The Diversity of Human Identity Mesob Magazine November 2025 Prepared By Abigail Peace and Freedom for All! Queer Right is Human Right! LGBTQ+, Sex, Gender, and Sexual Orientation Explained for Ethipian Reader Content Introduction 01 Chapter One - Sex 02 Chapter Two - Gender 03 Chapter Three - Trans gender 04 Chapter Four – Sexual Orientation 05 Summary 06 Gender identity Gender Expression Acknowledgements Nov 2025 First of all, I would like to thank my Creator, who has given me strength and wisdom from the beginning to the end of this writing. Next, I would like to thank all the people who helped me in this writing process. Most of all, I would like to thank my dear brother and friend Robin Eyoab, who has always been by my side and who has helped me expand my knowledge of the situation by providing the idea for this writing. I would like to thank my friend, sister, and love, Aphrodite, who has always helped me open my mind to things and always tells me to be a good person. So, I would like to thank my family, who has raised me to be myself with good morals and identity, even though they do not know my writing. Finally, I would like to thank my bright-hearted and strong LGBTQ+ sisters and brothers who have always supported me on this thorny path. May the Creator protect you all; I love you!! Dedication For the Ethiopian LGBTQIS+ community especially our courageous transgender brothers and sisters. Nov 2025 Introduction Nov 2025 As human beings, we are diverse in our nature and appearance, and our physical, psychological, and social upbringing and our beliefs shape our thinking. Let's look at sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender, and sexual orientation one by one. Knowing and understanding these things, transgender, and gender differences, will help us create a society that is better able to look at things in depth. This short Research-Based Article will help us to learn more about these things and change our misconceptions about these things. It explores the differences/diversity between human life experiences. Chapter One - Sex Nov 2025 Definition: It refers to the way we define humans as female, male, or both (intersex) based on the biological organs and physiological characteristics of our bodies when we are created or born. For example, when we talk about the male reproductive organs (biological or anatomical structure), some of them are: Testicles - The two externally visible fruits that are used for sperm and hormone production Penis - An organ used for urination and sexual intercourse Scrotum - The outer skin covering the testicles and storing the hormones and sperm produced by them Prostate gland - A fluid-producing organ located below the urethra that mixes with sperm Nov 2025 Women: Clitoris - Only a small part of it is on the surface and most of the gland is deep inside with various nerves, but it plays an important role in stimulating sensation during sexual intercourse Vulva - The external organ that covers the entire external genitalia (including the vaginal opening and clitoris) Vagina - The internal organ of a woman, which connects the vulva and the cervix or uterus Uterus - The internal female organ that contains the cervix, endometrium, funds, Fallopian tube, ovary and other organs that serve various purposes, and is mainly used for fertilization, ovulation In addition to these, what is called the penis for a man and the clitoris for a woman, that is, the penis for a man and the clitoris for a woman, are mainly very important for arousing feelings during sexual intercourse. Even if the Amharic equivalent is something we have been taught to be ashamed or calling them as a taboo, we need to reclaim our freedom. Nov 2025 In addition to these organs, based on physiology: If the chromosome is xx, then it is female and if it is XY, then it is male Hormones, mainly high levels of estrogen for women and testosterone for men They have eggs for women and sperm for men for reproduction and creating a fetus Based on the above, we usually classify them as male, female or both (when a person is born with biological characteristics of both sexes and ambiguous genitalia). Men also have a longer urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the external urethra) than women, which allows men to urinate while standing. When we look at this length, a woman is 3-4 cm longer and a man is 17-22 cm longer, which is why a woman is more susceptible to urinary tract infections; In addition, this urethra tube allows men to spray semen mixed with semen during sexual intercourse. Chapter Two Gender Nov 2025 It is difficult to find a suitable name for sex and gender each in Amharic, but here I hope you will understand the difference well from their meanings. Gender refers to: Social and cultural characteristics and roles that indicate being male, female or other (eg, non- binary); although gender expressions vary according to our local culture and tradition, most are similar. For example, we base them on behavior, division of labor, behavior, dress, dance, etc. In most societies, this dress, behavior, dance and other activities are divided into female/male, which we call gender. Gender can be defined in two ways: they are internal (gender identity) or external (gender expression). Gender identity Nov 2025 It asks us who we are and how we feel inside. Gender identity is our inner self, which is deeply rooted in our feelings of being male, female, or both. No matter what gender we are (whether our bodies are female or male), we can identify with whatever gender we want, but our inner self is what we want. Sometimes we dress like a woman but inside we want to be masculine, or sometimes we dress like a man but inside we want to be feminine. So gender identity is not what we show others, but what we feel and want to be inside. Let's look at some of these gender identities: A. Transgender A person whose body is female but whose inner desires and identity are male, or whose body is male but whose inner desires and identity are female. For example: A person is born with male body parts, but their inner desire is not to dress, walk, or act like a man, but to be a woman. Nov 2025 B. Cisgender When their physical and inner self-identity are the same, meaning that a woman with a female body defines herself according to the standards of femininity set by society and wants to be a woman, and a man does the same. This means that their physical identity and the way they see themselves internally are the same. C. Non binary A person whose body is either male or female...but whose inner self is not limited to one gender, but who can identify with both genders or who cannot identify with either gender. Non-binary is a term that encompasses everything that falls outside the binary gender category, and Agender, Bigender, and Gender Fluid can also be included under it. It is important to note that these are words that we use to describe people’s experiences, not words