another gender.