Plan International is committed to achieving gender equality
and fostering an inclusive society.
We support and empower adolescents in all their diversity,
regardless of their gender, ability, ethnicity,
or any other identity.
This includes sexual orientation,
gender identity,
gender expression and sex characteristics,
or SOGIESC for short.
But what actually is SOGIESC?
Let's break it down, using the SOGIESC person.
This helps us understand
that each of the individual terms has a different meaning,
and combined, they make up a person's SOGIESC identity.
Let's start with sexual orientation.
This is shown as the heart,
as it's about who you are emotionally, physically, and sexually attracted to.
One person might be attracted to someone of a different gender to themselves.
For example, a woman who is heterosexual
is attracted to men.
Another person
might be attracted to someone of the same gender as themselves.
For example, a woman who is a lesbian is attracted to other women.
Yet, another person might be attracted to people of more than one gender.
For example, a woman who is bisexual is attracted to both men and women.
Now, let's talk about gender identity.
This is shown as the brain
as it's about how you think and feel about yourself and your gender.
Some people identify as either a woman or a man.
This is a common way of thinking.
But actually many people feel that they don't fit with these two genders
They might feel they are a mixture of the two
or are something else that can't be clearly defined.
A person's gender identity
might reflect the sex that they were assigned at birth,
or it might not.
For example, a trans woman might have been described as male at birth,
but now identifies as female.
Now, gender expression.
This involves the whole person
because it is about the different ways
that you communicate your gender identity to the outside world.
This could include how you dress,
what haircut you have,
how you act,
or what name you use.
Finally, let's talk about sex characteristics.
We show these as genitalia because they reflect
whether someone is biologically and physically female or male,
as well as your external genitalia.
Sex characteristics include your hormones, chromosomes, body shape, voice pitch
and body hair.
A person who is intersex is born with sex characteristics
that are not completely male or female.
They are a combination of both.
So, let's put all the pieces together.
Sexual orientation
is about who you are emotionally, physically, and sexually attracted to.
Gender identity is about how you think and feel about yourself and your gender.
Gender expression
is about how you communicate your gender identity to the outside world,
and sex characteristics are about your biology,
such as genitalia, hormones, and body shape.
Each of us has a sexual orientation,
a gender identity, a gender expression and sex characteristics.
They combine to make up a unique SOGIESC identity.
SOGIESC is fluid.
This means that there are lots of different options
with no right or wrong way to be,
also things can change over time.
Our SOGIESC identity combines with other factors,
such as our age, where we live,
whether we are rich or poor, or whether we have a disability
to make who we are.
It also affects our power in society.
Sometimes people are discriminated or excluded
because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression
and sex characteristics.
This includes people who identify as lesbian, gay,
bisexual, trans, intersex or questioning,
known as LGBTIQ+.
We all have the right to define
and be proud of our SOGIESC identity.
There is no need to stereotype or harm people.
Everyone is unique.
We must all recognize, accept and celebrate this diversity.
For more information, see Plan-International.org.