Sex and Gender
Birth-Assigned Sex (AKA biological sex) - the designation that refers to a person’s biological, morphological, hormonal, and genetic composition. One’s sex is typically assigned at birth and classified as either male or female. “Assigned-at-birth” serves to imply that sex assignment is without the agency of the individual.
**Birth-assigned sex is often mistakenly confused with gender.**
Female - An adjective denoting the biological sex that produces eggs. XX Chromosomes.
**This is not a gender term, and does not imply a gender identity.**
Intersex (rare) - A general term used for a variety of conditions in which an individual’s reproductive or sexual anatomy (incl: genitals, secondary sex characteristics, chromosomes, and/or hormone levels) do not fit into the medical/societal definition of male or female. Some members of the intersex community prefer to use person first language to describe themselves (e.g. a person with intersex condition) and conceptualize their condition as one of medical diagnosis. Others (re)claim intersex as an identity.
Male - An adjective denoting the biological sex that produces sperm. XY Chromosomes.
**This is not a gender term, and does not imply a gender identity.**
(there are just 3 sexes)
GENDER:
Gender – A social construct framed by a society’s understanding of masculinity and femininity as related to roles, behaviors, expectations, activities, identities, and attributes. This term is often understood as a binary, however, historically and presently, gender is expansive and dynamic. The key elements of an individual's gender are gender identity, gender attribution, and gender expression.
(there are dozens..... hundreds..... thousands of genders)
Gender Identity – A person’s individual understanding of their own gender and the language they use to describe this understanding. This can also be considered one’s innate and personal experience of gender.
Gender Attribution – The act of attributing a gender to another with or without knowledge of that person’s gender identity. In Western culture, these assumptions are rooted in our cultural understanding of gender as a binary system and how gender is socialized. Assuming a person’s gender pronouns is one example of gender attribution.
Gender Expression – The way in which someone expresses their gender, either consciously or unconsciously. This can encompass everything that communicates our gender to others, including clothing, hairstyle, body language, manner of speaking, social interactions, and gender roles. Most people have some blend of masculine and feminine qualities that comprise their gender expression, and this expression can also vary depending on the social context. There is not always a direct translation between gender identity and gender expression. A person’s gender expression may or may not align with the way people attribute gender to that person.
