N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 4 3
It can be challenging to stay current on definitions of sexual orien-
tation and gender identifications. Here's a rundown of the terms
you should understand.
•Asexual A person who doesn't feel sexual attraction to others.
• Bisexual A person who is sexually and/or romantically attracted
to people of more than one gender.
• Cisgender Someone who lives and identifies as the gender in
line with the sex they were assigned at birth. "Trans" means
"across" or "on the opposite side of," whereas "cis" means "on
the same side of."
• Gay A term used mostly for men who are sexually and/or
romantically attracted to men and only men.
• Gender The social meanings and expectations historically
ascribed to sex assigned at birth. The term "gender binary" refers
to a society that only recognizes men and women.
• Gender Identity The gender with which an individual identifies.
It may or may not align with society's assumptions.
• Gender Expression How someone presents their gender to the
world. Can involve clothes, jewelry, hair, etc., and also how someone
moves, sits, acts, etc.
• Heterosexual A term coined in 1892 to describe men who have
relationships only with women and women who only have rela-
tionships with men.
• Intersex Person/Person with Intersex Condition An individual
whose combination of chromosomes, hormones, internal sex
organs and genitals differs from one of the 2 most common pat-
Know These Common Identity Terms
ACCURACY & RESPECT