UNDERSTANDING GENDER/SEXUALITY
What is the difference between GENDER & SEXUALITY?
Gender is socially constructed and is one's innermost concept of themselves as a man, woman, and/or nonbinary person. People define their gender identity in a variety of deeply personal waysWhat’s the difference between gender and sexuality?
Gender and sexuality are often assumed to be related concepts but in reality they are separate and uniquely their own.
For example, some people may assume that someone who is transgender is gay, but in reality, a transgender person's gender identity (gender that they are) and sexual orientation (who they are attracted to) aren't connected.
However, both gender identity and sexual orientation are important parts of every individual.
Gender and sexuality are on a spectrum.
💚What is GENDER?
Gender is socially constructed and is one's innermost concept of themselves as a man, woman, and/or nonbinary person. People define their gender identity in a variety of deeply personal ways. We also identify gender with the use of PRONOUNS. He/him, she/her, they/them. Some people may use a variety of pronouns or none at all.
Here’s a list of Genders someone may Identify with:
Agender: A person who is agender does not identify with any particular gender, or they may have no gender at all.
Cisgender: A cisgender person identifies with the sex that they were assigned at birth.
Genderfluid: A person who identifies as genderfluid has a gender identity and presentation that shifts between, or shifts outside of, society’s expectations of gender.
Genderqueer: A person who identifies as genderqueer has a gender identity or expression that is not the same as society’s expectations for their assigned sex or assumed gender.
Non-binary: person who identifies as nonbinary does not experience gender within the gender binary.
Transgender: people who experience and identify with a different gender than that which their assigned sex at birth.
Two-spirit: different sexualities and genders in Indigenous Native American communities.
💚What is SEXUALITY?
Sexuality refers to who a person is attracted to physically, sexually, or emotionally.
Sexuality includes a wide variety of orientations and is not limited to one or the other.
Who are only a few of the sexual orientations a person can identify with:
Heterosexual: when we are attracted to the opposite sex
Gay: men who attracted to men.
Lesbian: women who are attracted to women
Bisexual: attraction to your own gender or other genders
Pansexual: attraction to people regardless of their gender
Cisgender (cis): people whose sex and gender match (the opposite of trans)
Asexual: person who experiences little or no sexual attraction
Queer: a fluid term used by some to refer to LGBTQIA people.
There are many many varieties of orientations! Again, no one person is limited to one or the other.
Gender expression and presentation:
This refers to how a person expresses themselves to others and how they want the world to see them.
Makeup, clothing, accessories, interests and so many other things can play into gender expression.
💚HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT YOURSELF OR FELLOW LGBTQIA PEOPLE/FRIENDS?
There are multiple websites and online communities that people can turn to for support. These include:
The Trevor Project, which is an LGBT organization that provides education and support
the National Center for Transgender Equality, which is an organization that provides education and support for transgender people
PFLAG, which is an organization that provides support, education, and advocacy all over the United States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico
Trans Youth Family Allies, which is a website that provides resources and education to family members, friends, and allies of transgender people
TransLatina Coalition, which is an advocacy group for transgender Latin American people and communities
Gender Spectrum, which is a resource and education site
World Professional Association for Transgender Health, which is a website that provides a directory of healthcare providers and scholarship opportunities for transgender people
A person’s gender identity is not always the same as their biological sex, nor their assumed gender based on their assigned sex. It depends on how they identify as a person, and this can change over time.
People can identify as more masculine, more feminine, a combination of both, or neither. How a person expresses or describes their gender is personal to them.
WE DO NOT ASSUME SOMEONE’s GENDER OR SEXUALITY or PRONOUNS FOR ANY REASON AT ALL. If you aren’t sure, just ask! We appreciate you being aware and wanting to understand.
credits to: medicalnewstoday.com for some provided information and definitions.