Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, Gender Expression

Often confused, gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same. Gender identity is the personal sense of one’s own gender. It can correlate with a person’s assigned sex at birth or can differ from it. Sexual orientation refers to an individual’s enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction to another person. Gender expression is usually expressed through behavior, clothing, haircut or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine. It is important that leaders and employees in the workplace are well-versed in these diverse perspectives to ensure an inclusive culture is fostered.