Sexual and gender identity
Advice to help you understand what gender identity is with links to find help and support.
There can be a lot of confusion about the difference between sexuality and sexual orientation, and gender identity.
This page provides further information to help you understand the different meanings and where you can find extra help.
Sexuality and sexual orientation
Sexuality and sexual orientation is about who someone feels physically and emotionally attracted to.
This can be romantic or emotional attraction, or both. It’s also normal to feel unsure about your sexuality or who you’re attracted to, or find that your sexuality changes over time.
There are lots of different types of sexuality or sexual orientation, and people may use different terms to describe how they feel. LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning and more.
Gender identity
Gender identity describes how a person feels about their gender.
For many people, their gender identity corresponds to the sex they were registered at birth. For others, it does not. Some people see gender identity as more of a spectrum, rather than a binary.
There are many other expressions of gender identity, including non-binary and genderfluid, and for some people, the concept of gender isn’t relevant to their identity.
Sexuality and sexual orientation
Sexuality
Trying to understand your sexuality can be confusing sometimes. If you’re struggling to cope or you’re not sure what to do next, Childline provides a range of advice to help.
LGBTQ+ terms
Whether you’re not sure what something means, or you want help describing your feelings, it can help to find out more about different definitions or sexual and gender identities.
Coming out
‘Coming out’ means telling someone about your sexuality or gender identity. It can take time to feel ready to tell people about this part of yourself, but this is advice to support you.
Gender identity
Types of gender identity
- Trans or transgender
- Non-binary
- Gender diverse or genderqueer
- Cisgender
Expressing your gender can feel complicated sometimes.
Gender dysphoria
When someone feels a sense of unease because their gender identity and biological sex aren’t the same. This can start at any age and can affect people differently.
If you’re struggling with how you’re feeling there are ways to cope.
Bullying
It’s never okay for someone to treat you badly because of your sexuality or gender identity.
Being bullied can have a big effect on how you feel, it can make it harder to come out or leave you feeling scared about sharing your feelings.