There is a lot of confusion surrounding the concepts of sexual orientation and gender identity. We’ll clear up some of the misconceptions and discuss the key differences between these terms. We’ll also talk about how these concepts can differ from one person to the next.
What is Sexual Orientation?
Sexual orientation is a term used to describe a person’s emotional, physical, and sexual attraction to another person. A person’s sexual orientation can be heterosexual (attracted to people of the opposite sex), homosexual (attracted to people of the same sex), or bisexual (attracted to both sexes). People can also be attracted to more than one gender, which is known as pansexuality.
- Sexual orientation is different from sexual behavior, which is the act of engaging in sexual activity with another person. A person’s sexual orientation does not necessarily dictate their behavior. For example, a heterosexual person may engage in homosexual behavior, or a homosexual person may engage in heterosexual behavior.
- Sexual orientation is also different from gender identity, which is the gender a person identifies as. A person’s gender identity does not necessarily align with their biological sex. For example, a man may identify as a woman, or a woman may identify as a man.
- Sexual orientation is fluid, which means that it can change over time. A person’s attractions and behaviors may change throughout their lifetime. Sexual orientation is not a choice. It is not something that someone can “turn on or off.” It is an essential part of who a person is.
What is Gender Identity?
- Gender identity is the gender which a person sees themselves as. This can be different from the gender a person is assigned at birth. For example, a person with a female anatomy may identify as a male. Or, a person may identify as neither male nor female, or as both male and female. Someone’s gender identity is not necessarily the same as their sex assigned at birth. Nor is it necessarily related to their sexual orientation.
- Gender identity is a personal experience. It is different for everyone. There are many ways to express gender identity, such as through clothing, hairstyle, and mannerisms. A person’s gender identity is not necessarily visible to others. cisgender describes people who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. transgender describes people who do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth.
- Genderqueer or non-binary describe people who see themselves outside of the traditional male/female genders. Agender describes someone who does not have any sense of gender identity. Bigender describes someone who sees themselves as both male and female, or as male some of the time and female other times.
Differences between Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
There is often confusion between the terms sexual orientation and gender identity. Sexual orientation refers to a person’s physical and/or emotional attraction to another person. Gender identity, on the other hand, is a person’s internal sense of their own gender.
- A person’s gender identity may or may not align with the sex they were assigned at birth. It’s important to remember that sexual orientation and gender identity are two separate things.
- For example, a person who is attracted to people of the same gender (homosexual) can identify as either male or female (cisgender). Similarly, a person attracted to people of both genders (bisexual) can also identify as either male or female.
The key difference between sexual orientation and gender identity is that sexual orientation is about who you are attracted to, while gender identity is about how you identify yourself.
Conclusion
- Sexual orientation is about who someone is attracted to while gender identity is about how someone sees themselves.
- Sexual orientation can be heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or asexual while gender identity can be male, female, transgender, nonbinary, or agender.
- Gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same thing.
There is a lot of misunderstanding and confusion around these terms so it’s important to clear them up.