that completely describe people’s inner truth! Since there were no generic words that helped us describe queerness, the act of creating new words every time is a hallmark of our queer struggle. Nov 2025 D. Gender fluid These people, regardless of their physical gender, are fluid in their way of being themselves, sometimes wanting to be male and sometimes female; their desire to be both genders changes over time, depending on their circumstances. E. Agender They are outside of gender, they do not identify as male or female, they are gender neutral. F. Bigender While they are similar to gender fluid, they may want to be both at the same time; here is an example of gender fluid and Bigender, which are similar. Gender fluid: Abigail's physical gender is female, but this week she wants to be male and be called "He/Ante (Ethiopian pronoun addressing a man)"; next week she wants to be female and be called "She/Anchi (Ethiopian pronoun addressing a woman)"; on another day Abigail may not want to be either gender; she doesn't want "Ante/he and Anchi/She" Nov 2025 Bigender: Abigail wants to be both at the same time; she wants to be both; maybe sometimes she wants to be more feminine or masculine, but she can't be both at the same time, her gender is both and constant. Gender Expression Nov 2025 How You Show It Outside Gender expression - The way people show or express their gender to others, whether through clothing, voice, body language, or other ways in which they identify with what their society has defined as masculine or feminine. Because gender is embedded in the social constructs of masculinity, we can find ourselves in a gendered category that is different from the norm of being masculine. It is not because we are different, but because we have an internal context that is created by our struggle to fit within the social constructs. For example, there is a dress code that says that a woman should wear a dress, but a man may want to express himself by wearing a dress. We should understand that this does not mean that he is not a man, but rather a difference self-expression. This expression may be what they want or what society has told them to be; Nov 2025 that is, while some people have a female body and society expects them to act like a woman, they define themselves according to the standards of their society for femininity or masculinity. Gender expression: It is an external expression, different from cultural traditional expression It is also personal, and when we say this, we show our inner self (gender identity) to society in the way we want It is dynamic. For example, Abigail may want to show herself to society by dressing and walking as a woman today; on another day, she may want to show herself as a man Note - Gender identity is the gender she wants inside, while gender expression is what she wants to show to society or people. Nov 2025 When We summarize gender identity and expression and highlight the key points: Gender identity is the way people perceive themselves as female or male, regardless of their physical sex; Gender expression is the way people express their gender to the world, which may not match their internal gender, meaning they may not express themselves as they would like due to societal pressure. Gender identity is our internal desire that cannot be changed; whether a person is cisgender, transgender, fluid gender, nonbinary, or otherwise, it is always the same and cannot be changed, but gender expression can easily change based on culture or our desires Chapter Three Transgender Nov 2025 These individuals are those whose physical sex at birth does not reflect their inner gender identity or whose bodies and gender identity do not align. This means that although they may have been born with a body that appears male or female, their inner self and identity do not accept that assigned sex, and they desire to be the opposite. I would like to point out that when we take the direct English definition of transgender, it cannot be accurately expressed in Amharic ( ሽግግረ - ፆታ /Shigigre-Tsota) without slipping into negative or misleading meanings. Because our language is deeply heteronormative, it has become necessary to create new vocabulary that speaks to the experiences of Ethiopian queer individuals. For this reason, readers should understand that the term transgender is, in many ways, a misnomer, as it does not fully capture the lived reality of trans people. Nov 2025 Transgender people can be Transwoman or transman: Tran’s woman - When they were born, their body was male, but their inner gender identity is female, and they want to live as a woman. For example: Daniel was born a man, but since childhood she feels like a woman and wants to be a woman, so when she grows up, she changes her name to Daniela, dresses like a woman and does what a woman does, and wants to be called “She/Anchi” and not “daddy” but “mom”. Tran’s man - When they were born, their body was female, but they want to be a man and want to live as a man. For example: Samrawit is born with a female body, but from childhood he wants to be a man and be called "Ante(he)/Sami" and he does not want to be called "mom" as if he is a woman, but "dad" as he is a man. Nov 2025 Note- Transman or Transwoman changing their physical gender or name is a matter of their choice, but not all Tran’s people change; those who are trans are not because of their body, but because of their inner identity and desires that they cannot change. However, some people who have the courage, desire and ability to express themselves as they can change their gender or sex through social adaptation, government (legal transition) and their body (medical and surgical transition). Social transition Trans people begin to adapt to their society by expressing and presenting themselves in the gender they desire; that is, by their appearance, clothing, speech, name, pronouns (Ante/Anchi), and other things that express their inner self. Nov 2025 Legal transition This is when people change their identification, gender, birth certificate, and other documents they need to become legally recognized by the government. Transwomen are no longer referred to as "Ante/he" but as "Anchi/she" as a woman, and transmen are referred to as "he/ante" as a man. Anatomy and physiology transition Transgender people are the ones who are trying to make their physical appearance and gender identity more compatible with their inner sense of identity and to feel more comfortable and accepted by society. This transition can be achieved in two ways: through medical/hormonal therapy and through surgical transition. Please note that making all changes, including physical changes, is the desire of Trans people. Not everyone may want these changes. I have noticed that many people believe that all Trans people have undergone physical changes, but the truth is that all Trans people are not who have undergone physical changes through medical/surgical means.