Gender Identity Terms

GENDER IDENTITY TERMS
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.
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.
For most people, gender identity aligns with the sex assigned at birth, the American
Psychological Association notes. For transgender people, gender identity differs in
varying degrees from the sex assigned at birth.
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.
Cisgender and transgender have their origins in Latin-derived prefixes of "cis" and "trans"
— cis, meaning "on this side of" and trans, meaning "across from" or "on the other side
of." Both adjectives are used to describe experiences of someone's gender identity.
Nonbinary is a term that can be used by people who do not describe themselves or their
genders as fitting into the categories of man or woman. A range of terms are used to refer
to these experiences; nonbinary and genderqueer are among the terms that are
sometimes used.
Agender is an adjective that can describe a person who does not identify as any gender.
Gender-expansive is an adjective that can describe someone with a more flexible
gender identity than might be associated with a typical gender binary.
Gender transition is a process a person may take to bring themselves and/or their
bodies into alignment with their gender identity. It's not just one step. Transitioning can
include any, none or all of the following: telling 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 an incongruence

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.
Gender dysphoria is a diagnosis listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders. Some argue that such a diagnosis inappropriately pathologizes gender
incongruence, while others contend that a diagnosis makes it easier for transgender
people to access necessary medical treatment.
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 don't need to have had specific sexual experiences to know their own sexual
orientation. They need not have had any sexual experience at all. They need not be in a
relationship, dating or partnered with anyone for their sexual orientation to be validated.
For example, if a bisexual woman is partnered with a man, that does not mean she is not
still bisexual.
Sexual orientation is separate from gender identity. As GLAAD notes, "Transgender

people may be straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer. For 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.

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GENDER IDENTITY TERMS

Gender expression is how a person presents gender outwardly, through behavior,

Transgender, or simply trans, is an adjective used to describe someone whose gender

Gender dysphoria refers to psychological distress that results from an incongruence

Sexual orientation is separate from gender identity. As GLAAD notes, "Transgender

Intersex is an umbrella term used to describe people with differences in reproductive

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