"Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender."
The internal sense of one's own gender, which may or may not correspond with assigned sex at birth.
Definitions of gender identity and gender expression: Understanding the difference between sex, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation.
Historical and cultural contexts: Understanding gender and sexuality in the context of history and culture, including the evolution of gender roles and norms.
Intersectionality: Understanding the ways that gender identity intersects with other identities, such as race, ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation.
Non-binary and genderqueer identities: Understanding gender identities beyond the binary (male/female) and the implications this has for society.
Transgender identities: Understanding the experiences and challenges faced by transgender individuals, including access to healthcare, legal recognition, and discrimination.
Sexuality and disability: Understanding the intersection of sexuality and disability and how impairments can impact gender identity and expression.
The medicalization of gender identity: Understanding the medical and psychological treatment of gender identity, including diagnosis and treatment of gender dysphoria.
The relationship between gender identity and mental health: Understanding the relationship between mental health and gender identity, including the impacts of discrimination and harassment on mental health.
Stigma and discrimination: Understanding the social and cultural stigmas surrounding gender identity and the impact they have on individuals and society.
Legal and policy issues: Understanding the legal and policy frameworks that impact gender identity, including anti-discrimination laws and policies, access to healthcare, and legal recognition of gender identity.
Cisgender: A person whose gender identity aligns with the sex assigned at birth.
Transgender: A person whose gender identity does not align with the sex assigned at birth.
Nonbinary/Genderqueer: A person who does not identify as exclusively male or female.
Genderfluid: A person whose gender identity fluctuates between male, female, or nonbinary.
Agender: A person who does not have a gender identity.
Two-Spirit: A term used by some Indigenous peoples to describe individuals who embody both male and female spirits.
Intersex: A person who is born with a physical sex characteristic that does not fit typical binary definitions of male or female.
Gender Non-Conforming: A person whose gender expression does not conform to societal norms of what is expected for their assigned sex at birth.
"Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it."
"While a person may express behaviors, attitudes, and appearances consistent with a particular gender role, such expression may not necessarily reflect their gender identity."
"The term gender identity was coined by psychiatry professor Robert J. Stoller in 1964."
"The gender binary refers to a basic division between gender attributes assigned to males and females in most societies."
"Some of those people may call themselves transgender, gender non-binary, genderqueer, gender expansive, or something else."
"Some societies have third gender categories."
"Gender identity develops surprisingly rapidly in the early childhood years, and in the majority of instances appears to become at least partially irreversible by the age of 3 or 4."
"Considerable scientific evidence has emerged demonstrating a durable biological element underlying gender identity."
"There do not seem to be external forces that genuinely cause individuals to change gender identity."
"Essentialists argue that gender identity is determined at birth by biological and genetic factors."
"Social constructivists argue that gender identity and the way it is expressed are socially constructed, instead determined by cultural and social influences."
"The term gender identity was...popularized by the controversial psychologist John Money."
"The gender binary includes expectations of masculinity and femininity in all aspects of sex and gender: biological sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation."
"In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the individual's gender identity."
"With exceptions, 'Gender identity develops surprisingly rapidly in the early childhood years.'"
"Individuals may make choices due to other factors in their lives, but there do not seem to be external forces that genuinely cause individuals to change gender identity."
"Gender identity and the way it is expressed are socially constructed, instead determined by cultural and social influences."
"Individuals may make choices due to other factors in their lives."
"Gender identity...appears to become at least partially irreversible by the age of 3 or 4."