More often than not, most of us get confused between gender identity, sex, and sexual orientation. Let's educate ourselves on the vast differences. A person’s GENDER is how they identify internally and how they choose to express this externally. People may use clothing, appearances, and behaviors to express the gender that they identify with. A person’s SEX is typically based on certain biological factors, such as their reproductive organs and hormones. SEXUAL ORIENTATION is about who you’re attracted to and who you feel drawn to romantically, emotionally, and sexually.
Now that we have understood the distinctness, let's dive into understanding each of these in depth. Let's start the series by understanding the various gender identities so as to be apprehensive of the LGBTQIA+ community. Let's discuss the most common genders-
1) MALE: 2)FEMALE:
3)TRANSGENDER: Someone whose gender identity is different from the one they were assigned at birth might identify as transgender.
4)GENDER NEUTRAL: Someone who feels they are neither male or female may identify as gender neutral.
5)GENDER FLUID: Gender fluid may refer to a gender that varies over time. Someone who identifies as gender fluid may fluctuate between genders or express multiple genders at the same time. Their gender may also vary at random or vary in response to different circumstances.
6)GENDERQUEER: Someone may identify as genderqueer if their gender identity is neither male nor female, is between or beyond genders, or is some combination of genders.
7)PANGENDER: A person whose gender identity is not limited to one gender and who may feel like a member of all genders at the same time
8)AGENDER: Agender is defined as not having a gender. Some agender people describe it as having a “lack of gender,” while others describe themselves as being gender neutral.
9)NON-BINARY: Someone who does not identify as a man or a woman, or solely as one of those two genders.
I have superficially covered the common gender identities. Apologies if I have missed out anything in particular. Do check out the links below for more information regarding other gender identities.
Remember, 'She/Her, He/Him, They/Them. Us!'
LINKS: