"Gender" versus "sex"

Gender and sexuality are both essential components of who we are, and how we live our lives. But the two are not the same, and that’s an important fact to remember. Gender identity and sexual orientation are two separate things. “Sexual orientation” is who you love; “gender identity” is a form of expression about identity.
 
The Human Rights Campaign defines gender identity as the “innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves.” Gender identity can mirror what a person was assigned at birth, or be entirely different. There are dozens of genders, outside of just man or woman, that people can identify with.
 
The Human Rights Campaign defines sexual orientation as “an inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to other people.”
 
One way to differentiate the terms is to remember this: “Sexuality is who you go to bed with, and gender identity is who you go to bed as.”
 
Whether people are dating, working in an office, or just living life, they want to feel that other people recognize their gender identity.
 
Sources: http://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms and http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-difference-between-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity/.