It describes the characteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine or feminine. It is a social category and refers to behavior and feelings.

2. GENDER
• Gender describes the characteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine
or feminine. It is a social category and refers to behavior and feelings.
• Your gender identity is your own perception of your gender and what label you
choose to use. Gender expression is how you convey this, e.g. through clothing.
• Male and female are common genders and together they are called gender binary.
The gender binary, is a system that is created by society to
place gender into two polar opposites of male or female,
or masculine and feminine.

3. GENDER TERMS
• There are seven types of gender terms, they are:
1) Cis gender: Gender identity, gender expression and sex match up. That is, someone who identifies
with the gender they were assigned at birth.
2) Transgender: Umbrella term- where sex, gender expression and gender identity do not match up.
That is, someone who does not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth.
3) Genderfluid: Gender identity changes or fluctuates. That is, it a gender identity which means that
you do not identify as either male or female. Genderfluid is different from Transgender.
4) Non-binary: Gender outside the male/female binary.
5) A gender: Do not identify with a gender.
6) Gender neutral: Identities not easily categorized as masculine or feminine. Often a blend of the
two.
7) Genderqueer: Umbrella term to describe non-normative genders like agender/genderfluid etc.

4. SEXUAL ORIENTATION IDENTITY
• Sex refers to anatomy. Sex and gender are different things. There are six different types of
sexual orientation identities, they are:
1) Asexual: Lack of sexual attraction.
2) Gay/Lesbian: Attraction to your own gender.
3) Straight: Attraction to a gender different from your own.
4) Bisexual: Attraction to two or more genders.
5) Pansexual: Attraction to all genders.
6) Queer: Stand alone term reclaimed by some LGBTQ people. Only these people can use it
as to many it is offensive.

5. NON-MONOSEXUALISM

6. PRONOUNS
• It is very important to ask someone very politely about the pronoun they
prefer if it is unsure about that person’s gender identity.
• They, Ze and Hir are common gender neutral pronouns, but if someone
prefers something different then you should use the pronoun they tell
you.
Example: That is hirs. They are over there.

7. TERMS TO AVOID
• Transgender- Transgender should be used as an adjective, for example:
he is a transgender.
• Biologically male/female- these term over-simplify a complex subject of
what makes up someone’s sex. ‘Assigned male/female at birth’
(AMAB/AFAB) is preferred.
• Tranny, she-male, it- these words dehumanize transgender people and
are offensive.