In 2022, popular TikToker Emily Skvarch publicly came out as trigender, sparking conversations about lesser-known gender identities. Her openness about her experience resonated with many who share similar feelings, helping to shed light on what it means to be trigender. Since then, Emily has continued to educate and engage with her audience on the complexities of gender beyond the binary.
However, her perspective contrasts with recent political actions taken by former President Donald Trump. A newly signed executive order strictly recognizes only two genders—male and female. Titled Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, the order states, “It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”
This directive has led to significant changes, including restrictions on where transgender individuals can be housed in prisons and the elimination of the ‘X’ gender marker on U.S. passports. Despite these policy shifts reinforcing a binary view of gender, individuals like Emily continue to embrace their identities, demonstrating that self-perception and lived experiences extend beyond government classifications.
Recently, Emily revisited her trigender identity in a new TikTok video after her original coming-out video from 2022 resurfaced online, drawing fresh attention and debate. In her response, she addressed critics and clarified her identity for those unfamiliar with her journey. She humorously acknowledged that some social media users mockingly refer to her as a “triangle” but expressed that she finds the nickname amusing rather than offensive.
In her video, Emily explained, “Hi, I’m Emily and I go by any pronouns because I am trigender. Sort of like a triangle, I am trigender: it means three.” She elaborated further, saying, “I am a man, a woman, and non-binary, all at once [and] all the time.” Unlike gender-fluid individuals, who may shift between gender identities, Emily describes her experience as feeling all three genders simultaneously.
@future4caster Hi new people!!! I’m so happy you’re here! It’s me, your loving triangle aunt 🥰 #lgbt #trigender #crystalshop ♬ original sound – 🍉Emily Skvarch🍉
According to health resource VeryWellMind, trigender is part of a spectrum of gender identities in which individuals relate to more than one gender. Similar terms include bigender, pangender, and gender fluidity, though each has distinct nuances. While critics attempt to undermine her identity, Emily remains confident in who she is.
Ending her video on a positive note, Emily reaffirmed her self-acceptance, stating, “I kinda like who I am as a person. So I am not planning on changing my triangleness anytime soon, and you will never be able to take that away from me.”