"Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender."
The subjective experience of one's gender, which may or may not correspond with their biological sex or societal gender roles.
Sex anatomy and physiology: Understanding the differences between male and female anatomy, and how biological sex is determined.
Gender roles: The social expectations and norms that define what is considered appropriate behavior for men and women in each society.
Sexuality: The sexual orientation and practices of individuals, and how these interact with their gender identity.
Transgender identity: Understanding the experiences and challenges faced by individuals who identify as a gender other than that assigned to them at birth.
Non-binary gender identity: An understanding of individuals who identify outside of the binary male/female gender categories.
Intersectionality: Understanding the way gender identity intersects with race, culture, religion, and other aspects of identity.
Gender expression: How individuals express their gender identity through clothing, hairstyle, and other personal choices.
Gender-based violence: The prevalence of violence and abuse that is perpetrated against individuals based on their gender.
The cultural and historical context of gender identity: Understanding how gender roles and expectations have evolved over time and across cultures.
Legal and policy issues: An understanding of the laws and policies that affect gender identity, including anti-discrimination laws, healthcare policy, and access to education and employment.
Male: Someone who identifies as a man or masculine, typically assigned male sex at birth.
Female: Someone who identifies as a woman or feminine, typically assigned female sex at birth.
Nonbinary: Someone who identifies as neither exclusively male nor female, or as a combination of both, or as something entirely different from the binary gender system.
Genderqueer: Similar to nonbinary, genderqueer individuals identify outside the gender binary, or as a nontraditional gender identity, but may also feel a connection to or appreciation of some aspects of masculinity and femininity.
Transgender: Someone whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth, and may undergo social or medical transitions to align their external appearance with their gender identity.
Cisgender: Someone whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Agender: Someone without a gender identity or with a neutral or null gender identity.
Genderfluid: Someone whose gender identity fluctuates between different gender expressions or identities over time.
Two-spirit: A term used by some Indigenous peoples to describe individuals who embody both masculine and feminine spirits, and may have special roles in their communities.
Androgynous: Someone with a mix of masculine and feminine physical attributes or characteristics, or presenting in a way that blurs traditional gender norms.
Bigender: Someone who identifies as having two gender identities or expressions, which may be experienced simultaneously or alternatively.
Demigender: A term referring to someone who identifies partially but not completely with a certain gender identity, or who experiences a partial connection or fluctuation between different 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."