The terms ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ are often used to describe the same thing, but refer to very different concepts. While they are related, they may not be connected.

Sex: Biological and physical characteristics that define human beings. These are typically labeled as male, female, or intersex, as identified by medical professionals. This is frequently referred to as ‘sex assigned at birth.’

Gender: Roles, behaviors, activities, and characteristics that a given society or culture considers normal for individuals.

Gender Identity: A person’s thoughts about their gender, and how they label themselves, based on how much they identify with what they understand their options for gender to be. Many cultures consider ‘man’ and ‘woman’ as the only two options for gender – however, other cultures recognize more options. For example, in India and other Southeast Asian countries, ‘Hijra’ is a recognized third gender. In certain Native American cultures, a person who identifies as male and female is called ‘Two Spirited.’