Gender identity is a person’s internal feeling of being a man, a woman, both, neither, or something else (Interligne, 2021). Your gender identity may or may not be different from your biological sex and your gender expression. Because it’s a matter of how you, personally, feel inside, and nobody can question that. 

Biological sex, what is it?

Biological sex is what determines a person’s biological characteristics (like hairiness, body shape, hormones, and genitals). Some people have sexual characteristics of both sexes, too, which is called being intersex. Your sex is assigned at birth, meaning that it’s determined when a healthcare professional looks at your genitals when you’re born. It’s important to know that your sex can be different from your gender (for example, you’re assigned female at birth, but you identify as male), and your gender expression can be different from both.  

What about gender expression?

‘Gender expression’ describes the codes (like clothes, hairstyles, use of makeup, body language, and more) our society uses to signal a person’s gender. You can express your gender by following society’s masculine or feminine codes, but you can also break the mould by presenting however you want.

Important: your gender expression doesn’t necessarily reflect your gender identity or sexual orientation! A guy can feel like a guy even if he does ‘feminine’ things (like wearing nail polish) just because he feels like it. That’s why it’s so important to avoid assuming people’s gender or orientation because of their appearance. 

Gender identity is fluid

Did you know that your gender identity or gender expression can change over time? Like other aspects of your identity, they can change as you move through life. Or they might remain consistent: who knows? 

It’s human to have questions, not know how you identify, or refuse to label yourself.

Identity and labels 

Labels can be helpful for putting your identity into words, but you are definitely not required to pick one. It’s totally human to have questions and be unsure.

Definitions are useful for finding a general idea of what a word means, but keep in mind that words can have different meanings to different people. Also, it’s fine if you don’t see yourself reflected in any of these labels. If you’re talking to someone else and you aren’t sure you’re using the right words, you can always ask them what the word means to them.

Some definitions about gender identity

Cisgender (or cis)

A cisgender (or cis) person is someone whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth. For example, a cisgender man is a man who was assigned male at birth.

Trans

This is an umbrella term (a term that describes several different realities) used by people whose gender doesn’t match the sex (male/female) they were assigned at birth. For example, a transwoman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Some trans people use hormonal treatments or surgeries, change their names, and/or come out to the people around them, but not all. It’s a personal choice!

Non-binary

This is an umbrella term (a term that describes several different realities) used by people who don’t identify exclusively as men or women. Non-binary people might identify as both masculine and feminine (to varying degrees) or as neither masculine nor feminine.

Queer

The term ‘queer’ can be used to describe someone’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Queer people generally don’t fit heteronormative (the idea that heterosexuality is the ‘norm’) labels or ideals, and in fact often criticize them. They want to assert who they are without putting themselves into boxes (like ‘man/woman’ or ‘heterosexual/homosexual’). 

The identities listed here are far from the only ones out there. With so many terms, it can be hard to find one that fits you, and that can raise a lot of questions. Feel free to reach out to us if you’re wondering about something or want to learn more. 

Sources : Conseil québécois LGBT; ​Dubuc, D; Interligne