"Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender."
Gender identity refers to an individual's personal sense of their own gender, which may or may not align with the gender they were assigned at birth.
Gender: Understanding basic concepts of gender such as gender identity, gender expression, and gender roles is crucial for grasping the complex issues of gender identity.
Sexual Orientation: Understanding what sexual orientation is and how it relates to gender identity is important for learning about the LGBTQ+ community.
Sex: Understanding the biological and physical differences between male and female is important in order to understand the complexities of gender identity and its relation to sex.
History: Learning about the history of gender identity and transgender studies, including relevant individuals and events, is important for understanding the cultural, political, and social factors that have contributed to the current situation.
Culture: Understanding how different cultures perceive gender identity and expression can provide valuable insight into the diversity and complexity of gender identity.
Discrimination and Violence: Learning about the discrimination and violence experienced by transgender individuals can help develop awareness and sensitivity to their struggles, and finding ways to be part of the solution.
Legal Issues: Knowing the legal rights and protections afforded to trans individuals, including landmark cases and legislation such as Title VII and the ACA, is important for understanding how they are addressed legally.
Medical Treatments: Understanding the medical treatments available for gender dysphoria, including hormone therapy and gender confirmation surgery, along with the associated risks and benefits, is an important part of learning about gender identity.
Mental Health: Recognizing the mental health concerns that often accompany gender dysphoria, such as depression, anxiety, and suicide, is important in order to promote wellness and help transgender individuals navigate their journey.
Educating Others: Learning how to educate others about gender identity in a respectful, non-judgmental, and informative manner is an essential part of creating a more inclusive and accepting society.
Transgender: A person whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth.
Cisgender: A person whose gender identity is aligned with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Nonbinary/ Genderqueer: A person who identifies outside of the gender binary (man or woman) and may feel that their gender identity is both, neither, or somewhere in between.
Genderfluid: A person whose gender identity is not fixed and may shift over time, or depending on the situation or context.
Agender: A person who does not identify with any gender or feels a lack of gender identity.
Bigender: A person who identifies as having two gender identities or expressions, often fluidly moving between them.
Demigender: A person who partially identifies as a certain gender or only experiences an occasional or partial connection to a gender.
Two-Spirit: A term used by some Indigenous North Americans to describe someone who identifies as having both a male and a female spirit, and often carries a sacred or respected role within their community.
Androgynous: A person who presents as or identifies with a mix of masculine and feminine characteristics, or a lack of gendered traits altogether.
Other gender identity descriptors that may be used include pangender, gender nonconforming, intersex, questioning, or a variety of cultural or personally-specific gender identities.: Other gender identity descriptors are broad terms used to encompass identities beyond the binary, including pangender, gender nonconforming, intersex, questioning individuals, as well as various culturally and personally specific gender identities.
"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."