Let’s Talk About Sex (and Gender Identity): Recognizing the Differences Through a Biological and Social Lens

Written By Nikki Mahendru

Laura Norman 

Vocabulary Words to Know

Cisgender: a gender identity term for someone whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth (more simply put: not transgender).

Transgender: a gender identity term for someone whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth.

Non-binary/Gender Nonconforming: a gender identity term for someone who does not identify with the common gender binary terms of male or female.

Androgynous: a term to refer to people whose identity, sex, or expression have both masculine and feminine characteristics.

Androgens: a group of sex hormones that regulate body development. Males typically have more of them (example: testosterone).

Estrogens: a group of sex hormones that regulate body development. Females typically have more of them (example: estradiol).

Gender Roles: a social construct that is widely accepted about how men and women should look and behave (for example, men are expected to be promiscuous, aggressive, and strong while women are expected to be feminine, nurturing, and polite).

Ally: a person who has a certain privilege but actively supports a specific marginalized group.

Imagine this: You are asked to fill out an application for a prestigious scholarship. On the application page, you are asked to list your gender and you are given two options: Male and Female. Depending on who you are, this may be a simple choice. However, some people may be unsure of how to handle this question. For some people, they may be unsure of whether to state their sex assigned at birth or their gender identity. For other people, they feel they do not align with the gender binary at all. About 5% of young adults in the United States identify as transgender or non-binary (Brown, 2022), and 40% of adults reported knowing someone who identifies as trans. As the gender binary concept continues to be challenged, it is important for people to understand the difference between sex and gender identity (and which one matters more), the biological and social factors that may contribute to someone’s gender identity, and ways you can be more inclusive and educate others on LGBTQ issues.


Sex versus Gender Identity

Have you ever heard the phrase “there’s only two genders?” Time to debunk that phrase:

First of all, people often tend to confuse sex with gender identity. Sex refers to a label given based on the chromosomes and reproductive organs one has. Typically, these would be XX chromosomes for females and XY chromosomes for males. However, there are many people born with abnormal sex chromosomes (ex: people with Klinefelter’s Syndrome have XXY chromosomes) which can affect their reproductive organs and ability to reproduce. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that sex is generally binary but can be expressed abnormally. Gender is more complex, but it is commonly understood by most psychologists, neuroscientists, and biologists alike that gender exists on a spectrum and that it is possible for people to not identify as simply “male” or “female”. Gender refers to one’s overall psychological sense of your gender identity. I say overall psychological sense because there are many different perspectives in which psychology can be viewed, and we are going to look at gender through two psychological lenses: neurobiological and social.

Gender Through a Neurobiological Lens

One neurobiological theory is that gonadal hormones have an influence on the gender identity and sexual orientation of developing embryos. “Sexual differentiation of the mammalian brain and behavior” is also said to occur--both during fetal and neonatal development. “These foetal and neonatal peaks of testosterone, together with functional steroid receptor activity, are considered to program the male brain both [physically] and neurologically” (Roselli, 2018). Typically, gonads and neurological gender are the same. However, it is hypothesized that there are some rare cases where these events happen independently, which may result in differences between biological sex and gender. 

Evidence that strengthens the theory of neurological gender includes the case of David Reimer. At birth, he was given a faulty circumcision and underwent a medically necessary gender reassignment surgery as a result. He then had hormone treatments and was raised as a female. As he got older, he felt that his gender identity did not match the sex he was assigned at birth and he transitioned to being a male. It is important to note that he lived as a male for the first eight months of his life, therefore it is unclear whether or not this had any influence on his unhappiness as a female. Other clinical studies have been performed on children with androgen insensitivities which “[raised] doubts that children are psychosexually neutral at birth” (Roselli, 2018). 


One common misconception about humans is that there are male versus female brains. However, differences in the brain structure of cisgender and transgender people have been documented. For example, cisgender people were found to have stronger connections between the left and right hemispheres of the brain compared to transgender people (Hahn et al., 2015). Some biologists theorize that these structural differences are due to variations between brain areas involved in gender identity and body perception (Feusner et al, 2017). These studies provide some evidence, but there is much more research to be done before creating a strong theory.

Gender through a Social Lens

While current neuroscience doesn’t seem to show a significant difference in the brain structure of men and women (cisgender or transgender), social psychology seems to indicate that cis men and women are very similar to trans men and women, respectively.

