Understanding who we are can be like solving a fun puzzle. This exploration is a natural part of our journey through life. As the awareness on sex education and conversations around LGBTQIA+ community arises, it can sometimes be confusing as we come to learn about terms such as gender identity, sexual orientation and gender expression. A helpful approach with clearing out the doubts may be to define the meaning of these terms.
In this blog post, we will clarify the difference between sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
What is the difference between sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression?
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation is about who you have feelings for or who you might fall in love with, whether they are boys, girls, both, or anyone else. This feeling can come in the form of romantic, emotional or sexual attraction. You might not also feel attracted to anyone in that way. It’s about who you find yourself having feelings for. There are various forms of sexual orientation – heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, asexual, etc.
Gender identity
Gender identity is about how you feel inside about who you are. It’s your sense of being a boy, a girl, or maybe you don’t feel like either of those fit you. Some people feel like a mix of both, or they might not relate to any gender. This feeling might match the sex you were assigned at birth, or it might be different. It’s about how you experience and understand yourself. This gender identity is unique to you and can evolve over time.
Gender expression
Gender expression is about how you present yourself to the world who you are on the inside, hrough things like clothing, hairstyles, or the way you act. It’s like choosing what to wear for a costume party – you decide how you want to look and act based on how you feel inside about your gender. Some boys might like to wear dresses, some girls might like short hair & pants and some might mix it up. It’s okay to be different from what is usually expected for boys or girls.
If you’re not sure about your gender identity or sexual orientation, that’s completely okay. It means you’re still exploring and understanding yourself, and that’s a normal part of growing up. Just like we learn about our likes and dislikes in food or music, finding out who we are attracted to or how we identify can take time. Everyone’s journey is unique, and it’s okay to take your time to discover who you are. There is no deadline for this self-discovery journey.