Gender is not the same as sex. Sex refers to the DNA, hormonal, and anatomical characteristics that are used to classify a person as female or male or intersex. Gender refers to the different social roles that define women and men in a specific cultural context. Your gender is assigned at birth based on those attributes. Gender identities and roles vary greatly in different societies and cultures.
Gender identity: A person’s innate sense of gender – how one thinks of one’s own gender.
Gender expression: The way in which a person presents their gender – the outward way one’s gender identity is expressed.
Sexual orientation: Everyone has a sexual orientation, even if we haven’t thought about it. Sexual orientation is simply how we describe physical and emotional attraction between two people. Heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual are examples.
Transgender: A term for people whose gender identity, expression or behavior is different from those typically associated with their assigned sex at birth. Transgender is a broad term and is good for non- transgender people to use. “Trans” is shorthand for “transgender”
Cisgender: A term used to describe a person who is comfortable with the gender identity and expression they were assigned due to their physical attributes.
What is an ally?
An ally is a non-LGBTQIA+ person who actively supports and respects members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and is willing to actively challenge homophobia, biphobia and transphobia.
