Gender Identity
Many people conflate sexual orientation with gender identity because of stereotypical attitudes that exist about non-heterosexual behavior. In reality, these are two related, but different, issues.
gender identity and gender dysphoria
Gender identity refers to one’s sense of being male, female, nonbinary, or another gender. Generally, our gender identities correspond to our chromosomal and phenotypic sex, but this is not always the case. When individuals do not feel comfortable identifying with the gender associated with their sex assigned at birth, then they experience gender dysphoria.
Gender dysphoria is a diagnostic category in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) that describes individuals who do not identify as the gender that most people would assume they are. This dysphoria must persist for at least six months and result in significant distress or dysfunction to meet DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. In order for children to be assigned this diagnostic category, they must verbalize their desire to become the other gender.
cisgender and transgender
Cisgender is an umbrella term used to describe people whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their sex assigned at birth, while transgender is a term used to describe people whose sense of personal identity does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth.
Approximately 1.4 million U.S. adults or .6 percent of the population are transgender according to a 2016 report.[1]
Many people who are classified as gender dysphoric seek to live their lives in ways that are consistent with their gender identity. This may involve dressing and presenting themselves in accordance with a gender identity that differs from the sex assigned at birth. These individuals may also undertake gender-affirming hormone therapy to make their bodies better align with their gender identity, and in rare cases, they may even elect to have surgeries to alter the appearance of their external genitalia to resemble that of their gender identity.
Not all transgender individuals choose to alter their bodies; most will maintain their original anatomy but may present themselves to society as another gender. Regardless of whether these individuals choose to seek medical interventions, transgender individuals may identify as male-to-female (MTF) or female-to-male (FTM), or have another identifier they choose to use for themselves.
Changing Gender Norms
Our scientific knowledge and general understanding of gender identity continue to evolve, and young people today have more opportunities to explore and openly express different ideas about what gender means than in previous generations. Studies indicate that the majority of Millennials (born between 1981 – 1996) regard gender as a spectrum instead of a strict male/female binary, and that 12% identify as transgender or gender non-conforming. Additionally, over half of people ages 13–20 know people who use gender-neutral pronouns (such as they/them) (Kennedy, 2017).
This change in language may mean that Millennials and Generation Z (born between 1997-2012) people understand the experience of gender itself differently. As young people lead this change, other changes are emerging in a range of spheres, from public bathroom policies to retail organizations. For example, some retailers are starting to change traditional gender-based marketing of products, such as removing “pink and blue” clothing and toy aisles. Even with these changes, those who exist outside of traditional gender norms face difficult challenges. Even people who vary slightly from traditional norms can be the target of discrimination and sometimes even violence.
This video about transgender immigrants’ experiences explains more struggles faced globally by those in the transgender community.
Cultural Factors in Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Gender is deeply cultural. Like race, it is a social construction with real consequences, particularly for those who do not conform to gender binaries. To fully understand gender as a concept, it is necessary to expand the language we use to describe gender beyond “masculine” or “feminine.”
gender expression
Gender expression, or how one demonstrates gender (based on traditional gender role norms related to clothing, behavior, and interactions) can be feminine, masculine, androgynous, or somewhere along a spectrum. Although gender has traditionally been considered in binary terms (male or female), increasingly gender is being seen as a spectrum; however, our vocabulary is still limited in terms of how we describe gender identity.
Issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity are very much influenced by sociocultural factors. Even how we define sexual orientation and gender vary from one culture to the next. While in the United States exclusive heterosexuality is viewed as the norm, there are societies that have different attitudes regarding variations in cisgender or heterosexual behavior. In fact, in some instances, periods of exclusively homosexual behavior are socially prescribed as a part of normal development and maturation. For example, in parts of New Guinea, young boys are expected to engage in sexual behavior with other boys for a given period of time because it is believed that doing so is necessary for these boys to become men (Baldwin & Baldwin, 1989).
There is a two-gendered culture in the United States. We tend to classify an individual as either male or female. However, in some cultures, there are additional gender variants resulting in more than two gender categories. For example, in Thailand, you can be male, female, or kathoey. A kathoey is an individual who would be described as intersexed or transgender in the United States (Tangmunkongvorakul, Banwell, Carmichael, Utomo, & Sleigh, 2010). Intersex is a broad term referring to people whose bodies are not strictly biologically male or female (Hughes, et al. 2006). Intersex characteristics can present at any time during life and shouldn’t necessarily be considered a disorder or condition (Creighton, 2001). While most newborns tend to display XX or XY sexual characteristics, in rare cases a child may be born with components of male and female genitals (Creighton, 2001; Hughes, et al. 2006).
- Flores, A., J. Herman, G. Gates, and T. N.T. Brown. "How many adults identify as transgender." The Williams Institute. http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/How-Many-Adults-Identify-as-Transgender-in-the-United-States.pdf. ↵