This image demonstrates how jealousy regarding certain traits tends to be higher in one gender over the other. Social Power and Dominance refers to overall popularity. Social-Communal Attributes refers to overall likeability. According to this data, those who identify as men or women seem to act similarly regardless of how they were assigned at birth. But how do non-binary people fit into this? In many societies, gender norms and misogyny are heavily enforced at a young age. This is a plausible explanation for the positive correlation between psychological problems and identifying as non-binary--especially if you begin to identify at a young age (Graaf et al, 2021). In a society that places a strong emphasis on gender norms, how are non binary people expected to fit in? 

While many cultures place a heavy emphasis on dichotomous gender, misogyny, and gender roles, there are some cultures in which gender has more variations. For example, in the Samoan culture, there are two additional genders known as Fa’afafine and Fa’afatama. Fa’afafine’s were people assigned male at birth who expressed themselves with masculine and feminine traits, whereas Fa’afatama’s were assigned female at birth. Another example is an identity known as Two Spirit, which is a term widely used across various North American Indigenous cultures to refer to people who identify as transgender or gender non-conforming. Individual tribes have their own specific terms and recognize many different numbers of genders. For example, in the Diné/Navajo culture, the term “Nadleehi” refers to “one who transforms” and can mean one of four different gender identities.

How Gender Identity Affects Our Everyday Lives

Transphobia has a substantial impact on the health outcomes, safety, and overall quality of life of transgender people. According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, Hate crimes against transgender and non-binary people are too common, with nearly 50% of transgender people reporting being verbally harassed and experiencing intimate partner violence. Sexual violence towards transgender people in particular is high, with over 50% of transgender people reporting being sexually assaulted in their lifetime. 72% of transgender people have done sex work in their lives and 65% have experienced homelessness. Numerous anti-trans and anti-queer bills have been put in place in several states, including Florida, Texas, and Virginia. These bills target trans children, drag performances, discrimination laws, Medicaid access, and much more. The intersection between race and gender identity also has a detrimental impact on the lives of people. The average life expectancy for black transgender women in the United States is 35 years old. This is due to a multitude of factors that stem from the discrimination that comes with being black and transgender. 

What You Should Take Away From This and How to Be a Better Ally

So what should be your main takeaway from this? First, you should understand that there is biological evidence that sex and gender identity are independent from one another and that gender identity exists on a spectrum. Second, it is important to understand that LGBTQ science is very behind and constantly changing, therefore it is important to find the most recent sources of information when conducting your own research and educating others. Third, it is important to understand that forcing gender roles on other people is harmful, especially to those who consider themselves gender nonconforming or express themselves as androgynous. 

Speaking of gender expression, are you familiar with the rapper Lil Uzi Vert? What about the singer Sam Smith? While they both make very different styles of music, one thing they have in common is that they don’t conform to the gender binary. They both use they/them pronouns. However, they both express themselves very differently in terms of how they dress, perform their art, act, etc. Another reason why gender roles are not relevant is because regardless of gender identity, people express themselves differently. Finally, understand how the attitudes that people have towards trans people can be deadly. With that in mind, you may have questions about how you can be a better ally to LGBTQ people. Below are some common pieces of feedback that LGBTQ people give to cisgender and straight people:

  1. Be open-minded and listen, but be careful not to overgeneralize experiences → When a person is sharing their experiences or beliefs, actively listen to what they are saying, especially when they are calling you out for doing something problematic. However, it is important to note that one queer person is not a spokesperson for the entire community. Everyone has different experiences depending on their upbringing and other elements of their identity.

  2. Recognize how intersectionality affects the treatment of LGBTQ people → Intersectionality refers to the interconnectedness of different identities, such as gender identity, race, religion, age, and sexual orientation. All of these things play a role in the experiences of individual queer people. For example, a cis white gay man may have a different experience than a trans black woman.

  3. Fight bigotry however you can → A great way to be an ally is to use your privilege to educate others. Whether you witness someone making a homophobic joke or complaining about queer representation in a TV show, do whatever you feel comfortable doing in the moment to explain why they are acting offensive or uneducated.

  4. Be careful about assuming the identity or sexuality of everyone you meet → This applies both online and in real life. Even though the vast majority of people are cisgender, it does not hurt to verify if you aren’t completely sure. If you don’t know someone’s pronouns, you can also use gender neutral pronouns or simply refer to them with their name. 

  5. Stop normalizing gender roles → This is not just harmful to queer people. Gender roles harm everyone because they give people unnecessary expectations of how they should behave. Gender roles villainize feminine gay men, sexualize lesbians, and overall harm any person who chooses to express themselves outside of the gender binary--regardless of whether they are cisgender or not.

Sources

Nikki Mahendru
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