What’s the difference between gender assigned at birth, gender identity, and gender expression?
Gender assigned at birth refers to the sex that a doctor or midwife declares a baby to be based on the child’s reproductive organs: male or female.
Gender identity is a core feeling or sense of “who I am,” regardless of the biological sex of a person. This may match with the person's sex or it may be different.
A person is…
cisgender: when their gender identity is male or female, and it’s the same as the sex they were given at birth
transgender: when their gender identity doesn’t match the sex given at birth and they identify as the other gender
non-binary: when their gender identity is neither male nor female, or it’s a blend of male and female
gender fluid: when they mov between gender identities, i.e. sometimes male and other times female
agender: when they don't identify with any gender
Gender expression refers to the way a person expresses themself through clothes, mannerisms, speech, and overall external presentation. A person can enjoy dressing / appearing like the opposite gender & also be comfortable with their gender assigned at birth.
Gender norms are social principles that govern the behavior of girls, boys, women, & men in society and restrict their gender identity into what is considered to be "appropriate."
