Gender Modality

Gender modality is an umbrella term for different ways in which gender can be described or situated. It includes, among others, being cis or trans, binary or non-binary gender identities, and being endosex or intersex. The term can help describe different dimensions of gender without reducing them to a single category.

It is important to distinguish between these levels. Cis and trans usually refer to whether a person’s gender identity corresponds to the sex they were assigned at birth. Binary and non-binary describe whether a person is situated within the categories of woman and man, or not exclusively within them. Endosex and intersex refer to physical sex characteristics, such as chromosomes, hormones, gonads or genitals. These aspects may be connected, but they are not the same.

Gender modality says nothing about a person’s sexual orientation, preferences, roles or abilities. In sexuality, dating and BDSM, no assumptions should therefore be made based on terms such as cis, trans, non-binary or intersex. What matters is each person’s self-description, respectful language, informed consent and the individual discussion of boundaries, desires and forms of address.