Every person has a unique sexual identity that is made of gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation and gender assigned at birth.

In particular, gender identity refers to a person’s deeply felt, internal, intrinsic sense of their own gender (e.g., male, female, both, neither or another gender). 

All gender identities are natural (normal expression of one’s identity). In most cases, gender identity is in line with one’s sex assigned at birth (a person’s status as male, female, or intersex based on physical features. Sex is usually assigned at birth based on appearance of the external genitalia). Some people may present with reproductive characteristics that do not fit the binary definitions of female or male. These people are referred to as intersex persons. 

Gender expression refers to how a person enacts or expresses their gender in every day life and within the context of their culture and society. Of course, this is highly influenced by the geographical area, historical moment and socio-cultural background in which a person lives. Therefore, every individual expresses the belonging to a gender in a personal way. Sexual orientation refers to the physical and/or emotional-romantic attraction towards a person. There are many types of sexual orientation and all of them are normal expressions of one’s feelings. For example, a gay person is a cisgender o transgender man in love with and/or attracted to another cisgender o transgender man; a lesbian is a cisgender o transgender woman in love with and/or attracted to another cisgender o transgender woman; a pansexual person is attracted to people regardless of one’s gender identity.

Sexual orientation and gender identity are two different parts of one’s sexual identity and therefore they should not be confused. 

The term cisgender defines a person with a gender identity that matches the natal sex: for example, a person who identifies as woman and is born with female physical features. On the other hand, a transgender person generally has a gender identity that differs from the gender assigned at birth. In particular, according to the Standards of Care Version 8, the term refers to those people whose gender identity and / expression does not align with the sex assigned at birth.

Being transgender (also reffered to as person with gender incongruence) is a normal condition and not a disease. Some transgender people (not all!) may be distressed and, therefore, request hormonal treatments and/or surgery to affirm their gender.