Sexual Diversity is Normal
Introduction to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. In order to better understand we need to review some basic concepts.
Gender identity is a person’s internal sense of being a man, woman, neither or both.
Since gender identity is internal, one’s gender identity is not necessarily visible to others.
Transgender/Trans: A term for people whose gender identity, expression or behavior is different from those associated with their assigned sex at birth.
Note: Transgender is correctly used as an adjective, not a noun. Transgender person, transgender people.
Trans Men: Female to Male, FTM or F2M, transgender persons who were assigned female at birth but have a male gender identity.
Trans Women: Male to Female, MTW or M2W, transgender persons who were assigned male at birth but have a female gender identity.
Non-binary trans people: Gender queer is an umbrella term for gender identities that are not exclusively male or female, identities which are not aligned with the gender binary.
Cisgender: A person who identifies with the physical sex that they were assigned at birth.
Everyone has a sexual orientation — how they feel towards others.
Sexual orientation is a term often used when referring to an individual’s emotional and/or sexual attraction to those of the same and/or another gender. Gay, lesbian, bisexual or heterosexual are examples of identity labels that people may use.
Being gay is not a choice.
Being gay is not a disorder.
“Both heterosexuality and homosexuality are normal aspects of human sexuality.” – American Psychological Association
These organizations have all stated: that homosexuality and heterosexuality are both normal aspects of human sexuality. There is nothing abnormal about being homosexual.
