Final answer:
Gender identity is an individual's personal sense of their own gender, which may align or not with their biological sex. It is distinct from both gender expression and sexual orientation. Terms like transgender, non-binary, and genderqueer are associated with the concept of gender identity.
Step-by-step explanation:
What is Gender Identity?
Gender identity refers to an individual's internal, deeply held sense of their own gender. It can be described as one's self-concept of being male, female, both, neither, or another gender entirely. This identity may or may not correspond with the individual's biological sex at birth; those whose gender identity does not match their sex assigned at birth are known as transgender. Gender identity is distinct from gender expression, which is how a person externally communicates their gender, and it is also different from sexual orientation, which relates to a person's romantic or sexual attraction to others. Aspects of gender identity include, but are not limited to, terms such as non-binary, genderqueer, and gender nonconformity, all of which challenge traditional binary notions of gender.