Kenken: Welcome, everyone, to a series of lessons on the basics of transgender power, nonbinary power, and various other topics related to advanced genders. Hey, Chu, why don’t you help me?
Chu: Okay!
Kenken: So, Chu, what are Legendary and Mythical Pokémon?
Chu: They’re the Pokémon gods!
Kenken: That’s right! What’s the difference between Legendary and Mythical Pokémon?
Chu: Mythical Pokémon are cuter!
Kenken: Correct! Now, do Legendary and Mythical Pokémon have genders?
Chu: Nope!
Kenken: No? Not a single one of them?
Chu: Nope! I just said that…
Kenken: I know you did. We’re trying to explain transgender power and nonbinary power to the Ardan Elves. Ardan Elves are a very traditional people, but they love learning things! We figured it’d be easiest to explain it with Pokémon first, and then we’ll teach more complicated lessons later.
Chu: Oh, okay. Is there anything else I can do to help?
Kenken: Of course, there is! So, Chu, why do you suppose none of the Pokémon gods have genders?
Chu: It’s because they’re super destructive when they’re upset. We don’t want any more of them!
Kenken: That’s right! Imagine if you could have a hundred Yavannas running around. Yavanna might want a hundred Yavannas running around, but Eru definitely wouldn’t.
Chu: Who’s Eru?
Kenken: Eru is the Arceus of Arda: he created this world. I think even Eru would agree that as little as he wants a hundred Yavannas running around, he wants a hundred Erus running around even less! Now, believe it or not, this genderless phenomenon isn’t limited to Legendary and Mythical Pokémon. Several common Pokémon, often Steel-type Pokémon such as Beldum and Magnemite, are genderless too. Those Pokémon can breed with a Ditto: a Pokémon known for transforming into others, including copying its moves. Now, Chu, do you think this is weird at all?
Chu: No.
Kenken: Why not?
Chu: That’s just how Pokémon are.
Kenken: That’s right, that’s just how Pokémon are. Now, everyone in Arda might think that’s very strange. All their gods are gendered. “Gods without genders? What!? And creatures without genders, too? Pokémon are strange indeed! But perhaps, there’s something we can learn from them.” We just want to get people thinking. Now, If anyone’s wondering what you’d call a genderless person, the most common word for that is “agender”, as in “no gender”. Another word you might hear is “neutrois”. And some people just use the word “nonbinary”. “Nonbinary” is an umbrella term for all people whose gender(s) do not fit neatly into man or woman. It’s like how you’d use “Elves” rather than specifying “Noldor”, “Sindar”, “Silvan”, “Dunmer”, “Altmer”, “Bosmer”, “Snow”, “Arctic”, “Dusk”, “Savage”, “Tower”, “Aquatic”, “Drow”, “Driders”, “Ljosalfar”, “Dokkalfar”, “Dalish”, “City”, and Santa’s Elves.
Chu: Wow! There’s a lot of Elves to play with!
Kenken: That’s right, Chu, there’s a lot of Elves to play with! Just like there’s a lot of genders to play with! Some people like the easy options of man and woman, but some people have more to think about. And sometimes, the latter type of people like to just say “Elf” instead of specifying further. This is quite a lot to take in, don’t you think, Chu?
Chu: Yeah… But it’s fun! I might need to read this again later.
Kenken: And that’s okay. Sometimes, you need to review lessons, especially if it’s something this new and exciting! Learning’s fun! Why don’t we make it even easier to review this lesson by taking all the new and exciting words we’ve just learned, and put them at the end? That makes it easier for people to review them, especially if they don’t have a lot of time on their hands.
Chu: Okay!
Agender = no gender.
Nonbinary = an umbrella term for all people whose gender(s) do not fit neatly into man or woman. Sometimes shortened to N-B. Do not shorten nonbinary to NB. NB is short for non-Black, as in “not a Black person”. Queer people are always stealing stuff from non-white people. Leave their acronyms alone! It is the absolute bare minimum you can do. There’s queer Black people too, you know. You’d think that’d be obvious, but rest assured, queer people are just as Anti-Black as everybody else. If you’re interested in learning more terms related to racism, here’s a glossary for you!
Neutrois = another word people might use when they have no gender. Some people may use both neutrois and agender, or they may prefer one or the other.
These definitions are intended to be as simple as possible, for the binary babes. If you have a more advanced understanding of these terms, wonderful! This series is intended for people who have never heard these words before. Or have ever considered that there are more than two genders. I have linked relevant wiki pages for them to read if they’d like to learn more. Feel free to link / share your own thoughts on nonbinary genders; whether it’s in the form of a tweet, a tumblr post, an essay, a youtube video, or whatever else. Let’s all work together to get the binary babes a better education!
HFEproductions 
4 thoughts on “Advanced Genders 101”