Robyn is the CEO & Founder of HER. Find her on Twitter.
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Aug 27, 2023
The label “demigirl” offers a logical solution to a societal problem. Navigating societal expectations of girlhood can be overwhelming for individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB) and trans women alike.
Sometimes, these expectations become so overwhelming that some individuals wish to disconnect from the gender assignment altogether, leading to beautiful identities like non-binary or genderqueer.
But others are somewhere in between. They resonate with certain aspects of womanhood at times, while at other times, they don’t fully identify with it. That’s the beauty of being a demi girl.
With firsthand accounts and insights, we’re shedding light on what it means to identify as a demigirl and the community’s challenges and triumphs. Learn about the demigirl flag, and the relationship between demigirls and other trans and GNC identities, and take a demigirl quiz to embark on your gender journey.
A demigirl is someone who identifies partially, but not wholly, as a woman or with womanhood, regardless of their assigned gender at birth. This connection with gender identity may be constant or fluctuate over time.
“Demigender,” a broader term, encompasses identities where individuals feel a partial connection to a particular gender, such as demiboy or demigirl.
Sometimes, a label’s definition is best described by someone who embraces it. An AVEN (Asexuality Visibility and Education Network) user, jehoshabeath, says of their identity: “I use the term demigirl to describe myself. I feel like my gender doesn’t fluctuate; it’s just always in a place between female and non-binary. I didn’t have a problem identifying as a girl when I was younger, but I don’t feel comfortable identifying as a woman now as an adult.”
One Reddit user, blue_honeyblood, says, “I always thought that non-binary people were so cool, and I kind of wished to be non-binary, but I felt too connected to my agab [assigned gender at birth]. Then I heard of the term demigirl, looked it up, and everything suddenly made a whole lot of sense.”
Source: Wikimedia
The demigirl flag visually encapsulates the essence of the demigirl identity.
It’s horizontally symmetrical with a singular white stripe in the center. Flanking the white stripe are pink stripes, symbolizing womanhood. Surrounding the pink stripes are light gray stripes, followed by darker gray ones. The gray represents partial gender identity, while the central white stripe signifies gender neutrality, symbolizing the non-binary aspect.
Lucky you, we’ve even done a deep dive into other vibrant pride flags in the LGBTQ community, including the intersex pride flag and the updated rainbow flags.
Both demigender and demiboy share the same foundation as demigirl. Demigender means having some alignment with either boy or girl while also identifying partially as non-binary. Demiboy denotes alignment with both non-binary and boy.
“Demigirl,” like many labels nowadays, originated on the internet.
In the early 2010s, Tumblr became a hub for queer youths brainstorming about micro-labels that precisely defined gender experiences. While some labels resonated with certain individuals and not others, demigender and demigirl gained significant traction during that period on the platform. Of course, it gained popularity off the site, too. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be talking about it now!
For many, it combines introspection, research, and relating to others’ experiences. It’s a personal journey unique to each individual. A good place to start is simply finding others who have gone through the experience!
When you don’t know if you’re a demigirl or not, it can be hard to understand your feelings better. Here are some questions that make up a basic demigirl quiz that can help point you in the right direction:
Is demigirl/demiboy considered part of the non-binary umbrella?
Absolutely! Demigender is frequently regarded as a non-binary identity because of its partial detachment from the traditional gender binary.
It’s okay to be uncertain. Seek out communities and resources, like those available on the HER blog and within our community, for insights. Remember, your journey is personal. Embrace it, form connections, and practice self-love throughout!
Robyn is the CEO & Founder of HER. Find her on Twitter.
