Most people assume a person’s gender identity based on how they present themselves. Though they are often related, gender identity and gender expression need not match. Both may change, evolve, or be variable over time. A person’s gender identity may change by the day (genderfluid), belong to a gender not included in the male/female binary (non-binary), include more than one gender (bi- or poly- gender), or other variations.

Gender expression mostly revolves around societal coding, as certain clothing, body movements, activities, professions, et cetera, are stereotyped as being either ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’. Just as gender identity may vary by the day, so might gender expression. A transgender man may express himself in a stereotypically feminine way and still be a man. A non-binary person need not be androgynous. A person may jump from masculine to feminine to other over the course of days. A person’s gender identity cannot be assumed based solely on presentation. It is always polite to ask a person’s pronouns in a safe space.