PFLAG Canada

All living things (human beings, animals, plants, fish, etc.) appear in nature with a wide range of naturally occurring variations. Human beings vary in skin colour, hair colour, height, left or right-handedness, weight, intelligence, etc. Just as we would expect to see people with red hair, blue eyes or who are left-handed, it is also normal to expect a wide-range of diversity with the spectrum of human sexual identity.

Studies are finding that our sexual identity is developed from any number of influences before, during and after birth. These influences, whether genetic, hormonal, emotional, nutritional, environmental, etc. act together during a person’s growth and development to create, among other characteristics, sexual orientation and gender identity. Together, four distinct and fluid characteristics shape how we think about ourselves, and how we relate to others as sexual beings.

Source: "Transgender Emergence", Arlene Istar Lev, 2004.

Our sexual orientation is determined by the direction of our romantic and erotic attractions in relation to our own biological sex. There are several different types:

Heterosexual - attracted to individuals of the opposite-sex

Homosexual - attracted to individuals of the same-sex

Bisexual - attracted to both sexes

Queer - attracted to the same or both sexes and/or transgender individuals

Asexual - not experiencing sexual attractions

Sexual orientation is not the same as sexual preference, which refers to the activities people, enjoy while expressing sexual feelings, like kissing or cuddling.

In general conversation, we tend to use gender and sex almost interchangeably. The assumption is that men are male and women are female. While this may be true for most of the population, it is not true for everyone. Gender and sex are not the same; not all men are male and not all women are female.

Most people are comfortable with the gender that was assigned to them at birth. They have no reason to question whether the expectations of society will limit how they experience themselves as men or women. This reality is called gender congruency.

Roughly 2% of the population recognizes more than one gender within the layers of who they are (physically, mentally or emotionally, or as a mix of all three). People who experience this reality are considered transgender - "trans" meaning transitioning between the genders.

In order to feel complete as human beings, transgender people may need to express all layers of their core identity, much in the same way as people with gender congruency would want to freely express the full meaning of their gender identity. Gender-identity does not imply our sexual attractions. A male may experience himself as female yet feel sexually attracted to women. Male cross-dressers for instance, are no more likely to be gay than the rest of the male population.

Transgender people who suppress their gender-identity are often burdened by depression and anxiety. The condition that develops from these negative emotions is called gender dysphoria. Their degree of suffering depends on how free they are to express themselves and release any suppressed emotion. Gender dysphoria can lead to profound depression, resulting in self-destructive behaviour and sometimes suicide.

When a person’s gender-identity is in full conflict with their biological sex, it may be necessary for them to openly transition into the gender role that will allow them to live in a way that seems most natural. These individuals are considered transsexual and some may decide to permanently change their physical anatomy through hormone therapy or surgical intervention.

People are born with the biological characteristics of both sexes are considered intersex. Intersex conditions are not always visible at birth. Their unique biological difference may not be noticed until they experience puberty (as hormones produce unexpected changes) or during unrelated medical procedures. Intersex people may experience a range of gender dysphoria and many believe they are transsexual until it is medically revealed otherwise.