Gender identity and why pronouns are important
Someone’s gender identity is their innate concept of themself as a woman or girl, a man or boy, a combination of both, or neither. For most people, their gender identity is consistent with their biological sex, or the sex they were assigned at birth. For transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people, this is not the case.
- Transgender: an umbrella term used to describe people whose gender identity is inconsistent with the sex they were assigned at birth.
- Nonbinary: a term used to describe people whose gender identity is neither exclusively masculine nor exclusively feminine.
- Gender nonconforming: a term used to describe people who present themselves in a way that does not conform to the cultural norms and expectations associated with their gender.
Using the correct pronouns when referring to someone is a way to show respect for that person; using the wrong pronouns is one way of misgendering them, or disrespecting and stigmatizing them.