Sex, Gender and Orientation

There are many people who fall under the GLBTT* umbrella, including some people who are attracted to people of the opposite gender, who may appear to be heterosexual.

In order to explain the diversity of who we are, it is helpful to define the differences among sex, gender, and orientation. Keep in mind that this is just one model of explanation, and you may know of or come across others that work better for you.

Sex  (physiology, not the act of having sex)

When we talk about sex, we’re referring to the physical body, or a person’s anatomy. Hormones, chromosomes, and genitals are all aspects that determine a person’s sex. While some people see sex as including only two or three options (male, female, and intersex), it is more inclusive to understand sex as a range of possibilities, where every person has a unique physical body, whether this includes their hormones, chromosomes, and genitals, or other parts of their physical body.

Gender

Although sex and gender are often assumed to be the same, gender is distinct from sex. Gender is a state of mind that incorporates elements such as role, identity, and expression. Again, while there are various ways of understanding gender, we’re referring to it as a range among masculine, feminine, and androgynous qualities. Every person has a unique way of relating to the gender roles assigned to their physical sex. And each person identifies in differing degrees with masculinity, femininity, or androgyny. Finally, we all express our gender in different ways, including through the clothes we wear and the way that we present our bodies to ourselves and to others.

Orientation

Orientation, or sexual orientation, refers to the people that we are attracted to. This includes their sex and their gender—we might like effeminate men or really masculine men; we might like masculine women or feminine women. Most likely, our attractions are much more complex than this, and it is possible for orientation, like gender, to shift from one stage of our life to the next, or even from day to day and moment to moment. Orientation includes all the possible ranges among bisexual, homosexual, and heterosexual.

How Does This Relate To GLBTT* People?

Generally, straight or heterosexual people are those whose sex and gender align (i.e. men are masculine, women are feminine), and whose attraction is toward the opposite sex and gender (women are attracted to men, and men to women). Anyone whose sex, gender, and orientation differs from this would be considered GLBTT* (or queer, or gay, or part of the rainbow community, or whatever other umbrella term or acronym makes sense to you).

Whether you understand sex, gender, and orientation as binaries (either/or) or a fluid range of possibilities will impact your understanding of what it means to be GLBTT*.

Resources

(see also Crisis Services and Counseling Services)

• Gay
• Lesbian
• Bisexual
• Trans
• Two-Spirit People of the First Nations
• http://www.rainbowresourcecentre.org/resources.htm [link to pdfs]
• PFLAG pdf documents Gay? Lesbian? Bisexual? Transgender? Questioning? [website doesn’t link directly – I have pdf documents]
• Introduction to SGO (Sex, Gender, & Orientation)
• Canadian Federation for Sexual Health
• My Gender Workbook: How to become a real man, a real woman, the real you, or something else entirely - By Kate Bornstein
• Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality: Answers to your questions for a better understanding
• Answers to Your Questions About Transgender Individuals and Gender Identity