Quick Question on Gender Identity

[AmiFey]

What does it mean to "identify" as a certain gender? I don't exactly know what defines a gender, to be honest. :/ I only know what defines a sex, and by sex I am a female, but I'm attracted both to men and women (it varies sometimes as being more strongly attracted to one than the other) and sometimes I feel the need to bind my chest in order to appear less like a female.

[Kate*]

Hey Katie, your gender identity and sexual orientation are completely seperate. Defining gender is tricky I always understood it as the gender you feel most comfortable living as. For example, if you are biologically female and you feel like a girl then you identify as female. If you were transgender you would one sex biologically and you would feel like the opposite. I think gender falls on a spectrum, though. I've heard that there are actually five genders, but we usually only use two.

[AmiFey]

What does it mean to "feel" like a gender? That's one of the things I've never understood about it. :/

[Kate*]

It's hard to describe, that's why it's easier to use the example of a transgender person. I know that I was born female and I feel comfortable being a girl, I'm a tomboy, but I've never wanted to be male so I indentify as female.

[mi-nerdo-deji]

Originally Posted by AmiFey

What does it mean to "feel" like a gender? That's one of the things I've never understood about it. :/

I'm female to male transgender, biologically female but I identify as male. I've never been a tomboy, never been big into sport or girls or anything like that, but I am undoubtedly male. It's hard to describe. I guess you feel like a tomboy girl, right? And I feel like a slightly camp, slightly nerdy gay guy.

Did that help? Probably not.

[deadlyninjabee]

It's hard to describe 'feeling' like a gender. It's probably easier to describe how you don't feel like a gender. Like, I don't feel like a female. I feel almost sick sometimes, thinking about being biologically female. You should try googling 'gender dysphoria'. I cringe when people use female pronouns. It's just something you just know.

If you don't feel like either gender, you could be gender queer. Neutral, almost.