Gender identity and gender expression are different Don’t ask what their ‘real’ name or gender is – this is disrespectful and distressing. Use the name and gender a trans person tells you to use. This should always be respected and supported. Some people use multiple terms or shift between different terms to better represent their gender identity. It’s always up to an individual as to how they describe their gender identity. Some intersex people self-define as trans and/or non-binary, others with the gender they were assigned at birth. It describes someone born with anatomical, hormonal and/or chromosomal variations in their sex characteristics. Intersex: is not a gender identity and should not be lumped under the trans umbrella. This term also falls under the trans umbrella. The term non-binary comes under the trans umbrella.Īgender: a non-binary identity for people that have no gender at all. Some people do not identify wholly or at all with the gender they were assigned at birth – some people have no gender at all. Non-Binary: a gender identity and an umbrella term for people whose identity falls outside the gender binary. A trans man is a man who was assigned female at birth.Ĭisgender: someone whose gender identity aligns with the gender they were assigned at birth. Trans: a gender identity and umbrella term for people whose gender differs from, or does not sit comfortably within, the gender they were assigned at birth.Ī trans woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. In reality, gender is much more like a spectrum – it isn’t set in stone and some people have fluid or fluctuating gender identities. What is the gender binary? The gender binary is the idea that there are only two genders – male and female. See section 13.3.3 of this policy: Recognizing lived gender identity.įor more information on these and other related terms see Appendix B: Glossary for understanding gender identity and expression.Your anatomy doesn't determine your gender identity and neither does the “gender binary”. “Lived” gender identity is the gender a person feels internally (“gender identity” along the gender spectrum) and expresses publicly (“gender expression”) in their daily life including at work, while shopping or accessing other services, in their housing environment or in the broader community. Gender non-conforming individuals do not follow gender stereotypes based on the sex they were assigned at birth and may or may not identify as trans. It includes but is not limited to people who identify as transgender, trans woman (male-to-female MTF), trans man (female-to-male FTM), transsexual, cross-dressers, or gender non-conforming, gender variant or gender queer. Trans or transgender is an umbrella term referring to people with diverse gender identities and expressions that differ from stereotypical gender norms. Others perceive a person’s gender through these attributes.Ī person’s gender identity is fundamentally different from and not related to their sexual orientation. A person’s chosen name and pronoun are also common ways of expressing gender. This can include behaviour and outward appearance such as dress, hair, make-up, body language and voice. Gender expression is how a person publicly expresses or presents their gender. A person’s gender identity may be the same as or different from their birth-assigned sex.

It is a person’s sense of being a woman, a man, both, neither, or anywhere along the gender spectrum. Gender identity is each person’s internal and individual experience of gender.

Sex is the anatomical classification of people as male, female or intersex, usually assigned at birth. Instead, the understanding of these and other related terms, and the implications for the Code and OHRC policies, is evolving from tribunal and court decisions, social science research as well as self identity and common everyday use. The Code does not define the grounds of gender identity, gender expression or sex.

Gender fluid meaning