Date
15 March 2024

Build understanding of key concepts and terms

Suggestion for implementing the strategy ‘Build knowledge of sex, gender, and sexuality diversity’

Listen to young people's perspectives

Listen to young people's perspectives

Young people introduce key concepts about sex, gender, and sexuality and what makes each of these things unique.

Know the difference between sex, gender and sexuality

Know the difference between sex, gender and sexuality

Note, these concepts differ across cultures and languages. Indigenous terms may involve a more holistic understanding of these aspects of identity.

There are important differences between sex, gender, and sexuality.

Sex:

  • refers to particular characteristics of bodies, including reproductive organs, genitalia, hormones, and chromosomes
  • is often seen as a binary: male or female
  • there is however considerable physical variation within these physical characteristics, and
  • the term intersex describes those who do not fit this traditional binary.

Gender:

  • gender identity refers to how you identify your gender internally, regardless of the sex of your body 
  • gender expression refers to how you express your gender – masculine, feminine, both, neither, or in between.

Sexuality:

  • refers to who you are attracted to.
  • you may be attracted to people of the the same and/or differing sex or gender
  • you also may not be sexually attracted to anyone.

 

Source: Dr John Fenaughty (opens in a new tab/window)

Understand why pronouns matter

Understand why pronouns matter

Students talk about what pronouns are, why they matter, and how to use new ones.

Know how to address students

Know how to address students

Using a person’s chosen name and pronouns can have positive impacts on their mental health. 

Every student will have different wishes and needs around this.

  • Privately and respectfully check with students about the name and pronoun they would like you to use around other people in your school community. This includes on the class roll or around the learning environment.
  • If a student would like everyone, or only some people, to know their chosen name and pronouns, this should be communicated to those identified in a respectful way.
  • To maintain a student’s privacy, check with the student about the name and/or pronouns they want to be used in the records that parents or caregivers may see, as they might be different to the ones they use at school.

Source: Making Schools Safer: A practical guide for schools on supporting transgender, gender diverse, and intersex students in Aotearoa (opens in a new tab/window)

Explore what transgender means

Explore what transgender means

This video introduces and explores transgender identities.

Useful resources

Useful resources

Screen Shot 2018 10 05 at 11.40.09 AM

Supporting LGBTI young people in New Zealand

Read time: 18 min

This document outlines six objectives to improve the lives of LGBTIQ+ young people in New Zealand. Commissioned by the Ministry of Youth Development.

Publisher: Ministry of Social Development

Visit website

Website

More Than Four

A video resource exploring the identities and experiences of, and beyond, ‘LGBT’ identities. Videos include experiences of people who are asexual, aromantic, intersex, non-binary, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, takatāpui, fa’afafine, akava’ine, queer parents and people who identify as both Māori, Pasifika or Asian and queer.

Publisher: InsideOUT

Visit website

rainbow terminology

Rainbow terminology

A list of terms related to sex, gender and sexuality, and their common definitions.

Publisher: InsideOUT

Visit website

Next steps

More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Build knowledge of sex, gender, and sexuality diversity”:

Return to the guide “Supporting LGBTIQA+ students”

Guide to Index of the guide: LGBTIQA+ students

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