Fluid

Fluid describes an orientation or gender identity that is not fixed and can shift across time, circumstances, or relationships. Someone who is sexually fluid may find their attractions changing, while a person who is gender fluid may experience their gender differently from one period to another. Psychologist Lisa Diamond helped bring the concept into wider view with her 2008 book Sexual Fluidity, which followed about 100 women over a decade and found that many changed the identity labels they used at least once. Fluidity is distinct from bisexuality: bisexuality names attraction to more than one gender, while fluidity names change itself. It reflects that identity can be a living thing rather than a permanent category.