A
gender bender (
slang: one who
genderfucks) is a person who disrupts, or "bends", expected
gender roles.
Gender bending is sometimes a form of social
activism undertaken to destroy rigid gender roles and defy sex-role stereotypes, notably in cases where the gender bender finds these roles oppressive. It can be a reaction to, and protest of,
homophobia or
transphobia. Some gender benders
identify with the
gender assigned them at birth, but "challenge" the
norms of that gender presentation through
androgynous dress, adornment, behaviour, and
atypical gender roles. Gender benders may self-identify as
trans or
genderqueer. However, many trans people do not consider themselves "gender benders".
