gender vs. sex.

I got a question on my Formspring asking me the difference between gender and sex. I feel kind of bad, though, because it's taking me so long to answer that question. Sorry, whoever you are. ><

Anyways. Here's my answer.

Your sex is based on your reproductive organs. Your gender is a mindset. It's how you choose to act. In all the history books, they always talk about GENDER roles (not sex roles). Gender roles are "the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women" (World Health Organisation). I guess, if you really wanted a definition for the term "sex role," it would be whether you get to contribute sperm or get your egg fertilised. Although that may not always be the case now BECAUSE PROP 8 WAS DENIED. :D

There is also a difference between transgender and transsexual. Transgender is just when you feel like you're a guy in a girl's body or a girl in a guy's body. Like I said before, it's a mindset. Your gender really just depends on how you view yourself for the most part. A transsexual is someone who as went through surgery to change his or her reproductive organs completely. And by that, I mean REPRODUCTIVE organs. Not boobs. Boobs don't matter in this case. Someone with a penis and boobs (like, female boobs) is considered of the male sex because one's sex depends on his or her REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS.