Gender Identity Basics

Gender Identity

• Refers to a person's internal sense of being male, female, or something else
• Different from biological sex, which refers to physical characteristics
• Gender identity can be:
  • Cisgender: aligns with biological sex
  • Transgender: does not align with biological sex
  • Non-binary: does not identify as exclusively male or female
  • Genderqueer: identifies as a combination of male and female or as neither
  • Agender: identifies as having no gender

Sexual Orientation

• Refers to a person's emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to others
• Types of sexual orientation:
  • Heterosexual: attraction to people of a different gender
  • Homosexual: attraction to people of the same gender
  • Bisexual: attraction to people of more than one gender
  • Pansexual: attraction to people regardless of gender
  • Asexual: lack of sexual attraction to others
  • Demisexual: attraction only in the context of a romantic relationship

LGBTQIA History

• 1969: Stonewall Riots: a series of spontaneous demonstrations by LGBTQ+ individuals in response to a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, marking a turning point in the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement
• 1970s-1980s: Gay Liberation Movement: a period of activism and organizing for LGBTQ+ rights, including the formation of organizations like GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign
• 1980s: AIDS Epidemic: a global health crisis that disproportionately affected the LGBTQ+ community, leading to increased activism and awareness
• 1990s-2000s: Marriage Equality: a movement to legalize same-sex marriage, culminating in the 2015 Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the United States
• 2010s: Increased Visibility and Acceptance: increased representation of LGBTQ+ individuals in media, politics, and society, leading to greater acceptance and understanding

Gender Identity

• Internal sense of being male, female, or something else, differing from biological sex
• Types of gender identity:
  • Cisgender: aligns with biological sex
  • Transgender: does not align with biological sex
  • Non-binary: does not identify as exclusively male or female
  • Genderqueer: identifies as a combination of male and female or as neither
  • Agender: identifies as having no gender

Sexual Orientation

• Emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to others
• Types of sexual orientation:
  • Heterosexual: attraction to people of a different gender
  • Homosexual: attraction to people of the same gender
  • Bisexual: attraction to people of more than one gender
  • Pansexual: attraction to people regardless of gender
  • Asexual: lack of sexual attraction to others
  • Demisexual: attraction only in the context of a romantic relationship

LGBTQIA History

• 1969: Stonewall Riots: a series of demonstrations by LGBTQ+ individuals in response to a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, marking a turning point in the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement
• 1970s-1980s: Gay Liberation Movement: a period of activism and organizing for LGBTQ+ rights
• 1980s: AIDS Epidemic: a global health crisis that disproportionately affected the LGBTQ+ community
• 1990s-2000s: Marriage Equality: a movement to legalize same-sex marriage, culminating in the 2015 Supreme Court decision
• 2010s: Increased Visibility and Acceptance: increased representation of LGBTQ+ individuals in media, politics, and society, leading to greater acceptance and understanding