Gender

Gender can be felt and lived in many ways. People might express gender in the: 

• Clothes they wear
• Names they use
• Way they talk
• Groups they belong to. 

Some people need medical help to express their gender. For example, someone might take medication or have surgery.

There are many genders. Common genders include:‍

• ‍Male, when someone identifies as a man.‍
• Female, when someone identifies as a woman.
• ‍‍‍Transgender or trans. It describes someone who experiences gender as different to the sex they were assigned at birth. Read more here at TransHub (external link).

• Non-binary, when someone is not a man or a woman (or a boy or a girl) but gender fluid, pan, or bigender.‍

• Genderfluid. It describes someone whose gender changes often.
• Feminine-identifying. It describes someone who sees their gender as feminine or femme. Some people who identify as feminine use the word "woman," but some don't. ‍
• Sistergirl / brotherboy. Some First Nations people who are trans in Australia use these words to describe themselves. Read more at TransHub (external link).

Regardless of your gender, you have the right to be you!

If you can't freely express your gender in your day-to-day life, you might find other ways. For example, you could find an online group that is safe and accepting.

Sexuality

For many people, sex is an important part of life. It’s okay to do things that turn you on and make you feel good, as long as there is consent and the activity is legal and safe. When people give consent to sex, everyone understands what they’re doing, wants to be doing it and knows they can stop at any time if they change their mind.

We can express sexuality in many ways. Here are some examples:

• Intimate touching during casual sex or with a romantic partner.
• Sexual experiences with a sex worker.
• Watching sexy movies or online porn.
• Reading or listening to romantic or erotic stories.

Sexual orientation is about the type of person another person wants to kiss, touch or think about sexually. Sexual orientations include:

• ‍Heterosexual – attraction to the opposite sex, like when a woman is attracted to men. Also known as being straight.‍
• Homosexual – attraction to the same sex, like a woman attracted to other women. Also known as being gay, lesbian or queer.‍
• Bisexual – attraction to your own gender and other genders, like a woman attracted to both men and women. ‍
• Pansexual – attraction to people first and foremost, without paying attention to gender.‍
• Asexual – little or no sexual attraction, also known as being ace.