Tip 1: Examine your sex, gender and sexual orientation
Many people grow up with traditional beliefs about men and women. Often influenced by the culture and religion in which you grow up. That sometimes makes it complicated to understand and accept your own sex, gender and sexual orientation. That is why it makes sense to find out your sex, gender and sexual orientation before coming out.
Below I explain the difference between gender identity, sex, sexual orientation and gender expression.
Your gender identity is about how you identify. Do you feel male, female or something in between? Instead of two boxes, it is a spectrum in which you can move between woman and man. For example, you may feel more like a man or a woman in a certain phase of your life. Non-binary means you don't identify with either gender.
Your biological sex is about your birth gender. Most people have biological characteristics of either a man or a woman. But about 1 in 200 people are born with both male and female physical characteristics. We then speak of an intersex person. Usually this is not visible on the outside. Think of a man who also has a uterus or a woman who also carries male chromosomes. There are currently about 48 known variations.
Expression is about what you show about yourself to others. How do you dress, do you wear make-up or not, how do you move, etc. Just like the other three categories, this is also a spectrum within which you can move.
Your sexual attraction is about who you fall in love with. This says nothing about your own gender, but it does say something about the gender(s) you like. You can also distinguish between romantic and sexual attraction. Do you like women, men, both or are you attracted to someone's character and is the gender less important to you.
