The concepts of gender and sex appear interchangeable in common usage. Scientists use the concepts of sex and gender in different ways. Behavioral scientists and healthcare professionals attend to the ways people identify their gender. These concepts have changed in recent years and may change in the years ahead.
Sex and Gender
Sex refers to biological status and is usually identified as birth. The concept, birth sex, is in common use. Sex is typically based on external features thus, female or male but some infants present a mixed appearance previously called intersex.
Gender is a social construct. In psychology, concepts like man, woman, girl, and boy are in common use. For most people, gender terms match sex terms thus girls and women are female, boys and men are male.
Gender Concepts
Culture influences the way people talk, dress, and act. In some cultures masculinity and femininity are very different.
Agender is a term used by some who do not identify with any gender. It is different from nonbinary.
Cisgender (short form, cis) refers to a match between gender identity and birth sex.
FTM is an initialism for female-to-male, which refers to a trans man.
Gender Affirming Surgery (GAS) refers to any surgery that changes a person's body to match a person's gender. Also GCS.
Gender Confirming Surgery (GCS) refers to any surgery that changes a person's body to match a person's gender. Also GAS.
Gender dysphoria is the experience of distress related to the mismatch between a person's birth sex and their gender identity, which interferes with one or more dimensions of functioning such as in relationships, at school, at work, and so forth.
Gender expression is the way a person behaves within a cultural context of gender norms, which include voice, mannerisms, choice of clothing, interests, and so forth. Descriptions of gender expression include adjectives like feminine, masculine, and androgynous.
Gender identity is our sense of our own gender. Most people identify with their birth sex.
Gender nonconforming refers to people who do not fit the gender norms within their culture.
Intersectionality is the concept that self-identity may be influenced by multiple social experiences interacting with personal characteristics, which interact such that people experience their society differently. Experiences may be different based on national origin, ethnicity, physical abilities, gender, and so forth. The term has been politicized and lost its academic meaning.
MTF is an initialism for male-to-female, which refers to a trans woman.
Nonbinary is a term some people use when their sense of gender does not fit the categories of man or woman. The term genderqueer may be used.
Transitioning refers to the process of a transgender person changing the way they identify and live out their gender identity. The process can include social (e.g., relationships, names), medical (e.g., hormones, surgery), and legal changes (e.g., gender and sex terms on legal documents). These changes vary from person to person.
Transgender (short form, trans) describes a person who does not identify with their birth sex.
Trans man or transgender man is a transgender person whose gender identity is that of a man and the identity does not match his birth sex.
Trans woman or transgender woman is a transgender person whose gender identity is that of a woman and the identity does not match her birth sex.
QPOC is an initialism for Queer Person of Color or Queer People of Color.
Queer is a general gender concept for people who are not straight.
Sex and Sexuality Concepts
Most people experience sexual attraction to others. Sexual orientation refers to the focus of attraction. The attraction may be romantic, emotional, physical, or both emotional and physical.
Abromantic is a term used by people who report experiencing different romantic attractions throughout their lives. They may also change their sexual orientation. Although some use the term interchangeably with abrosexual, for others, abromantic can mean a desire for romantic relationships with or without sex.
Abrosexual refers to people who report experiencing different sexual or romantic attractions throughout their lives. They may also change their sexual orientation. Some use the term abromantic to mean the same thing but there can be differences. A person who identifies as abrosexual may desire sex but not be interested in a romantic relationship.
Asexual is a term describing people do not experience sexual attraction (short version, ace).
Assigned sex is the identification of a person's sex listed as male or female usually based on external anatomy. Other terms are birth sex, natal sex, biological sex, and sex.
Binding is the process of wrapping breasts to decrease the appearance of breasts.
Birth sex is the identification of a person's sex listed as male or female usually based on external anatomy. Other terms are assigned sex, natal sex, biological sex, and sex.
Bisexual people who experience emotional and sexual attraction to men and women.
Disorders of Sexual Development (DSD) is a broad term for biological conditions
Heteronormativity is the assumption that all people are either male or female, their gender is based on their birth sex, and this is the normal condition of humans. Other conditions are considered abnormal and inferior.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is process of changing one's body affected by hormones like estrogen and testosterone.
Intersex is a term describing people who do not have typical male or female sex characteristics at birth. The sex differences may not be external but may be internal and include hormones, chromosomes, and reproductive organs. Professionals may use the term DSD.
Natal sex is the identification of a person's sex listed as male or female usually based on external anatomy. Other terms are assigned sex, birth sex, biological sex, and sex.
Pansexual a person who experiences emotional or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity.
Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) is a surgical procedure modifying an aspect of sexual anatomy to match gender.
Sexual Orientation. The sexual orientation of transpersons varies. They may be straight, gay, lesbian, or bisexual. A person who is only attracted women and transitions from woman to man would be a straight man. A person who is only attracted to men and transitions from woman to man would be a gay man.
Communication About Sex and Gender
Some people list their pronouns in emails and in social media. This can help with identity.
Their, them, and they used to refer to more than one person but is commonly used, and accepted in some editorial formats like APA, to refer to one person.
Most people just list two pronouns like he/ him, she/ her.
LGBTQ+ The letters vary somewhat but refer to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or questioning), and the plus sign for additional terms.
Distress
Some people experience considerable distress when their birth sex does not match their inner sense of gender identity but people around them treat them according to the gender they have been assigned since birth.
Comments
I will be pleased to make corrections in response to respectful comments.
Resources
APA Journal Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity
APA Sexual orientation and gender identity
American Counseling Association LGBTQ+
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