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Nonbinary
Also written: Nonbinary, Non-binary, Nonbinary people
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At a glance
Source-by-source
“An adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. … While many also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people do.”
HRC defines non-binary as an adjective for people who don't identify exclusively as a man or a woman, and draws a careful boundary with transgender: many non-binary people also identify as transgender, but not all do. The entry also notes non-binary can serve as an umbrella term covering agender, bigender, genderqueer, and gender-fluid identities.
“An umbrella term for people who experience their gender identity and/or gender expression as falling outside the binary of man and woman. While nonbinary … is considered a trans identity, some people who identify as nonbinary do not consider themselves transgender. When possible, consult your source.”
DSG treats nonbinary as an umbrella for gender identities and expressions outside the man/woman binary, with the same trans-overlap caveat the other sources draw: nonbinary is generally a trans identity, but some nonbinary people do not consider themselves transgender, so the guide advises consulting the source and asking which pronouns a person uses.
“Refers to people who do not subscribe to the gender binary. They might exist between or beyond the man-woman binary. Some use the term exclusively, while others may use it interchangeably with terms like genderqueer, genderfluid, gender nonconforming, gender diverse, or gender expansive.”
RET (quoting PFLAG) frames nonbinary as a term for people who exist between or beyond the man-woman binary, noting it can be used exclusively or interchangeably with genderqueer, genderfluid, and related terms, and can be combined with other descriptors ("nonbinary woman," "transmasc nonbinary"). The entry centers respecting the words nonbinary people use for themselves.
“Refers to a person whose gender identity and/or expression is not strictly male or female. … Use if a person self-identifies as nonbinary, or in quotations or names of organizations. Some nonbinary individuals identify as trans.”
NLGJA's 2025 stylebook treats nonbinary as an adjective and ties its use to self-identification: apply it when a person identifies that way, in quotations, or in organization names. The entry repeats the partial trans-overlap rule — some nonbinary people identify as trans, some do not — and the singular "they" is treated as standard, needing no explanation.
“An umbrella term for genders other than man and woman… While nonbinary people are generally not considered cisgender, not everyone who is nonbinary considers themselves trans. Do not automatically identify a nonbinary person as trans unless they describe themself that way; identify them simply as nonbinary…”
TJA's definition is the tightest in the corpus: nonbinary is both an umbrella for genders other than man and woman and a specific gender, and writers should never auto-label a nonbinary person as trans unless they self-describe that way. The accompanying TJA guidance rejects "identifies as nonbinary" framing in favor of "is nonbinary."
Synthesis
The corpus is unanimous: “nonbinary” is the term to use for gender identities outside the man/woman binary. Five sources — HRC, the Diversity Style Guide, Racial Equity Tools, NLGJA, and the Trans Journalists Association — define it the same way: an umbrella, and sometimes a specific gender, for people who “do not identify exclusively as a man or a woman.” TJA is the most precise: nonbinary is both “an umbrella term for genders other than man and woman” and “a term for a specific gender,” and nonbinary people “are generally not considered cisgender,” though not all consider themselves transgender either.
The agreement extends to mechanics. It’s an adjective (“a nonbinary person,” not “a nonbinary”), and it’s lowercase except at the start of a sentence. On pronouns, the corpus says ask first rather than assume: DSG advises consulting the source, NLGJA and TJA tie usage to self-identification, and TJA notes not all nonbinary people use they/them. Singular “they” is the common default only when a person’s own pronouns are unknown. Sources diverge on two edges. One is how firmly nonbinary sits under the trans umbrella: HRC and DSG note many but not all nonbinary people identify as trans, and TJA frames it as “generally not cisgender” but not automatically trans. The other is spelling, where the closed “nonbinary” is now dominant but hyphenated “non-binary” still appears in some entries. An individual’s own term governs. Pairs with gender identity and transgender.
Audience notes
- Journalists and editors. “Nonbinary” is the standard term; ask a person which pronouns they use rather than assuming they/them — not all nonbinary people use it. It’s an adjective — don’t write “a nonbinary.”
- Advocates and internal comms. Don’t assume nonbinary people are (or aren’t) transgender; the categories overlap but aren’t identical.
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