What's the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation?

Beyond the binaries of gay and straight, male and female lies a broad spectrum of identities. (All are real and valid, despite what certain executive orders or conservative talking points would have you believe.)

- Kayla Kibbe

And while people often assume that gender identity and sexual orientation are the same thing, they are, in fact, distinct, explains Shane Diamond, director of communications and advocacy at GLAAD.

Gender is your innate sense of self, which may or may not align with your biological sex assigned at birth. Sexual orientation refers to the direction your romantic attraction takes—whether that’s toward people of the same, different, or all genders. Meanwhile, no one is beholden to just one gender or sexual orientation, explains queer therapist Shae Harmon. And some people may choose not to label their identities at all, adds gender psychologist Natalia Zhikhareva, PhD.

As awareness of the many ways you can identify continues to expand, so does the language around them. Understanding all this has never been more important, as it’s a critical way to defend marginalised communities against discrimination. So we're sharing this 101 guide to some—but by no means all—of the ways people experience their myriad identities.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION

Gay

Someone attracted to people of the same gender. Traditionally, this term referred only to men who experience attraction to other men but has become an inclusive label that may be used by people of all genders who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, says Shae Harmon.

Queer