So, it's been a while...

...since I first posted. Life's been pretty hectic lately and I haven't had the time to do stuff online, but I hope I will from now on.

I've been watching a lot of videos on youtube and doing a whole lot of research on transgender issues. For a lot of you, there are only three options regarding sexuality: heterosexual, bisexual and homosexual. Well, I'm going to talk about some of the myths and misconceptions about sex and gender. 

1. Sex and gender is the same thing.

Not at all! As a rough definition, sex is external (genitalia) and gender is internal (gender identity). Sex refers to a person's anatomy and gender to a person's gender identity or gender role.

2. What is gender identity, anyway?

Quoting wikipedia (yes, I'm low like that!): Gender identity (otherwise known as core gender identity) is the gender(s), or lack thereof, a person self-identifies as. It is not necessarily based on biological fact, either real or perceived, nor is it always based on sexual orientation. The gender identities one may choose from include: male, female, both, somewhere in between ("third gender"), or neither.

So, a person can identify themselves as female, male, genderqueer, third gender, bigender, trigender, two-spirit, pangender, and so many others. 

3. Transgender is the same as transsexual.

This is not true in the least. Actually, transsexuals are transgender, but not the other way around. 

Being transgender means, basically, a person whose internal gender identity doesn't match their external one. For example, a transman or transwoman. 

Transgenders won't always go through sex reassignment surgery to fix their body to match their gender identity. 

4. How many types of sexual orientation are there?

According to the Kinsey Scale, there are 7 levels of sexual orientation. Although, there are other sexual orientations such as pansexual or bi-curious.

5. Being transgender and/or gay is a mental illness.

Another horrible myth. Being homosexual or having another sexual orientation hasn't been considered a mental illness since 1990 (which is ridiculous, if you ask me! It should have never been considered an illness). 

Now, regarding transgenderism, in the USA, and according to the American Psychiatric Association, the psychatric name for transgenderism is Gender Identity Disorder. Many people in the Trans community don't agree with this, because they feel discriminated and considered mentally disabled, which of course is not true. 

6. Bisexuals have a boyfriend and a girlfriend at the same time.

This is a misconception. Being in a consensual relationship with two or more people is what is called polyamory. Being in a relationship with more than one person without them knowing, to me, is just cheating. 

More to come!

Have any questions, suggestions or correction of what I posted? Comment! :)