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Sex assigned at birth

(noun)

Sex assigned at birth is the sex one is assigned by a doctor pre- or at birth based on the appearance of external genitalia (Source). Sex classifications include male, female, or intersex.

Example: Max informs you that they were AFAB (adj), or Assigned Female At Birth, but that their gender identity is nonbinary.


Why it’s important to know this: ‘Sex’ and ‘gender’ are terms we often use interchangeably, but this is incorrect (Sourcesource). Since it does not impact their education, there are very few situations where sex assigned at birth would be relevant to a school staff. For example, a nurse providing menstrual care or a mental health clinician discussing gender dysphoria.

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