Sex & Gender
A person’s sex is biologically determined by their chromosomes (genes), anatomy and dominant hormones. When we are born, our sex is assigned based on our visible genitals.
Gender refers to socially constructed norms, roles, responsibilities and behaviours expected of men and women. The sex someone is assigned at birth doesn’t always determine how they think, feel, and act as they grow up. Our gender identity is our sense of whether we are a man, woman, a mix of both, neither or something more fluid.
Some people’s gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth, and these people are cisgender. Some people’s gender identity may not align with the sex they were assigned at birth, or they may not have a gender identity, and these people are trans or gender diverse.
Gender can be binary or non-binary, and someone’s identity can be stable or shift over time. The process of realising you are trans, gender diverse, or cisgender varies among people.
Gender expression
Gender expression is how we present ourselves and behave, which can be interpreted as masculine, feminine, both or neither. Sometimes people don’t feel safe to express their gender the way they really want to. It’s important not to make assumptions about someone’s gender based on their appearance, how they sound, or the body parts they have.
Gender identity
There are many ways people can identify their gender; these are some examples.
<p> Gender assigned at birth<br> Gender Identity<br> May identify as<br><br> Female<br> Female<br> ‘woman’, ‘cisgender’<br><br> Female<br> Male<br> ‘gender diverse’, ‘transgender’, ‘trans’, ‘man’, ‘transgender male’, ‘trans man’<br><br> Female<br> Female and male<br> ‘gender diverse’, ‘genderqueer’, ‘gender fluid’, ‘trans’<br><br> Female<br> Neither female nor male<br> ‘gender diverse’, ‘agender’, ‘genderqueer’<br><br> Male<br> Male<br> ‘man’, ‘cisgender’<br><br> Male<br> Female<br> ‘gender diverse’, ‘transgender’, ‘trans’, ‘woman’, ‘transgender female’, ‘trans woman’<br><br> Male<br> Male and female<br> ‘gender diverse’, ‘genderqueer’, ‘gender fluid’, ‘trans’<br><br> Male<br> Neither female nor male<br> ‘gender diverse’, ‘agender’, ‘genderqueer’ </p> ``