Sex is what you were assigned at birth, this is typically male or female, but it could also be intersex. Another way of referring to this is the ‘sex of the body.’ AFAB is ‘assigned female at birth’ and AMAB is ‘assigned male at birth’.
Gender is a social construct of our times. For example, in current society blue is for boys and pink is for girls but one hundred years ago the opposite was true. Gender is a construct that we make for ourselves, and is made for us by society who interprets and acts on that perceived gender.
Another way of referring to gender is the ‘sex of the brain.’ We get to pick our own gender and can be either, neither or a mix. Sex and gender are very different things.
The Basics is a series of articles that form a short guide to transgender terms, trans history, and what it means to be trans. It’s not meant to be exhaustive but rather an easy place to get started. You can find all the Basics articles over here.
“Gender is a social construct of our times.”
I once said this to someone, and she scowled at me like I lost my mind. She wasn’t an angry person, just defensive of her own beliefs, but once she Googled it, we became friends. 🙂