While many people express themselves in ways that are aligned with social norms related to sex and gender, others may choose expressions that are different than what people may expect of their gender identity.
Expressing your true gender identity is critical to living as your authentic self. Learn more about the importance of accepting and affirming your identity, and how to support those who may be exploring theirs.
Gender expression often refers to how a person experiences and expresses various aspects of the male and female gender binary. Gender expression may also encompass characteristics that may be described as:
There are many different gender identities, including (but not limited to) male, female, trans, non-binary, agender, omnigender, and pangender.
Gender dysphoria occurs when a person feels that their biological sex inaccurately represents their true being.
Nonbinary gender identity is just one term used to describe individuals who may experience a gender identity that is neither exclusively woman nor man or is in between or beyond both genders.
People who are cisgender identify with the gender traditionally associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.
The gender binary is the problematic notion that there are only two genders, and all individuals are either a woman or a man, and are expected to align with the sex assigned at birth.
Transitioning refers to the series of processes some transgender people may undergo to present themselves in a way that aligns with their gender identity—which can involve socially transitioning (through dressing a certain way) and/or medically transitioning (through hormones, surgery, or both).
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