definitions of sex and gender

androgynous

A combination of masculine and feminine traits or a nontraditional gender expression.

gender bending

A form of social activism undertaken to destroy rigid gender roles and defy sex-role stereotypes.

agender

A person who does not identify as having a gender that can be categorized as man or woman

transgender

A person whose biological sex does not align with their gender identity

gender conforming

A person whose gender expression is consistent with cultural norms expected for that gender.

genderqueer

A person whose gender identity is neither man nor woman, is between or beyond genders, or is some combination of genders. This identity is usually related to or in reaction to the social construction of gender, gender stereotypes and the gender binary system.

gender expression

A person's outward gender presentation, usually comprising personal style, clothing, hairstyle, and body language

nonbinary

A spectrum of gender identities and expressions, often based on the rejection of the gender binary's assumption that gender is male or female

trans male

A transgender person who was assigned female at birth, but whose gender identity is that of a man

trans female

A transgender person who was assigned male at birth but whose gender identity is that of a women

He, she Zie, Per

Affirming pronouns are the most respectful and accurate pronouns for a person as defined by that person. Examples of pronoun use include

Hyperandrogenism

Also known as androgen excess, is a medical condition characterized by excessive levels of androgens (male sex hormones such as testosterone) in the female body and the associated effects of the elevated androgen levels

gender fluid

Someone whose gender identity or expression shifts between male/masculine and female/feminine or falls somewhere along this spectrum

sexual dimorphism

The claim that sex marks a distinction between two physically and genetically discrete categories of people

gender dysphoria

The medical diagnosis for being transgender as defined by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5).

sex assignment/sex category

The process at birth or even prenatally by which people are identified as male or female.

gender marker

This is a designation (male, female, other) that appears on a person's official records, such as a birth certificate or driver's license.

cisgender

This term describes a person whose gender identity matches the biological sex they were assigned at birth.

gender nonconforming

This term refers to a person whose gender expression is perceived as being inconsistent with cultural norms expected for that gender.

inter sexuality

Variations on sex definitions related to ambiguous genitalia, sex organs, chromosomes or hormones.

gender identity

a person's deep-seated, internal sense of who they are as a gendered being

gender

is a concept that describes how societies determine and manage sex categories

sexual orientation

is a person's feelings of attraction toward other people

sex

refers to the biological traits that societies assign to people

Gender binary

the idea that gender is strictly an either-or option of male/female based on sex assigned at birth.