Sexual orientation refers to a person’s emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attraction to other people. This includes identities such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, heterosexual, pansexual, asexual and others. In education, young people may face discrimination, exclusion or bullying based on who they are attracted to or are perceived to be attracted to.

Gender identity is a person’s deeply felt internal sense of their own gender, which may or may not align with the sex they were assigned at birth. Gender expression refers to how a person presents their gender outwardly. Students whose gender identity or expression does not conform to societal norms, including trans and non-binary students, often face discrimination, bullying and a lack of acceptance of their identity in school environments.

Sex characteristics are the physical traits relating to a person’s sex, such as chromosomes, hormones, reproductive organs, or genitalia. Intersex people are born with sex characteristics that do not fit societal definitions of “male” or “female”. In education settings, intersex students may face stigma, invisibilisation, or pressure to conform to binary norms, which can severely impact their well-being and inclusion at school.