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Gender Identities

What You Need to Know

By Lena BaileyPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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There are so many genders than we once realized, and people tend to judge. People who aren't cisgender are normal and deserve love and acceptance. Gender and sexuality are more fluid these days, they're just not understood or talked about openly for fear of judgment. I'm writing this blog to educate those who are uneducated or curious (or both). So let's get started.

Cisgender is when you identify as the gender you were born as. People of this gender identity prefer pronouns specific to their genders, like she and he. They are also less likely to be discriminated against. Yes, gender identity discrimination exists. Cis people, do have to deal with "You can't do that because you're (fill in the gender)," and "You like that and you're (fill in the gender)? Weird!"

Intersex is where you were born with both male and female parts. They can identify as either gender or as neither. If they identify as neither they can say intersex or non-binary. Intersex people used to be called hermaphrodites. The term hermaphrodite is dated and can be offensive to some. With intersex babies, they usually try to do a surgery to remove parts and assign a gender but it has become controversial because the doctor's only reason for doing the surgery is to make the baby "normal." Sometimes the doctors do this surgery without telling the parents until after they did it (if they tell them at all). With intersex's appearance, they may look androgynous or they may try to look either feminine or masculine. Some intersex people switch up their looks between both feminine and masculine.

Non-binary people identify as neither genders. With non-binary, they may switch up their look between feminine and masculine or they may keep their look either feminine, masculine, androgynous, or neutral. Some non-binary people may have the chest of one gender and the genitals of the other.

Genderfluid people change their identity (and look) with how they are feeling and you can even say neither when you are genderfluid. People may also consider this the same as genderqueer. Genderqueer individuals may identify as both man and woman, neither man nor woman, moving between genders, other-gendered, or having an overlapping of gender identity and sexual and romantic orientation. When it comes to "parts" with genderfluid and genderqueer, it's similar to non-binary in which you can have the parts of one top and bottom or the chest of one gender and the genitals of the other.

Transgender are people who identify as the opposite gender than the one they were born as. Sometimes people consider transsexuals those who change appearance and sex organs and transgenders those who change appearance only (or sometimes people use them interchangeably). I learned that people are really born this way and it happens in the womb. What happens is when a baby is being made, we all get hormones sent to our bodies first, then our brains, but in the case of trans people, wires get crossed and the mind gets hormones for one gender and their bodies get the other. So it's a real medical feeling.

All of these identities that aren't cis should not be confused with drag or cross-dressing, which are lifestyles and not gender identities. Trans people may cross-dress or do drag before their transition but cross-dressing and drag are different than a gender identity.

With all people, be kind and do not hate or judge. I may have missed some identities but if I did, my email is on my profile.

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About the Creator

Lena Bailey

Georgia born writer. Specializing in dating and true crime

If you have any questions or comments please email [email protected]

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