gender

what is gender?
- gender identity
- gender expression
- gender roles and the gender binary
how is gender related to sex and sexuality?
transgender identities
dysphoria and euphoria
transitioning
- social
- legal
- medical (refer back to GAC page)
- pronouns

what is gender?

It's simpler than you might think. There are a lot of things that contribute to one's gender, but these are some of the most important.

Sex: a mix of characteristics including chromosomes, anatomy, and primary and secondary sex characteristics; usually assigned when someone is born based on assumptions about their body
Gender identity: someone’s personal sense of their self and gender; can be based on social constructs; can be fluid and change
Gender expression: the way that we physically express ourselves through outward appearance; can be fluid & change

People experience their gender in different ways. Most people fall into one or more of the following categories.

Cisgender: someone whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth
Transgender: someone whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth
Nonbinary: someone whose gender identity is not exclusively male or female; a nonbinary person may also identify as transgender
Intersex: someone with unique variations of their reproductive or sex anatomy; can include chromosomes, genitals, or internal organs like testes or ovaries

gender roles and the gender binary

gender identity

How do we know what our gender is?

What about you is connected to your gender?

What makes you feel connected to your gender outside of physical traits?

transgender identities

What does it mean to be transgender?
umbrella picture/diagram

(some) transgender identities

transgender woman

a person who identifies as a woman but was not assigned female at birth

a person who identifies as a man but was not assigned male at birth

transgender man

genderqueer

an umbrella term for identities outside of the traditional gender binary; sometimes used interchangeably with nonbinary

a gender identity that is not fixed; someone who experiences their gender differently at different times

genderfluid

agender

a gender identity where someone does not identify with a gender, or feels genderless

xenogender

an umbrella term for gender identities that do not relate to traditional understandings of human femininity, masculinity, or androgyny

Want to learn more about different transgender identities?

These are some of the most common, but there are many more!

Check out the LGBTQIA+ wiki for more on other gender identities.

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gender throughout world history

There is so much rich history of cultures around the world rejecting the gender binary, accepting transgender people, and having gender roles that function differently than they do in Western/Eurocentric cultures.

Check out some of the diverse gender identities that have existed throughout history in different world cultures!

Source: PBS, Independent Lens, 2023