Ambiguous Identities: Nonbinary Individuals' Experiences with Crafting an Ungendered Self

Drawing on 20 in-depth interviews with nonbinary young adults, I offer an exploration of how individuals who fall outside of binary gender identities construct an unfixed internal sense of gender that adapts to many social contexts. This article outlines how both the construction internal senses of self, and the interactions with a gendered social world are influenced by ambiguity, a key element of identities that facilitates identity (re)construction. Analysis reveals that nonbinary young adults incorporate ambiguity in ways that allow them to embrace creative self exploration in the present while working towards an ideal ungendered future self. Second, I examine how ambiguity impacts interactions with a binary world and with supportive communities, finding that ambiguity helps individuals navigate the divide between differently gendered settings. I argue that current understandings of nonbinary identities do not adequately theorize the influence that an ambiguous internal sense of gender has on navigating a complex gendered arena. I end by highlighting implications for the interrelatedness of ungendered interactions and ungendered selves.