How do you know what gender you identify as?(if any)

[Creativalsia]

How does one know if they are transgender, gender queer or non-gendered? For that matter, what is gender?

[Shaggai]

From what I've heard, you check if you think you have the right genitals. If they don't match what you think you should have, you're probably trans*.

[Blazedtown]

Because I stand when I pee.

[Mkuki]

You decide for yourself.

[Phocidaea]

From what I've heard, you check if you think you have the right genitals. If they don't match what you think you should have, you're probably trans*.

This.

I consider myself to identify as male because I have male genitalia and do not consider them incongruous with my mental conception of myself.

[The Emerald Legion]

From what I've heard, you check if you think you have the right genitals. If they don't match what you think you should have, you're probably trans*.

Right... genitals?

I didn't know those two words could go together. I mean genitals are the weirdest parts of the human body.

[Ermarian]

But how do you know what you think you should have? People can go through years of unrecognized dysphoria before concluding that they're trans* - this is an interesting article on the subject.

[Nation of Fortune]

For me it started young, incredibly so. I was uncomfortable in my body from my earliest memories. The specific genitals I had didn't match with what my mind was telling me. Every night I would hope I would wake up and it all just would have been a dream. Every instance growing up when you're told to make a wish, like blowing out the birthday candles, I would wish that I would have the body my mind told me I should. My feelings quickly became negative towards myself, and by the time I was 8 I was so desperate about how I felt about my own body that suicidal thoughts started entering my mind.

Then puberty hit and my feelings became more pronounced. My body was quickly becoming everything my mind was telling me it shouldn't. My depression became deeper and my being uncomfortable with my body sky rocketed to new heights. My body physically made me feel sick, so much so that personal relations with other people became affected. It was difficult to make friends with my peers because, even if at the time I didn't want to admit it, everyone thought I was little more than a liar. They thought this because it was so painfully obvious I was keeping something from everyone I met, most people didn't know what so they assumed I was just lying to them. To make matters worse my body language screamed my target gender, so I was frequently made fun of for my perceived sexuality. As a matter of fact the only person who was surprised when I told them was my father, and I believe that was more of because he didn't want to see it.

My parents had been clear to me that being trans* is something only for freaks, they made it clear it wasn't something anyone normal would do. I'm sure you can guess that this made me afraid of coming to terms with my gender issues. After years of struggling with my identity, and doing things to try and fit who everyone told me I should be, one day it just hit me. I needed to do this, and I couldn't live the lie I had been living for so long anymore.

I'm not saying every trans* persons experience will mimic the one I had, I'm just providing my experience for the benefit of everyone.

[An All-Natural Nation]

Female.

[Neo-Mlytoria]

I don't believe in gender roles and such, so that simplifies it a whole lot. I want to look and feel like a female, so my gender identity is female.

Sadly I was born male, but eh, y'know, I'm not really that sad about it.

[Lithosano]

How does one know if they are transgender, gender queer or non-gendered? For that matter, what is gender?

While I can't speak to the perceptions of trans* people, I can answer your second question.

Gender is a social construct; gender is the range of physical, mental, and emotional characteristic corresponding to masculinity and femininity (and occasionally more). Gender identity is a person's perception of their gender, be it male, female, or other.

[Olthar]

I know because I know. A tautology, I know, but when it comes to self-identification, that's really all I can say.

[Shnercropolis]

IDK. I think some people do it because they're a bit dissatisfied with life in general, and they want any kind of change. Those are not people I respect greatly. But people who deep-down feel that way, I have no idea how they might notice.

[The Scientific States]

How does one know if they are transgender, gender queer or non-gendered? For that matter, what is gender?

Whatever gender you think you are, you probably are.

Gender is what sex you identity with, not your actual physical sex. Which is why gender=/=sex

[Genivaria]

I think of myself as male.

[Breadknife]

Personally, and boringly, I'm male in physiology and (apparently, at least, for several decades... and there's always a chance that it might reveal itself otherwise in the future) male in psychology too. Although much like the question of "do other people see 'red' as 'red'?", I can't easily compare my brain operation with others.

Still, I think my gender matches my sex. And I'm pretty boringly 'the norm' in sexuality, also. But I also know that the world has all types, and... you know... it is an interesting question of how someone (including me?) might actually be able to pin down something as potentially non-obvious as a gender.

[Ponyfornia]

I am a male.

[Seitonjin]

Cisgender male.

Umm... Idek how actually.

[Hathradic States]

Male, and because being male feels right to me.

[Arglorand]

As Olthar said, I know because I know.

[Havenburgh]

Male becuase my private parts go out instead of in down there

[New haven america]

I just think everyones pansexual.

Bi-curious Male for me.

[Scomagia]

I believe that I should have a penis and I happen to have a penis. My sex is male, and my gender is the same.

[Shnercropolis]

I just think everyones pansexual.

This isn't about sexual orientation, sweetie.

[Tsuntion]

I thought about girls, and about boys, and about other folk, and decided that whilst I may not be a typical girl I still thought I aligned best with my concept of the female gender, and I was pretty sure I wanted to keep my female body and I would feel dysphoric were I to wake up with a penis.