If you’ve read the previous parts of this series, perhaps you have already concluded whether or not you are outherine. Maybe, however, you are still questioning. You’ve told me all about outherinity, specific outherinities, vocabulary, and history — but how do I know if I’m outherine? I must clarify that this article is not a definitive answer or checklist for whether or not one is outherine. One can absolutely be a oumin and yet relate to little of this. Rather, this is one resource for those who questioning based on common outherine experiences. I can tell you if you are outherine with as much certainty as I can tell you if you are masculine, feminine, androgynous, etc. In the end, these are only potential indicators you may be a oumin; it is really up to you whether or not you wish to identify that way. With all that being said, in no particular order, here are some potential signs you may be outherine:

While there is plenty of debate about how neutrality should generally be defined, neutren usually have a pretty clear idea of what neutrality means to them — whether that be agender, unisex, null, ‘neither male nor female’, etc. On the other hand, you may be outherine if you call yourself neutral… but you aren’t actually sure what that means. You aren’t null or genderless; you likely have a pretty strong sense of gender. Perhaps since you know you aren’t male nor female, neutral just feels ‘close enough’. This was the case for Vesper, the coiner of the term maverique, who identified as neutrois for a year before realizing it wasn’t them. I myself identified as transneutral before I discovered outherinity, and if you asked me what that meant then, I probably couldn’t tell you! This is not to say you cannot be both outherine and neutral — plenty folks are — but if you’ve considered yourself neutral, neutrois, transneutral, etc. without really knowing why, perhaps you’d like to look into it.

Any oumin who has attempted to explain outherinity has likely encountered the question of the difference between it and xenine. Hell, I’ve explained the difference multiple times throughout the former parts of this series. Its no wonder then that this confusion extends to personal identity as well. The core of xeninity is that it cannot be defined within the human concept of gender, hence why many xenogenders are defined by objects or concepts. Contrarily, outherine (and specifically preterine) genders are within the human concept of gender. However, they may be related to certain things in the same way masculinity is related to ruggedness and femininity is related to softness. This is another I can personally testify for, having once called myself both xenine and xenic before realizing myself a oumin. Like with neutrality, one can be both xenine and outherine; so long as your xeninity is actually, you know, xenine.

Take a look at these two diagrams and see if there’s any spot(s) you would put yourself.

Of course, gender spectrum diagrams like these are subjective and always changing. Odds are, however, if you’re outherine, you likely cannot find yourself on this spectrum. You may also feel entirely outside of it. You may feel an other gender, or perhaps your gender is just unique to you. Regardless, it would be impossible to place yourself along the lines of masculine, feminine, neutral, androgynous, or xenine.

Building off the previous point, you’re likely outherine if your gender is distinctly other. This doesn’t mean it has to feel alien or confusing; it may just simply be ‘other’ in the sense that it is none of the above. ‘Other’ can encompass a lot of feelings. You may only be able to define your gender as “not male, not female, not androgyne, not neutrois, not xenan…”. Maybe, as previously mentioned, it is ‘other’ because it is unique to you. Perhaps it is simply marking the box for Other on a survey question regarding your gender. The earliest outherinity, aliagender, was often defined this way. It isn’t male, nor female, nor androgynous, nor neutral; it is other.

Outherinity is itself an allogender quality. While you may only be able to define yourself by what you’re not, you’re likely outherine if you have a strong sense of gender regardless. Perhaps you do or wear certain things that give you a sense of gender euphoria or dysphoria, but none of those things align with tautine qualities. Nevertheless, you do have a gender. I myself feel a sense of utter wrongness at the idea of labeling myself as genderless. You may be outside of most gender spectrums, but you do have a gender — it just isn’t any of those.

How do you present? Masculine? Feminine? Androgynous? In any case, its likely you’ve been referred to by one of the previous adjectives. But is that really how you present? Cisgender society only recognizes those three presentations, with androgynous often being a catch-all for anything that doesn’t neatly fit into masculine or feminine. This perspective is the reason for terms like Jackalope, Splintercat, or Wampahoofus. You are likely outherine (or at least abinary) if you are none of these; if your presentation, although societally called masc, femme, or androgyne, is something else. You don’t have to know what your presentation is — perhaps you just present what makes you comfortable — you just know it isn’t any of the above. This point isn’t as unique to outherine as the others; many abinary folks have experienced this. Its worth looking into other abinary labels if this is the only point you find yourself relating to.

In the end, it is only you who can decide whether or not the outherine label is for you. While its certainly not a definitive guide, my hope is that this article will help someone out there questioning outherinity.