Disclaimer: Be mindful that this guide is not exhaustive, and is both Western and United States-centric. Other cultures may use different labels and have other conceptions of gender.
Gender is often defined as a social construct of norms, behaviors and roles that varies between societies and over time. Gender is often categorized as male, female or nonbinary.
Gender identity is one’s own internal sense of self and their gender, whether that is man, woman, neither or both. Unlike gender expression, gender identity is not outwardly visible to others.
Gender expression is how a person presents gender outwardly, through behavior, clothing, voice or other perceived characteristics. Society identifies these cues as masculine or feminine…Although what is considered masculine or feminine changes over time and varies by culture.
Cisgender, or simply cis, is an adjective that describes a person whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Transgender, or simply trans, is an adjective used to describe someone whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth. A transgender man, for example, is someone who was listed as female at birth but whose gender identity is male.
Gender transition is a process a person may take to bring themselves and/or their bodies into alignment with their gender identity. It is not just one step. Transitioning can include any, none or all of the following;
Informing one’s friends, family and co-workers…Changing one’s name and pronouns, updating legal documents, medical interventions such as hormone therapy, or surgical intervention, often called gender confirmation surgery.
Gender dysphoria refers to psychological distress that results from not being in harmony between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity. Not all trans people experience dysphoria, and those who do may experience it at varying levels of intensity.
Note: Gender dysphoria is a diagnosis listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Some argue that such a diagnosis inappropriately covers gender incongruence, while others contend that a diagnosis makes it easier for transgender people to access necessary medical treatment.
Sex refers to a person’s biological status and is typically assigned at birth, usually on the basis of external anatomy. Sex is typically categorized as male, female or intersex.
Sexual orientation refers to the enduring physical, romantic and/or emotional attraction to members of the same and/or other genders, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and straight orientations.
People do not need to have had specific sexual experiences to know their own sexual orientation. They do not have to had any sexual experience at all. They do not not be in a relationship, dating or partnered with anyone for their sexual orientation to be validated.
Example: If a bisexual woman is partnered with a man, that does not mean she is not still bisexual.
Make sense?
Furthermore…
Sexual orientation is separate from gender identity. Transgender people may be straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer.
Example: A person who transitions from male to female and is attracted solely to men would typically identify as a straight woman. A person who transitions from female to male and is attracted solely to men would typically identify as a gay man.
Intersex is an umbrella term used to describe people with differences in reproductive anatomy, chromosomes or hormones that don’t fit typical definitions of male and female.
Intersex can refer to a number of natural variations, some of them laid out by InterAct. Being intersex is not the same as being nonbinary or transgender, which are terms typically related to gender identity.
Note: Language changes. Some of the terms now in common usage are different from those used in the past to describe similar ideas, identities and experiences…Some people may continue to use terms that are less commonly used now to describe themselves, and some people may use different terms entirely.
What is important is recognizing and respecting people as individuals.
