Gender Non-Conforming (GNC)

Gender non-conforming, often shortened to GNC, is an umbrella term for people who do not identify or present in ways that fit the traditional expectations tied to their gender or sex assigned at birth. As the Human Rights Campaign frames it, the term is chiefly about expression: clothing, behavior, mannerisms, and appearance, rather than internal identity. A GNC person may or may not also be transgender or non-binary, and being GNC is not the same as being trans. Anyone of any gender can be gender non-conforming. Research consistently finds that gender non-conforming children and youth have better mental-health outcomes when their families and communities affirm and support how they express themselves.