Understanding Gender Identity: A Beginner's Guide for LGBTQ

How often do we come across millions of articles talking about inequality between genders? Quite often, right? But society strives to bring equality amongst only two genders - male and female. I guess you're wondering if there is anything wrong with the above statement. Of Course, there is! Some parts of society refuse to acknowledge the fact that there are some who go through a difficult phase while understanding who they actually are. Understanding who we are, what we like, and what appeals to us is all a part of the process of understanding who we are. This blog will talk about the unacknowledged bits of society and discuss the terms that are still considered taboo in some parts of society. So, let's dive in! Also, check out this blog to explore these bizarre myths about the LGBTQ.

Are Sex and Gender the same?

You're probably confused after reading this question and might think that these two terms just mean the same thing. The truth is, they are not. These two terms are used inconsistently very often. Let's understand what each of these terms actually mean. The sex of the person is generally used at the time of birth to understand if the baby born is a girl or boy. Until the child is 4-5 years old, they're able to distinguish themselves and are aware of their identity. However, the term gender is a little broad comparatively. As we grow up, we realise the things that we like right from how we want to dress up and what makes us feel confident in our attire and our behaviour. But there is such a huge population who find it difficult to understand who they actually are because of the stereotypes of society. 

Gender Identity Terms

A gender identity is a person's intimate sense of understanding their true self. It is basically how a person identifies themselves to the world. Let's understand some terms to get a little detailed view of what these actually mean. Following are some of the gender identity terms that are commonly used:

1. Non binary 

Do you remember we spoke about some unspoken bits of society at the start of this blog? Well, we were talking about the term known as Non binary. It is a gender identity term that is used when a person does not fit themselves into the categories of a male or a female. Individuals have a difficult time coming out to everyone and sharing about their identity because of the stereotypes placed in society since many, many years. However, times are changing. It is important to understand that gender equality is not just between women and men but also consider these individuals.

2. Cis-gender

Many times, people don't really think about if they are actually aware of their gender. Well, this is because they subconsciously agree that their identity has been the same as it was when they were born. Cis-gender, or most commonly used as cis, is more like an adjective which means that the gender identity of an individual complies with the sex they were assigned at the time of their birth.

3. Transgender 

The Gender identity term transgender is misunderstood by many. Society generally confuses Non binary individuals with transgender. When in reality, they're not actually the same. Transgender is a term used when the individual's identity does not align with the sex assigned when the person was born. A majority of people go through a phase of exploring and understanding who they actually are. 

4. Gender Dysphoria

This is one of the gender identity terms that have been used very rarely. Gender dysphoria is a psychological state of a human when they realise the mismatch between their identity and assigned sex during birth. This psychological state has its own levels of intensity. But have you wondered why this term is not used so commonly? It is majorly because not many transgenders feel that they are going through this phase. The reasons for the same can be many ranging from not talking about how one feels because of the pressure of society or not reaching higher intensity levels. 

5. Gender Transition 

Gender Transition is a process where an individual may take to align themselves or their bodies with the gender they identify themselves as. The transition can be anything, right from coming out about their true-self to their family and friends, changing their pronouns, updating legal documents or going through medical procedures. The process of a gender transition can be any, none or maybe all of the above processes. 

The LGBTQ Community

The LGBTQ Community lies under the spectrum of gender identity and is a little more inclined about how the individuals differ from the traditional beliefs of society. The community has always been looked at with judgemental eyes. They were always considered a misfit in society even when they weren't. The acronym LGBTQ stands for 

Lesbian: The letter L in the LGBTQ represents lesbians, which refers to women who are romantically or emotionally inclined towards other women.

Gay: The letter G denotes gay, which represents men who are attracted towards other men romantically or emotionally.

Bisexual: Bisexual denotes the letter B which represents individuals who are romantically, physically or emotionally attracted to both men and women. 

Transgender: Transgender are individuals whose gender identity does not align with the sex assigned to them at the time of their birth. 

Queer: Queer is an inclusive term and represents all other non-heterosexual orientations that are not covered with other letters in the community. This term is seen as an umbrella that encompasses all gender identities that are not captured by other terms in the acronym.

The community is filled with diversity, many gender identities and various people who belong to different socio-ethnic and racial backgrounds. The community encompasses a number of sexual orientations and expressions. However, all individuals belonging to the this community face many challenges and difficulties imposed by society, especially while opening up about their identity. It is very important to lay emphasis on gender equality and the LGBTQ community. 

Pronouns and their Intent

We mostly see people adding pronouns in their introductions on their social media handles. Many of us wonder why someone would put pronouns as pronouns like he or she or they are just used while we are communicating. However, adding pronouns is just a way of making the audience clear about one's identity. Using proper pronouns shows the respect you have for the person you are referring to. Let's understand what these pronouns actually mean.

• He/Him: He/Him are the pronouns which are used by individuals who identify themselves as male.
• She/Her: She/Her are the pronouns that are used by people who identify themselves as female. 
• Them/They: People often get confused with these pronouns, and most of us believe that they and they are used while referring to a group of people altogether. Why would someone use it as a pronoun to identify a single person? It is because people who do not distinguish themselves as male or female, that is, Non binary individuals, use these pronouns to identify themselves.

There are a lot of countries that are taking the initiative of talking about these topics and spreading awareness about gender equality, gender identity and standing up for the LQBTQ community rights. Initiatives have been taken to create spaces for the community in cities like London. There are clubs and bars for the LGBTQ community in London, exclusively for the community. We hope this article gave a little overview of the LGBTQ community and its various gender identities. Also, check out this blog to know LGBTQ mental health challenges and why LGBTQ right are important.