Having a gender identity that is congruent with one’s biological

sex (for example, both biological sex and gender identity are female).

The process through which lesbian, gay, bisexual, and

transgender people acknowledge and express their sexual orientation and

gender identities and integrate this knowledge into their personal and

social lives.

A label for individuals whose gender identity is

fluid, non conforming, and and falls outside the dominant male/female gender identities. These individuals will typically adopt gender neutral pronouns, such as zhe, zee, hir, or they.

A way in which people present their own sense of gender to society. It is how you present or show your gender to the world and how your gender is understood by the world.

A person’s internal sense of being male, female, both, or neither. It refers to a person’s internal experience that cannot be determined

by others.

A persistent feeling of dissonance between one’s internal sense of gender and anatomical or assigned sex, which oftentimes causes stress and discomfort.

An umbrella term to refer to individuals whose

gender expressions differ from what is considered normative for their assigned

sex in a given culture.

A general term used to describe biological variations in sexual and reproductive development in which a person is born with sexual or reproductive anatomy, chromosomes, etc., that do not fit the stereotypical

definitions of biological sex as female or male. This could result from chromosome configuration, hormone levels, genital ambiguities, etc. A term

now considered derogatory in common use is “hermaphrodite.”

A term that identifies a person as female, male, or intersex. It is determined by a person’s sexual anatomy, chromosomes, and hormones. Sex is typically assigned at birth, based on the appearance of the external genitalia.

Who we are emotionally or physically attracted to.

It can be used as an umbrella term to

include people who overlap (or move beyond) rigid gender definitions, or people whose gender does not conform to social expectations. People can also use this term as an identity to mean that their gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. There is a disconnect between how people see themselves and how they are seen by other people. Someone might identify as this term for their whole life, or just until they feel comfortable in their

own body.

Affirming one’s gender. For instance, a transgender individual may choose to undergo surgery or have their name changed to affirm their true gender identity.

Some Aboriginal people identify themselves as this term rather than as bisexual, gay, lesbian, or transgender. It implies the embodiment of masculine and feminine qualities within the same body.