What is the difference?
Gender identity vs Sexual orientation
Both are often grouped under LGBTQ, so they are easily blended into one idea. Gender identity is about who you are; sexual orientation is about who, if anyone, you are attracted to.
Gender identity
A person's deeply felt internal sense of their own gender, for example as a woman, a man, both, neither, or something else.
Full entrySexual orientation
A lasting pattern of sexual attraction, or lack of it, towards people of particular genders. It is part of who someone is, not a choice of behaviour.
Full entrySide by side
In short
Knowing someone's gender tells you nothing about who they are attracted to, and the reverse is also true.
What they have in common
Both are deeply personal, self-described and part of normal human diversity, and labels for both can be refined over time.
Sources
- American Psychological AssociationTransgender people, gender identity and gender expression
More comparisons
- Affirmative consentvsEnthusiastic consentAffirmative consent is about getting a clear yes; enthusiastic consent goes a step further and cares whether that yes is truly wanted.
- AsexualvsAromanticAsexual answers "do I feel sexual attraction?"; aromantic answers "do I feel romantic attraction?". A person can be one, both or neither.
- Bacterial vaginosisvsThrushA fishy smell points more towards BV, itching more towards thrush, but symptoms overlap, so it is worth getting them checked by a pharmacist, doctor or sexual health clinic.
- BDSMvsIntimate partner violence 18+Calling something BDSM never makes non-consensual harm acceptable. If limits are pushed, safewords ignored or fear creeps in, it is abuse, and domestic abuse services can help.
Last reviewed 10 October 2026. Spotted a mistake?